6,000 Ruble Fine for Being Naked or in Swimwear on Abkhazian Beaches: New Law

In Abkhazia, tourists will now face fines for walking in swimwear or naked outside designated beach areas, with penalties increasing 20-fold from before. The new regulation took effect today, August 1. Offenders will be fined 6,000 rubles (approximately 25,000 dram), up from the previous 300 rubles.

On June 8, the Parliament of Abkhazia amended the administrative offenses code, establishing that fines will be imposed for appearing in swimwear or naked in public spaces such as streets, stadiums, parks, gardens, all types of public transport, and other public areas, except designated swimming locations. The fine is set at 100 times the minimum wage or 6,000 rubles.

Previously, the fine was five times the minimum wage or 300 rubles. The term 'naked' refers to the complete absence of clothing on a person's body or a lack of clothing covering the torso.

According to Beslan Chkaduan, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia, “As of August 1, the newly implemented changes to the administrative offenses code mean that violators will face fines of 6,000 rubles. There are foot patrols at the beach who will identify offenders and call an operational group from the Internal Affairs Directorate, who will invite the police to write an administrative report. Regarding other areas, any employee who witnesses such a violation, or any citizen, can report it by dialing 0.2 and informing that, for example, a person has entered a restaurant in swimwear. The police will respond in accordance with the law.”