Sariya Lakoba
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1904
Sariya Lakoba | |
|---|---|
| Сария Лакоба (Russian) | |
 | |
| Born | Sariya Dzhikh-Ogly 1904 |
| Died | 16 May 1939 (aged 34–35) |
| Education | Self-educated |
| Known for | Resistance against the NKVD during the Great Purge |
| Spouse | Nestor Lakoba (m. 1921) |
| Children | Rauf Lakoba |
Sariya Akhmedovna Lakoba (Russian: Сария Ахмедовна Лакоба; née Dzhikh-Ogly; 1904 – 16 May 1939) was a Soviet woman and a victim of the Great Purge. Born into a wealthy Adjarian noble family in Batum,[1] she was raised in a conservative Muslim household.[2] Although she never finished formal schooling, she was a self-educated polyglot who spoke several languages and was an avid collector of literature.[2][3]
In 1921, she married Nestor Lakoba, the leader of Abkhazia. Sariya became a prominent figure in the Soviet social circle of the 1920s and 30s, frequently hosting high-ranking government officials in Abkhazia and attending official events in Moscow.[2] She was described as a calm and observant woman who remained deeply committed to her intellectual pursuits.[1]
She maintained a personal friendship with Nadezhda Alliluyeva, the second wife of Joseph Stalin, who gifted Lakoba a handgun.[4] During their vacations in Abkhazia, Stalin and other members of the Soviet leadership were frequent visitors to the Lakoba home.[2]