Aslan Bzhania (Russian: ????? ??????) is a former Head of the State Security Service, a former Presidential candidate and one of the current leaders of the opposition in Abkhazia.
He was considered a favorite candidate in the scheduled July 2019 presidential election.
However he was admitted to a hospital in Moscow in a severe condition in April 2019, with the presence of a large dose of mercury and aluminum in his blood, leading to allegations of poisoning on political grounds.
As of May 2019, he remained in the clinic, his respiratory system and speech impaired.