On February 22, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of separatist Abkhazia announced the arrest of an individual involved in the wounding of Eshsou Kakalia, a former Deputy Prosecutor General of separatist Abkhazia and a leader of the opposition public organization "Aidgylara". According to the ministry, the detainee is Alkhas Akhrovich Gurgulia, born in 1984. Information regarding other participants involved in the crime has not yet been released.

On February 21, the prominent Abkhaz opposition politician Eshsou Kakalia was admitted to the Central Republican Hospital in Sukhumi with a gunshot wound. The statement from the so-called Ministry of Internal Affairs of the separatist republic stated that the Internal Affairs Directorate is inspecting the scene, collecting initial evidence, and establishing the circumstances of the incident. Operatives from the capital's Internal Affairs Directorate have been put on alert, and an interception plan has been declared. A procedural decision will be made based on the results of the investigation.

Eshsou Kakalia is the former Deputy Prosecutor General of Abkhazia and one of the leaders of the opposition public organization "Aidgylara". In recent months, he has been a vocal critic of the current government, specifically demanding the resignation of Beslan Eshba, the head of the presidential administration, and accusing the president's entourage of corruption and excessive dependence on Moscow. According to opposition sources, the incident is being classified as an assassination attempt on the politician. Kakalia suffered gunshot wounds and multiple head injuries. Doctors are assessing his condition as moderate, with no life-threatening injuries.

Gazeta.abh. reports that, according to preliminary information, Beslan Eshba's nephews are involved in the crime. Official agencies have not yet confirmed the assassination attempt or named any additional suspects. The incident occurred amid an escalating political crisis in the self-proclaimed republic: the opposition accuses the authorities of politically motivated persecution of activists. Specifically, in November 2025, Russia placed Eshsou Kakalia on the federal wanted list for robbery against Russian political strategists at the office of the Abkhaz Herald newspaper. In February 2026, the Sukhumi Prosecutor's Office charged him under Article 113 of the RA Criminal Code (threat of murder or grievous bodily harm) in the same case.

Opposition figures view these actions as pressure from the Abkhazian and Moscow authorities. Four opposition parties and seven public organizations issued a statement noting that "this crime is political in nature and was committed in response to the principled criticism of the head of the Presidential Administration, Beslan Eshba". "The armed attack that took place is a direct reprisal against a politician who dared to point out the numerous abuses of power by the current government. Relatives of Beslan Eshba participated in the attack," the statement read.

The opposition demands the immediate resignation of Presidential Administration Chief Beslan Eshba, a comprehensive investigation into the armed attack on Eshsou Kakalia and the prosecution of all those responsible—both those who carried out the attack and those who ordered it.