The president of Georgia's breakaway, Russian-backed Abkhazia region summoned his security council on November 16 after the so-called prime minister of the rebel province was beaten up by attackers in the center of its main city.
The de facto government's interior minister said two men used a car to block Beslan Butba's Mercedes on a Sukhumi street on November 15 and then attacked him.
Butba was traveling with his wife and children and without bodyguards. He suffered a concussion.
De facto President Raul Khajimba said the attack was "symptomatic" of lawlessness in the Black Sea province and demanded law enforcement agencies "immediately use all resources to establish order."
Khajimba was elected in August after Aleksandr Ankvab resigned on June 1 following days of political upheaval.
The attack on Butba came on the same day that more than 30,000 people rallied in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, in part to voice concern over a proposed treaty between Moscow and Sukhumi that would strengthen Russia's control over Abkhazia and provide for the creation of joint Russian and Abkhazian military forces.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
In Battle For Pokrovsk, Ukrainian Troops Deploy Newly Acquired German-Made Tanks
2Kremlin Denies It Asked NATO To Withdraw Troops From Eastern Flanks
3Russia Turns To Cuban Recruits As It Struggles With Conscription, RFE/RL Reveals
4Trump 'Very Frustrated' With Zelenskyy, U.S. National Security Adviser Says
5How A Norwegian Company Fed Russia's War Machine Despite EU Sanctions
6Russian Region Holding Ukrainian Prisoners Of War ‘As Bargaining Chip’
7China 'Nervous' Over U.S.-Russia Reset, Despite Beijing's Public Support
83 Years In: How Moscow's War In Ukraine Has Reshaped Life In Russia
9Ukraine Live Briefing: Zelenskyy Says He'd Quit For NATO Membership
10Britain To Unveil Large Package Of Sanctions On Russia
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
