Abkhazia refused to extradite to Russia its citizens suspected of murdering the crime boss Vyacheslav Ivankov, nicknamed Yaponchik, RIA Novosti reports.

The Investigative Committee of Russia reported that the court arrested two perpetrators of Yaponchik's murder in absentia. They turned out to be Astamur Butba and Nugzar Papava, who have both Abkhaz and Russian citizenship.

The press service of the Abkhazian Prosecutor General's Office said that they received a request for legal assistance in a criminal case, in accordance with which investigative and procedural actions are being carried out in the republic.

It does not imply the detention and extradition of suspects. The Constitution of Abkhazia prohibits the extradition of citizens to a foreign state for criminal prosecution, the department explained. However, according to the Criminal Procedure Code of Abkhazia and the interstate agreement, it is possible to bring these persons to criminal responsibility if the materials of the criminal case are received from Russia.

According to investigators, in July 2009 Butba fired a sniper rifle at Ivankov, who was leaving the Thai Elephant restaurant on Khoroshevskoe highway in Moscow. Papava covered the killer's retreat.