The political crisis in occupied Abkhazia is entering a more radical phase, marked by efforts to neutralize the opposition. The joint actions of Russia and the Sokhumi occupation regime to suppress local anti-Russian and anti-government sentiment have evolved from selective justice into a campaign of mass repression. A clear indication of this trend is the judgment delivered by the Sochi City Court on 4 June against Kan Kvarchia, a member of Abkhazia's de facto parliament and an opposition politician. He was sentenced in absentia to 10 years and six months' imprisonment.

Kan Kvarchia was charged with armed robbery. However, local experts and representatives of opposition groups consider the case to be politically motivated and view it as an attempt to sideline an undesirable candidate ahead of the upcoming so-called parliamentary elections.

The case stems from events that took place on 5 November 2025. On the eve of municipal elections in Abkhazia, a group of opposition activists led by Kan Kvarchia intercepted three Russian nationals. The opposition alleged that the individuals were political consultants sent by the Kremlin and claimed that they had been unlawfully working to support pro-government candidates. The activists subsequently handed the Russian political consultants over to Abkhazia's de facto State Security Service for investigation.

The incident was not investigated in Sokhumi, and the Russian specialists soon returned to Moscow. Despite these circumstances, the Kremlin appears to have treated the incident as a direct challenge. Based on a complaint filed by the Russian specialists, the Russian Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings against Kvarchia and seven other activists on charges of assault and making death threats. Shortly thereafter, Abkhazia's de facto Prosecutor's Office opened a parallel criminal case. The other defendants were placed under house arrest, while Kvarchia avoided detention due to his immunity as a member of the local legislature. The de facto parliament refused Moscow's request to lift his parliamentary immunity. However, the verdict handed down by the Sochi City Court made it clear that, from Moscow's perspective, neither Abkhazia's claimed “sovereignty” nor the parliamentary immunity of its de facto legislators carries any real significance.

Kan Kvarchia's case is not an isolated one within Abkhazia's political landscape. In recent months, the occupation regime, acting at the Kremlin's direction, has fully activated its repressive machinery, resulting in the mass detention of opposition leaders.

Politicians who oppose the Kremlin's economic expansion and the so-called “Apartments Law” have been detained while crossing the Russian border at the Psou River. Most recently, the leader of the opposition “People's Movement,” Adgur Ardzinba, was detained in Sochi using this method. Other prominent opposition figures who participated in protests against the so-called “Investment Agreement” were also detained, including Aslan Gvaramia, Omar Smyr, Ramaz Jopua, Gary Kokaia, and Almaskhan Ardzinba. These detentions triggered widespread public unrest across the region. Protesters blocked all strategic bridges leading to Sokhumi, forcing the de facto authorities to temporarily release those who had been detained.

The Kremlin's objective is clear: it seeks to eliminate from the electoral arena those political figures who are capable of mobilizing public protest and preventing the unconditional transfer of land and strategic assets to Russian business interests.