Abkhaz and Russian authorities are investigating an explosion that took place in the Abkhaz capital of Sokhumi on October 17, which was reportedly aimed at an unnamed local politician. The explosion left one victim - the perpetrator, who was wearing a shrapnel-filled explosive device, which he is believed to have detonated prematurely.
The breakaway region of Abkhazia is internationally recognised as part of Georgia, but is de facto autonomous and highly reliant on Russia for aid, trade and military support. In the last year, however, the relations between Sokhumi and the Kremlin have reportedly soured as Abkhaz President Raul Khajimba was not accommodating enough of Russia's agenda. The Kremlin slashed its aid to Abkhazia to less than a third of what it had allocated, prompting an outburst of dissatisfaction with the Khajimba administration and a brief political crisis over the summer.
The attacker was reportedly a 35-40 year old Russian citizen hailing from the Krasnodar region, and he died in front of the Abkhaz state television. He had previously visited Abkhazia during the summer, in what the Abkhaz security council secretary Mohamed Kilba called a “reconnaissance” mission.
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