A tourist from Sochi apologized to residents of Abkhazia for wearing a Panama hat with Georgian symbols.

Sochi resident Ksenia Alypova recorded a video message to residents of Abkhazia apologizing for wearing a Panama hat with the Georgian flag on it while walking in Gagra.

A video apology from Sochi tourist Ksenia Alypova was published on the Telegram channel "Apsny Iakhya" on June 8.

In her video message, Alypova explained that she arrived in Abkhazia on June 1 and rented a house in Gagra for 14 days. She filmed her vacation and posted a story for her social media, showing her pink Panama hat with an image of Georgia within the country's geographic boundaries. The design was done in the colors of the Georgian flag.

"I didn't mean any political innuendo. <…> I apologize," Ksenia Alypova said in the video. In the video, she is sitting indoors on a chair. Next to her is another chair, on which lies the pink Panama hat in question.

The administrator of the "Apsny Iakhya" Telegram channel noted in the video description that in one of the republic's tourist areas, local residents noticed a woman wearing a cap with the Georgian flag. This caused a stir.

A post about a tourist spotted in Gagra wearing a Panama hat and carrying a Georgian flag was also posted on the Instagram* page chp_abh, which has approximately 98,300 followers. As of 9:35 AM Moscow time on June 9, this post had garnered 512 likes and 568 comments. Most of the comments expressed outrage.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on April 10, it was reported that a Sochi resident and her 18-year-old son, who were visiting relatives in Abkhazia, posed for a photo at the entrance to Sukhum with a Georgian flag. Passersby saw this and reported it to law enforcement. The woman and her son were detained by State Security Service officers and, after a preventive conversation, expelled from Abkhazia.

Tensions in relations between Georgia and Abkhazia regularly surface, despite the absence of armed conflict. In March, it was reported that a Georgian citizen was detained in Abkhazia on espionage charges. He is suspected of collecting and transmitting information regarding the socio-political situation in Abkhazia, as well as military equipment and transport routes.

In October 2025, another Georgian citizen was also detained by security forces in Abkhazia and accused of espionage for Georgia. According to security officials, during interrogation, he confirmed contacts with Georgian intelligence services and said he received money for filming a Russian border outpost in Abkhazia.

* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.