TBILISI, July 3, 2026. A Russian citizen has been charged and placed in pre-trial detention after a fatal traffic accident on Tsotne Dadiani Street in Tbilisi, while her lawyer says the crash was not intentional.
Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office said Friday that the accident happened on June 22 near Tsotne Dadiani Street.
According to prosecutors, a Ministry of Internal Affairs investigation found that the accused rapidly started the car and hit a pedestrian who was moving in the same direction on the sidewalk. The vehicle also hit a car standing on the sidewalk.
The woman suffered multiple injuries incompatible with life and died after being taken to a clinic, the Prosecutor’s Office said.
Law enforcement officers detained the driver the same day. She has been charged under Article 276, Part 6 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which covers violation of vehicle traffic safety or operating rules resulting in the loss of human life. The charge carries a possible prison sentence of up to seven years.
Interpressnews cited the detained woman’s lawyer, Imeda Karkashadze, who said his client had moved to Georgia several years ago with her husband. He said she is a Russian citizen, her husband is a Ukrainian citizen, and they live and work in Georgia.
Karkashadze rejected any suggestion that the crash was deliberate.
“She is a quite good driver, she knows how to drive well, but sometimes it happens,” he told TV Pirveli.
The lawyer said the incident was caused by “a technical mistake” or “a malfunction of a small part of the car.” He also said the driver did not flee, but stayed at the scene until investigative actions were carried out and she was detained.
According to Interpressnews, publicly circulated video footage shows the woman walking on the sidewalk when a car starting from the sidewalk hits her and pushes her into a parked car.
