Abkhaz authorities have denied support to women persecuted over Russian child benefits.

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Up to 1,000 female citizens of Abkhazia may be at risk of criminal prosecution for child benefit fraud, but the republic's authorities are not intervening in the situation, as it could harm relations with Russia.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," a mother of five from Abkhazia was sentenced in Sochi to a prison term on charges of fraud related to the receipt of child benefits. Other residents of the republic are also being prosecuted on similar charges.

On October 20, Said Gezerdava, an employee of the NGO Center for Humanitarian Programs and an expert who has studied Abkhazia for many years and spoke on condition of anonymity, and a Russian lawyer, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, commented on the criminal prosecution of Abkhazian women accused of illegally receiving child benefits and maternity capital to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

No one knows the exact number of women accused of payment fraud, Said Gezerdava stated. "Only the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has this data. It is estimated that there are about 1,000 people in the 'risk group,' but perhaps more. These women also often have problems crossing the border. Some have even complained to Putin," he said.

Many in society believe that these women are to blame themselves. But it's also possible that at least some of them were misled.

Gezerdava noted that many women received these benefits through intermediaries who openly advertised their services, including on social media. "One of the mandatory conditions for receiving benefits is permanent residence, and if a violation of this requirement was discovered, the woman could be sued. Many in society believe that these women are to blame. But it's also possible that at least some of them were misled. "When they saw their neighbors quietly receiving decent money by Abkhaz standards, they began to think they had a right to it," he emphasized.

According to Gezerdava, the attention of Russian law enforcement agencies to these schemes likely began in the fall of 2024, during a cooling in Russian-Abkhaz relations.

This story began under President Aslan Bzhania, who was ousted in the fall of 2024, noted an anonymous expert.

"Even then, there were requests for help from mothers. And when Badra Gunba came to power, this was one of the opposition's trump cards: if you're such a good negotiator, solve this problem." But then the Ministry of Justice spoke out, declaring that this was a dispute between Russian citizens and that it was in Abkhazia's interests not to interfere," he said.

The expert believes that this situation was the result of a general tightening of the screws and the Russian Ministry of Finance's search for additional sources of budget funding. "This isn't an isolated incident—the same thing happened with the import of cars, when they were banned from importing them without customs clearance," he emphasized.

We can't absolve the people who handled all of this. After all, they understood everything, especially if they used false registration documents.

The experts unanimously noted that the role of Russian officials in processing payments usually remains "behind the scenes." "We can't absolve the people who handled all of this." "They understood everything, especially if they registered people using false registration documents," Gezerdava stated.

An anonymous expert noted that without "fixers" in Russian agencies, such a scheme would not have been implemented, but these people are usually unknown in such trials. "It was even advertised on social media, but none of these "fixers" were brought to court," he noted.

Then-head of the ministry, Ruslan Adzhba, declined to comment when journalists attempted to clarify the situation, stating that it could harm interstate relations.

Experts also unanimously noted that the Abkhaz authorities are doing virtually nothing to resolve the problem. Gezerdava noted that the only action taken was the creation of an interdepartmental working group to resolve the issue, which was announced back in May. "The group's activities resulted in the Ministry of Social Security and Demographic Policy opening a hotline for these women. But they are afraid to call, not wanting to publicize their identities. And the then-head of the ministry, Ruslan Adzhba, refused to comment when journalists attempted to clarify the situation, stating that it could harm interstate relations," he said.

An anonymous expert also noted that the Abkhaz authorities have done nothing to support their citizens.

An anonymous Russian lawyer noted that, in accordance with Article 13 of the Law "On State Benefits to Citizens with Children," the following categories of Russian citizens living outside the country are entitled to receive a monthly childcare allowance: civilian personnel of Russian military formations stationed in foreign territories in cases stipulated by international treaties of the Russian Federation; mothers dismissed during maternity leave in connection with the liquidation of organizations or the termination of activities by individuals whose professional activities, in accordance with federal laws, are subject to state registration and (or) licensing, including those dismissed from organizations or military units located outside the Russian Federation; dismissed in connection with the expiration of their employment contract in military units located outside the Russian Federation; Mothers dismissed during maternity leave or maternity leave due to the husband's transfer from such units to the Russian Federation.

"As for maternity capital, there is a limitation - the right to receive maternity capital has been in effect since January 1, 2024, under the law "On Amendments to Article 3 of the Federal Law 'On Additional Measures of State Support for Families with Children'." According to this law, the right to receive maternity capital only arises if the child has citizenship by birth and is born to a citizen of the Russian Federation, regardless of her place of residence. The only exception to this rule is residents of new regions," he noted.

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