Russian law enforcement agencies have claimed that members of the Batalkhadzhin Sufi community were linked to the Caucasus Emirate*, a militant Islamist organisation. Human rights advocates, however, have questioned the allegations, noting that the group effectively ceased to exist more than a decade ago and that publicly available case materials contain little evidence of specific acts of support for militants.
The State Security Service of Abkhazia detained a Georgian citizen Vladimir Shulaia, who was put on the federal wanted list by Russia, on the territory of the republic. After his detention, he was handed over to Russian authorities.
Shulaya is accused of murdering a Russian citizen in 2002. He received bodily injuries during his detention. The man is the founder of the companies Tbilisi Oasis and Riverdale Pro.
Lawyer Shota Tutberidze, who is familiar with the detainee, expressed concerns that Shulaia could be forced to sign a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry and sent to the combat zone in Ukraine. The lawyer noted that such cases, when people are detained on fabricated charges and forcibly sent to the front, are not uncommon in the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.