Monthly Review

Monitoring of the Situation at the Occupation Line in the Tskhinvali Region

2021 / 11 / 03

Publication N3 / Review Period: October 1-31, 2021 / Author: Elene Mindiashvili

Monitoring of the Situation at the Occupation Line in the Tskhinvali Region is being prepared within the framework of the project - Roadmap to Kremlin's Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region. The purpose of the publication is to review the situation and ongoing important developments near the occupation line in the Tskhinvali region. The review will be useful for everyone – decision-makers, public employees, media representatives and other people who are interested in the mentioned topic.

Who Was Kidnapped and Where?

Abduction from the village of Ergneti

On October 4, near the occupation line on the territory of the village of Ergneti in the Gori municipality, representatives of the occupation forces detained three Georgian IDPs from the Liakhvi gorge. The detainees were taken to the Tskhinvali isolator. One of the detainees, Nikoloz Pekshvelashvili, was injured while attempting to escape, so the next day, on October 5, he was hospitalized by an ambulance from Tskhinvali to the Gori military hospital. Two remained detainees were released two days after their arrest, on October 6.

Abduction from the village of Lopani

The State Security Service reported that two Georgian citizens, Zaza Melikishvili and Valeri Gagnidze, were detained in the village of Lopani, on October 28. According to Davit Katsarava, the leader of the anti-occupation movement - Power is in Unity, the abduction took place in the Cheratkhevi forest, far from the village of Lopani, on the Georgian-controlled territory near the Cheratkhevi River, where the detainees from the village of Vaka were collecting firewood. Katsarava’s statement is based on eyewitnesses’ accounts of the kidnapping and direct inspection of the location. According to the SSS, the Georgian side immediately launched the hotline. The detained citizens were released and handed over to the Georgian side the next day, on October 29.

Release of the Detained Citizens. Source:  ssg.gov.ge

Georgian Citizens in the Tskhinvali Prison

Two Georgian citizens remain in the Tskhinvali prison: Gennady Bestaev, who is serving his sentence for illegal crossing the so-called border of the Tskhinvali region, and Gela Gochoshvili, who was accused for illegal border crossing in August and is still in the Tskhinvali isolator. Information about his arrest was provided to the Georgian side in late September, which means that the hotline was not activated by the Ossetian side before.

Tskhinvali’s Propaganda

“The analysis made by the State Security Committee of South Ossetia about the situation indicates that there is a link between the socio-economic situation along the Georgian border area and the number of violations of the state border by Georgian citizens in search of better living conditions,” reads an article published by the RES local news agency.

According to the Security Committee, the social and humanitarian assistance program for IDPs does not work in Georgia. The aid which the country received from the West for this purpose was wasted. IDPs live in extreme social conditions on the territory of Georgia and this quality of life pushes them to move to the territory of the de facto Republic of South Ossetia. The Security Committee advises the Georgian side to pay attention to the extremely difficult social situation in IDP settlements.

Similar assessments are often made by the de facto authorities of the Tskhinvali region which are part of Tskhinvali's disinformation policy.

“Borderization” and the Developments Along the Occupation Line

“Borderization” fact was not confirmed in October.

Renewal of Trenches

The leader of the anti-occupation movement, Davit Katsarava, stated that while patrolling in the vicinity of the villages of Khurvaleti and Orchosani in the Gori municipality on October 12, he noticed the activity of the occupation forces about 300 meters from the highway. They were renewing trenches that were dug back in 2017 and banned the population from cultivating the adjacent land plots.

Trenches to Stop Fire from Spreading

On October 18, Davit Katsarava disseminated information about a new trench which the occupation regime dug to prevent the spread of fire in the village of Atotsi  between October 13-18.

Trenches Preventing the Spread of Fire in the Village of Atotsi. Source:  David Katsarava

Traps in the Chorchana Forest

On September 29, Davit Katsarava posted a video from the Chorchana forest in the Khashuri municipality. The video shows traps that representatives of the occupation forces set 100-150 meters from the occupation zone on the territory controlled by Georgia. As Katsarava reported, local residents are afraid to go to this part of the forest which makes it easier for the occupation regime to implement its practice - install barbed wires, the so-called border banners and “officially” prohibit the movement of Georgian citizens on the territory.

Patrolling Along the Occupation Line

In October, representatives of the occupation forces strenuously patrolled along the occupation line in the villages of Ditsi and Khurvaleti, the Gori municipality.

The Village of Ditsi

According to local residents, armed servicemen of the occupation forces daily control the entire section of the occupation line in the village of Ditsi. Patrolling which takes place about 20-30 meters from the place where the villagers irrigate their land increases the risk of approaching the territory and further exacerbates the situation.

The Village of Khurvaleti

According to local residents, patrolling of the occupation regime became particularly intense in the village of Khurvaleti after the instance of “borderization” in September. It is already risky not only to approach the occupation line, but also the adjacent territory.

Access to the village was also impeded for civil society activists and civil society organizations. To carry out any kind of activities (be it either visiting the area around the occupation line, providing Valia Vanishvili with the necessary products or supporting educational activities for the youth) law enforcers at the Georgian checkpoint near the village of Khurvaleti request them to present an official permit issued by the SSS, otherwise neither civil activists nor representatives of organizations will be allowed in the village.

Important Visits

In October, two important visits took place near the occupation line of the Tskhinvali region.

Visit of the State Secretary of the Slovak Republic

On October 12, Ingrid Brocková, the State Secretary of the Slovak Republic, together with Brian Elie Richard, the Head of Operations at the EUMM, and Eva Suvara, the Deputy Head of the Mtskheta Regional Office, visited the village of Odzisi in the Gori municipality and the illegal occupation line located there. The guests focused on challenges which the protracted closure of crossing point pose to the communities on both sides of the occupation line.

State Secretary of the Slovak Republic Visiting the Occupation Line. Source:  eumm.eu.ge

Visit of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic

On October 18, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Korčok, visited the so-called administrative border line section near the village of Oddzisi. The Head of the EU Monitoring Mission briefed the Minister on the current security situation and the recent developments along the administrative line in the humanitarian field.

State Projects Along the Occupation Line

On October 1, the Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, in cooperation with the Academy of the Ministry of Finance, announced a competition and conducted a training course Practical Entrepreneurship Course - How to Start and Develop a Business on October 18-30. The training course focused on women affected by the conflict in the villages of the dividing line. The course was aimed at increasing the theoretical knowledge about entrepreneurship and to strengthen the practical skills of doing business.