In Abkhazia, another ethnic Georgian has been convicted of "espionage for Georgia"

In the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, a court sentenced Shalva Khizanishvili to six years and nine months in prison. He was accused of espionage and illegal possession of weapons.

Khizanishvili, 39, a schoolteacher in the village of Shashikvara in the Gali District, was detained by State Security Service (SSS) officers in October 2025. This district is the only one in Abkhazia where the majority of residents are ethnic Georgians.

According to law enforcement, the teacher filmed one of the Russian border posts, for which he received payment from Georgian intelligence services. The Abkhaz SSS also stated that three rifles, ammunition, and explosives were found during a search of Khizanishvili's home.

Following Khizanishvili's arrest, the republic's Ministry of Education called for "purging the education system of those with a different mindset." A campaign against Georgian teachers from the Gali district began in the Abkhaz media.

Earlier, several other ethnic Georgians received prison sentences on charges of espionage and treason in favor of Georgia. Among them were Kakha Muradov, sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Kristina Takalandze, sentenced to 10 years and six months. In March of this year, Sukhum authorities reported the arrest of another Georgian, Emzar Bagishvili, on similar charges.

Последние новости
Aliyev accused the OSCE Minsk Group of failing to resolve the Karabakh conflict
Politics
Aliyev accused the OSCE Minsk Group of failing to resolve the Karabakh conflict
18 June 2026

For 30 years, while Azerbaijani territories were under occupation, fruitless negotiations were repeatedly held, and France, Russia, and the United States, as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and with a mandate to achieve peace and liberate our territories from occupation, were unable to force Armenia to withdraw from Azerbaijani territory, stated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the opening of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank Group in Baku.
In Abkhazia, another ethnic Georgian has been convicted of
Politics
In Abkhazia, another ethnic Georgian has been convicted of "espionage for Georgia"
18 June 2026

In the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, a court sentenced Shalva Khizanishvili to six years and nine months in prison. He was accused of espionage and illegal possession of weapons.
A human rights activist has contacted Chechen law enforcement agencies regarding the abduction of Movlaev's parents
Human rights
A human rights activist has contacted Chechen law enforcement agencies regarding the abduction of Movlaev's parents
18 June 2026

Human rights activists are making efforts to determine the whereabouts of Khava and Movsar Movlaev, Movlaev's parents, who were forcibly removed to an unknown location in Chechnya. Their fate remains uncertain.
Pashinyan promised to
Politics
Pashinyan promised to "destroy the three-headed oligarchy" in Armenia
17 June 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared his intention to "destroy" the political forces represented by the "three-headed oligarchy" led by former President Robert Kocharyan and businessmen Samvel Karapetyan and Gagik Tsarukyan.