Abkhazian women persecuted over Russian child benefits

A mother of five from Abkhazia has been sentenced in Sochi to a real term of imprisonment on charges of fraud due to receiving child benefits. Other residents of the republic are also being prosecuted on similar charges.

The sentence for one of the mothers of many children who was persecuted after applying for Russian child benefits was handed down by the Adler District Court of Sochi. The woman was sentenced to two years in prison.

The convicted woman is a resident of Abkhazia with Russian citizenship, who received benefits for her five children from 2016 to 2024. Are Russian law enforcement agencies demanding that she return the entire amount of funds received over these years, as well as pay a fine? Nuzhnaya Gazeta claims in today's publication.

According to the publication, the woman was misled by Russian officials: when applying for child benefits, she indicated that she permanently lived with her children in Abkhazia. At that time, this "did not raise any questions," but later the mother of many children was accused of fraud - according to the law, only those citizens who permanently live in the territory of the Russian Federation can receive Russian budget payments.

Detentions at the border of mothers of many children from Abkhazia receiving child benefits in Russia began last year, shortly before the presidential elections. The Ministry of Internal Affairs promised assistance to the women, urging them "not to make a fuss," but over the past months "the situation has only worsened," the Telegram channel of the AIASHARA news agency notes.

Back in May, the Abkhazian authorities publicly promised legal support to citizens of the republic who, also having a Russian passport, received benefits and maternity capital in Russia. Prime Minister Vladimir Delba reported on May 20 that a special interdepartmental working group had been created for this purpose. According to Russian law, citizens who live abroad for more than 180 days a year cannot receive child benefits, Sputnik Abkhazia notes.

The detention of Abkhazian women with dual citizenship at the border became widespread in May 2025. One of them, Elena Prostitova, a mother of four, was detained by FSB officers in late April. The fraud charges they face in Russia carry a prison sentence of up to ten years, JAMnews writes.

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