After the recognition of independence, from 2008 to 2023, the de facto authorities of Abkhazia received more than 110 billion rubles from Russia. Russian subsidies make up the largest part of Abkhazia's budget, which is an important leverage in the hands of Russia to influence the de facto authorities of Abkhazia. Recent events proved that financial "help" is not selfless. Relations between Russia and Abkhazia have been strained. Dissatisfaction is mainly related to the case of Bichvinta country houses and the "apartments" bill. 

The non-fulfillment of obligations to Russia by Abkhazia's de facto authorities led to the imposition of sanctions. The de facto minister of foreign affairs of occupied Abkhazia, Sergei Shamba, stated at the briefing of the Abkhazia Infocenter on September 3 that the Russian Federation "has suspended funding to Abkhazia from September 1 and demanded the fulfillment of certain obligations". According to Shamba, Russia has been warning the Abkhaz authorities for a long time that in case of non-fulfillment of obligations, there would be "sanctions" from Russia.

"From September 1, they have already started implementing the sanctions. As you know, some social funding has already been suspended for doctors, teachers, law enforcement agencies and others. It seems that these are only the first steps. There are also questions regarding the electricity prices, we will probably have to pay the commercial price," said Shamba.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also commented on this topic: "The suspension of social assistance by Russia is not an aggravation of relations. It is associated with the need to maintain the commitments made by the governments of the two countries." He also emphasized that there was a package of bilateral agreements between Abkhazia and Russia, which had its obligations. Lavrov emphasized the importance of maintaining the balance of bilateral obligations and said that Abkhazians understood everything well.

According to RIA Novosti, the minutes of a meeting held in Moscow, with the participation of Aslan Bzhania, President of Abkhazia, and Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of Russia, were distributed in the Abkhazian opposition telegram channels. The document, the authenticity of which the parties did not confirm, but did not deny its existence either, states that Russia intends to stop financing social programmes in Abkhazia. In order to continue funding, Abkhazia should take the following steps:

•  Ratify an agreement on the recognition and enforcement of court and arbitration rulings on economic cases;
• Ensure that the agreement on the implementation of investment projects by Russian legal entities on the territory of Abkhazia takes effect;
• Lift restrictions for Russian investors on the commercial real estate market (adopt the apartments bill).

The minutes also refer to the strained relations with Abkhaz high-ranking officials who oppose the fulfillment of these obligations. With regard to the question of whether the so-called oppositionists of the de-facto parliament may be stripped of their Russian citizenship, Shamba notes that the practice of similar sanctions already exists. Shamba cited as an example the deprivation of citizenship for opposition MPs in South Ossetia and noted that decision-making on this issue was the prerogative of the Russian Federation. Shamba ruled out the possibility of Abkhazia interfering in this matter.

Abkhaz users on social networks are angry about the imposition of sanctions. Many of them are in uncertainty and openly criticize the so-called authorities. Some even question the partnership with Russia. A large part of the comments contains a demand for the resignation of the so-called authorities. Users worry that no one is defending the interests of the "country" and the population.