Abkhazia Stops Issuing Russian Passports

Russian passport and driver's license issuance offices in the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia are being suspended. The decision was made by the Russian Embassy in Sukhumi following statements from Abkhaz parliamentarians questioning the legality of these offices.

Moscow emphasizes its respect for Abkhazia's sovereignty and announces that the issuance of documents will be transferred to Russia. The offices were opened in January 2026, and driver's license offices have been operating since 2025.

On February 4, at a closed meeting of the Abkhazia Defense and National Security Committee, deputies expressed bewilderment over the issuance of passports and driver's licenses from another country, calling on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to close the offices, although the parliamentary press service stated that no decisions had been made.

Most residents of Abkhazia hold dual citizenship. It is noted that in 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin simplified the process of obtaining Russian citizenship and issuing passports/licenses to citizens of Abkhazia until 2028 and 2026, respectively.

Последние новости
Aliyev: Armenia Must Reveal the Fates of Missing Azerbaijanis
Politics
Aliyev: Armenia Must Reveal the Fates of Missing Azerbaijanis
7 October 2026

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev considers determining the fates of missing persons to be one of the state's most important issues. He stated this in an address to participants of the 4th International Conference on Missing Persons, currently taking place in Baku.

Saakashvili calls for closing Georgia's border with Russia over plague reports
Politics
Saakashvili calls for closing Georgia's border with Russia over plague reports
7 October 2026

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has urged the country's authorities to close the border with Russia and ban Russian citizens from entering. He outlined his position on Facebook from custody, commenting on reports regarding the death of an employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute.

Keys to 52 new homes handed to Dagestan flood victims
Society
Keys to 52 new homes handed to Dagestan flood victims
6 October 2026

On October 6, in the settlement of Mamedkala in Dagestan’s Derbent District, keys to 52 new homes were handed to families who had lost their housing due to spring flooding. The ceremony was attended by Yana Lantratova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, and Fedor Shchukin, the Acting Head of the Republic.

Sixteen imprisoned female journalists from Russia and Ukraine receive Politkovskaya Award
Human rights
Sixteen imprisoned female journalists from Russia and Ukraine receive Politkovskaya Award
6 October 2026

The Anna Politkovskaya Award has this year been given to 11 Russian and five Ukrainian female journalists who are imprisoned in Russia and in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

 

According to the award’s founder, the international organisation RAW in WAR (Reach All Women in WAR), the nominations committee praised the “courage and integrity” of the laureates, who “risk their freedom and even their lives to report on the war and speak out against human rights violations, war crimes and the escalating repression of journalists, human rights defenders and anti-war activists in Russia”.