Abkhazia's Security Service: Radical opposition seeks to kill president

State Security Service of Abkhazia has announced that some radical supporters of the Abkhazian opposition seek to seize power by force on December 15 and neutralize the legitimately elected president of Abkhazia.

The bloc of opposition forces is preparing a people’s gathering on Thursday in Sukhumi to demand President Raul Khajimba’s resignation. Earlier the incumbent president said he is not going to satisfy that demand. The State Security Service announced on December 13 that “radical oppositionists plan to use firearms and explosives to implement their goals.”

On December 11, the security services exposed an arms cache in Sukhumi, which confirms the preparations for a power seize.

“To increase the number of assaulters, radical oppositionists are travelling throughout Abkhazia and trying to bribe residents, mostly the youth,” the State Security Service of Abkhazia says.

According to the source, the destructive activity of the opposition is funded mainly by “revanchist and irreconcilable opponents of the authorities, including outside the country.”

Earlier, various political and public organizations urged the sides to prevent tensions and sit at a negotiating table.

Today, the Council of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Abkhazia expressed concern over “growing confrontation between the authorities and the opposition that may result in further split and lead the population to a dangerous line.”