As of September 1, Russia has ceased funding the occupied region of Abkhazia, halting a payment of 141 million rubles (approximately 1.6 million dollars). Vladimir Delba, the Minister of Finance of the de facto republic, confirmed this in an interview with Abkhazia TV. This funding was intended to cover the salaries of social workers, including doctors, teachers, employees of the so-called law enforcement agencies, and others.
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According to the de facto minister, Russia reduced its financial assistance to Abkhazia due to the latter’s failure to meet the conditions of a program aimed at harmonizing Abkhazian legislation with Russian law. Specifically, by August 1, the so-called Parliament of Abkhazia was required to ratify agreements on implementing investment projects by Russian legal entities in Abkhazia, as well as on the recognition and enforcement of arbitration decisions related to economic projects.
"This is not the first such situation this year. I want to give an example. According to the harmonization program, July 2024 was the deadline for adopting the Law On Social Services for Citizens. In July, we submitted a request for salary funding for a specific category of employees, but because the law was not passed on time, the July payment of 141 million rubles was suspended. On July 30, the law was passed, and the financial assistance was restored. The situation now is similar," Delba said.
He expressed hope that the situation would improve and that Russian financial assistance would arrive on time. According to Vladimir Delba, Abkhazia’s budget will be able to cover September’s expenses, but "the coming periods will be quite difficult."
Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs of the Russian State Duma, also commented on the matter. He stated that some individuals in the "Parliament" of Abkhazia are trying to harm relations between Russia and Abkhazia.
"The Parliament of Abkhazia has long avoided fulfilling its promises related to the harmonization of legislation. For example, it does not recognize the jurisdiction of arbitral tribunals. The document addressing this issue is in parliament, but the deputies are failing to make decisions, influenced by populist sentiments and a campaign of suspicion against Russia, which some, including deputies, are promoting.
In the Abkhaz blogosphere, under the influence of foreign grants and various third-sector organizations, there is a campaign aimed at creating a rift in relations between Russia and Abkhazia. These individuals are known. Some of them are members of parliament. While they do not represent the majority, they seem to influence the majority’s mood, and as a result, the majority shows no will and simply goes with the flow. It seems to me that this decision is intended to draw attention to the fact that their stance on our agreements leads to nothing good," Zatulin said.
Before the termination of Russian aid, there was a protocol from a meeting between Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of Russia, and the de facto President of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, in which the Russian side demanded the adoption of the draft law on the so-called apartments and threatened to revoke the Russian citizenship of those who oppose it.
On this topic:
Russia Implements Sanctions Against Abkhazia, Sergei Shamba Says
