On February 6, the Russian Embassy in the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia announced the suspension of operations at offices issuing Russian internal passports and driver’s licenses to Abkhaz citizens holding Russian citizenship.

During the announcement, the embassy stated that "since Abkhaz political figures, including members of the People’s Assembly, are questioning the legality of these offices, the Russian side, which respects the sovereignty of the independent Republic of Abkhazia, will be forced to suspend their operations". They emphasized that the issuance of documents would be transferred to the Russian Federation.

In his comments on the decision, Mikhail Shurgalin, the Russian Ambassador to Abkhazia, stated that the offices issuing Russian internal passports and driver’s licenses had been established by a decision of the Russian President and in agreement with the Abkhaz president and authorities. He stressed that the procedure operated under a "one-stop shop" principle, free of charge, with Russian specialists involved to ensure comfortable conditions for Abkhaz citizens holding Russian citizenship.

Mikhail Shurgalin emphasized that the presence of personnel from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia did not contradict local legislation and was consistent with international practice. He noted that during a February 4 meeting of the parliamentary committee on defense and national security, several deputies, including Kan Kvarchia, questioned the legality of the presence of specialists from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Migration Service, framing it as interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.

During a separate statement on February 7, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia stated that on February 6 it had received a letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation regarding the withdrawal of the temporary group of Russian traffic police officers and equipment operating since April 2025. This group had been providing Abkhaz citizens holding Russian citizenship with free exchanges of Abkhaz driver’s licenses for Russian ones.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia stated that due to these circumstances, the acceptance of documents at the State Traffic Inspectorate had been suspended, emphasizing that Russian driver’s licenses can now only be obtained within the Russian Federation. In its statement, the ministry added that to date 19,140 applications have been received from Abkhaz citizens, 18,050 Russian driver’s licenses have been issued, and 16,146 licenses have been processed. They further emphasized that after April 1, Abkhaz drivers holding Russian citizenship will no longer be able to drive in the Russian Federation without Russian driver’s licenses.