One person died in Abkhazia – a breakaway region of Abkhazia, which is supported by – who was shot inside his building, as reported by the press service of the region’s presidency.
MP Vakhtang Golandzia succumbed to his injuries caused by a shooting at the parliament building, Acting President Bandra Gunba’s press office said in a Telegram post. Another MP was injured in the arm.
❗️🇬🇪⚔️🇷🇺 – Local sources confirmed a shooting today at the parliament in Abkhazia, a region of Georgia occupied by Russia since the 2008 invasion.
The incident is linked to the vote on a controversial law that would make it easier for Russian millionaires to acquire land,…
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x)
Abkhazia’s state-run news agency Apsnypress reported that the interior ministry identified another lawmaker, Adgur Kharazia, as a suspect in the incident and that he fled the scene. The telegram does not give any indication of the motive.
Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast, broke away from Georgia after a war following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Moscow has long supported it, as has another breakaway region of Georgia, Abkhazia. South Ossetia and has recognized them as independent after winning a five-day war with Tbilisi in 2008.
Abkhazia was plunged into crisis last month when protesters stormed parliament to protest an investment deal with Russia, prompting the resignation of the region’s president, Aslan Bzania. His deputy, Gunba, became the interim leader of the district.
MPs voted against ratifying the deal with Russia earlier this month. Opposition leaders in Abkhazia had opposed the deal, fearing it would open the way for wealthy Russians to buy up property, driving up prices for locals. Moscow, which largely finances Abkhazia’s budget, wants Russian investors to be able to acquire property rights and have the right to develop the region.
