Bzhania dismissed the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia

The de-facto President of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania signed a decree to remove the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Dmitry Dbar from office. His resignation was sought by veterans and the de-facto president appointed Ruslan Azhiba to temporarily head the ministry.

On November 4, the United Council of Veterans of Abkhazia, despite the refusal of the Sukhumi mayor's office to coordinate the protest action, held a rally demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Dmitry Dbar. The protest was announced against the backdrop of the decision of the separatist President of Abkhazia to reinstate the security officer. The action attracted over a thousand people. The President of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania refused to fulfil their demands, and then the protesters announced a nationwide gathering for the resignation of Bzhania himself.

Dmitry Dbar was removed from the position of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs during the investigation of two shooting incidents, during which veterans were beaten. The investigation resulted in two security officials being prosecuted. Regarding Dmitry Dbar, the Prosecutor General's Office did not find any corpus delicti but suggested that the President of Abkhazia consider whether Dbar is fit for his position.

Zurab Zantaria, who headed the State Security Service, was relieved of his post, and dismissed early from military service in connection with his transfer to service in the internal affairs bodies, following the presidential decree of November 29.

New head of the de-facto Ministry of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia appointed

The separatist president of Abkhazia has appointed Walter Butba, who has experience in the Russian law enforcement system, to the post of de-facto Interior Minister.

The decree on the appointment of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was signed on 6 December by the President of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania. "To appoint Butba Walter Sergeevich the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia," says the document published on the de-facto president’s website.

Walter Butba was born in 1975 in the city of Ochamchira, graduated from the Saratov Higher Military Command School and the Abkhaz State University with a degree in Jurisprudence, and in 2020 from the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of Russia with a degree in State and Municipal Administration. In 1996 he entered the service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia as an investigator. In 2001, he joined the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, where he worked in various positions in the field of combating organised economic crime and corruption. From 2014 to 2016, he served as First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia. After that, he worked as the head of departments for economic security and anti-corruption in companies.