One lawmaker was killed and another injured in a shooting at the de facto parliament in Georgia's Abkhazia, a breakaway region supported by Russia.
According to local media reports, Adgur Kharazia and Kan Kvarchia, lawmakers operating under the self-proclaimed government, were meeting on December 19 over a proposal to ban the mining of cryptocurrency when a disagreement boiled over.
Kharazia, a former mayor of the region's capital, Sukhumi, has a history of violent incidents and reportedly pulled out a firearm and began shooting.
Vakhtang Golandzia, a fellow lawmaker who was trying to intervene, was fatally shot while trying to intervene. Kvarchia was shot in the arm and taken to hospital.
The de facto Health Ministry of Abkhazia confirmed the incident while acting Interior Minister Robert Kiut said in a statement that "Kharazia managed to flee the scene and police are searching for him. A special investigative group has been sent to detain him."
The shooting comes weeks after Abkhazia's de facto parliament rejected a controversial investment deal with Russia on December 3.
The shooting also underlines the region's instability with presidential elections scheduled for February 2025.
The agreement, signed in Moscow on October 30, was widely criticized as 'exploitative' by opposition figures and civil society groups who felt it would grant undue economic advantages to Russian investors while undermining Abkhazia's sovereignty.
The political aftermath of the deal also provoked mass protests, forcing the de facto leader, Aslan Bzhania, to resign on November 19.
SEE ALSO: Separatist Leader Of Georgia's Breakaway Abkhazia Resigns Amid ProtestsHe was replaced by acting leader Badra Gunba, yet the region remains in a state of political instability. The December 19 shooting further indicated the deep division within Abkhazia's leadership and the uncertainty within its political climate.
Kvarchia, the injured legislator, has actively opposed the now-shelved Russian investment agreement.
In the parliamentary session on December 3, he said the deal was "enslaving for Abkhazia."
He accused the executive branch of trying to push the agreement through despite a public outcry.
His opposition to the current administration's move has made him one of the key figures in the opposition movement that successfully rallied public dissent against the current administration's policies.
Kharazia has a controversial history.
In 2020, he was detained for allegedly causing grievous bodily harm and illegally possessing firearms after reportedly injuring an administrative official.
His involvement in the December 19 shooting has once again raised questions about accountability within Abkhazia's separatist leadership and broader security mechanisms.
The incident has piled on the pressure on acting leader Badra Gunba, who held an emergency meeting following the shooting. Gunba has already been under pressure from opposition groups demanding accountability for the mishandling of the Russian investment deal.
The protests that led to Bzhania's resignation underlined deep-seated discontent with Abkhazia's governance and fragile dependence on Russia.
The political crisis in Abkhazia reflects a struggle in the region to balance its reliance on Moscow for economic and military support with growing public unease about over-dependence on Moscow.
While Russia recognized Abkhazia's independence after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, most international community still views the region as part of Georgia.