Day: July 3, 2026
Abkhazia solves cold murder case
A double murder committed 33 years ago in Abkhazia has been solved, with the suspected perpetrator set to stand trial in Russia.
The killings took place in the resort town of Pitsunda in February 1993, during the Georgian-Abkhaz war.
According to investigators, on 13 February 1993, Russian citizen Svetlana Zhdanova deliberately shot dead local residents Tamerlan Daurov and Leonid Pachev with an assault rifle before dismembering their bodies and concealing the remains.
Two weeks later, on 28 February 1993, Zhdanova allegedly attempted to kill Aslan Pachev, Leonid’s brother. She opened machine-gun fire at him, but missed.
Zhdanova later left for Russia and was placed on the wanted list, but investigators were unable to locate her at the time.
Crimes of this nature are not subject to a statute of limitations. In March 2026, the double murder case was reopened after Russian law enforcement authorities located and arrested Zhdanova, 33 years after the killings.
During questioning, she admitted involvement in the double murder in Pitsunda, according to investigators.
On 30 June 2026, Abkhazia’s prosecutor general’s office sent the case file to Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office to pursue criminal proceedings.
As Zhdanova is a Russian citizen and Russian law prohibits the extradition of Russian nationals, she will stand trial in Russia under a bilateral agreement between Russia and Abkhazia.
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Black Sea Petroleum, a company owned by Georgian businesswoman Maka Asatiani that operates the newly launched Kulevi oil refinery in western Georgia, announced that it will begin refining “crude oil of entirely non-Russian origin” starting in August-September, saying the shift will “open doors to high-margin markets” for its products.
July 1’s statement said the company “continues to develop the plant in accordance with its strategic plan and to make a significant contribution to Georgia’s economic development,” adding that it has expanded its partnership with technology company Honeywell “to cover the procurement and implementation of high-tech equipment and automated control systems.”
It further said that it will “begin producing road bitumen for domestic and export markets,” and will “gain the capacity to produce aviation fuel” by the second quarter of 2027.
The Kulevi refinery, a project inaugurated in 2024 by Georgian officials as the largest private investment project in Georgia’s post-independence history, first drew controversy in October 2025, when Russian oil company Russneft supplied its first oil cargo to the facility. At the time, Georgian authorities maintained that the shipment complied with international sanctions, while critics warned that such deliveries could create a potential channel for re-exporting Russian oil under a Georgian designation.
The questions came amid broader concerns and journalistic investigations pointing to the possibility that Russian oil products may be reaching European countries through Georgia, particularly in light of the recorded spike in Georgia’s oil exports.
The controversy also extended to Kulevi port, which is owned and operated by Azerbaijan’s SOCAR. In March 2026, the European Union considered including the port in its proposed 20th sanctions package against Russia, but ultimately dropped the measure, citing “positive commitments” made by the Georgian authorities and the port operator.
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