On May 7, Aslan Bzhania, the de facto president of the Russian-controlled Georgian territory of Abkhazia, made a surprising move by dismissing Inal Ardzinba, the de facto foreign minister. The lack of explanations for this decision has sparked widespread speculation, with some media outlets even suggesting that Ardzinba was detained for questioning. However, an official release from the de facto foreign ministry stated that he had voluntarily stepped down to transition to a new position in Moscow, the details of which remain undisclosed.

Ardzinba was a staunch advocate for reducing the involvement of the occupied region with international bodies and consistently urged the cessation of foreign aid to non-governmental organizations. Ardzinba supported the so-called Adoption of the Law on Foreign Agents, which Aslan Bzhania submitted to the de facto Parliament for discussion in February of this year. The former de facto foreign minister called the US State Department, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the European Union "subjects of aggressive isolation of Abkhazia." According to his decision, USAID-funded projects promoting contacts between Georgians and Abkhazians were launched in Abkhazia. USAID/Caucasus Mission Director John Pennell was declared persona non grata.

Ardzinba also promoted the idea of integrating Georgia’s occupied territory into the Union State of Russia and Belarus.

His recent role as a talk show host on the Russian First Channel, the primary Russian propaganda platform, where he debuted with Bashar Assad as a guest on the show "The Global Majority," sparked controversy in Sokhumi. Local residents voiced their unease over their "foreign minister" taking on a television role abroad.

Returning to Sokhumi in 2021, Ardzinba's political career has predominantly been associated with Russia. Before his ministerial role, he led the Inter-Religious Public Council for Youth Affairs under the Russian Patriarch. Starting in 2014, he worked as an aide to Vladislav Surkov, then the key advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, responsible for managing relations with CIS countries, the occupied territories of Abkhazia, and Tskhinvali. In this role, Ardzinba specifically handled matters concerning Ukraine, including those involving the Moscow-supported self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk entities.

In light of his activities, Ukrainian prosecutors in 2015 accused Ardzinba of leading actions aimed at destabilizing Ukraine's territorial integrity by attempting to establish a separatist region called "Bessarabia" in the Odesa area. That same year, the Security Service of Ukraine implicated both Surkov and Ardzinba in terrorism-related offenses in Ukraine, including planning contract killings.

In October 2015, Kyiv issued an international arrest warrant for Ardzinba. Additionally, in 2015, he was placed on an expert-generated list of Ukraine’s most formidable adversaries, ranking just below Surkov and Chechnya’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Various sources claim that, due to his character, Ardzinba spoiled relations with many of his government colleagues and spoke negatively about the Russian leader in Abkhazia, Mikhail Shurgalin.

The news of Ardzinba's dismissal was met with caution in Tbilisi. It was also noted that the leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were notably absent from Russian president Vladimir Putin's inauguration ceremony.