On January 13, 2021, the “ambassador” of the Russian Federation to Abkhazia, Aleksey Dvinianin, gave an interview to Abkhazian television. During the interview, the “ambassador” dwelt on problems related to the protection of rights and interests of Russian citizens in Abkhazia. Key points from the interview were:

• Ethnic Russians are not appointed to important positions in the local de facto parliament and government, although there are many professionals among them.

• Russians face difficulties in obtaining Abkhaz citizenship, even if they comply with the requirements of the law.

• The “ambassador” expressed concern over the numerous criminal acts committed against Russian tourists, businessmen and ordinary citizens. According to him, there are cases when the judiciary does not pay attention to the facts of the crime if it is committed by an Abkhaz citizen. He cited a case of the rape and robbery of a Russian citizen in 2019, which reached court only a year later. The “ambassador” directly accused the judge of delaying the case.