Monthly Review

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

2022 / 05 / 09

Publication N9 / Review Period: April 1-30, 2022 / 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.

Abduction and the Release

Abduction and the Release of Kakhaber Merebashvili

On April 25, Kakhaber Merebashvili who was illegally detained in the vicinity of the village of Mejvriskhevi, Gori municipality, was handed over to the Georgian side on the Tbilisi controlled territory. The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) spread the information about the release on its Facebook page, however, did not specify the exact date and circumstances of his arrest.

Kakhaber Merebashvili. Source:  SUS Facebook Page

Release of Vladimer Kaniashvili

On December 9, 2021, in the vicinity of the village of Tsinagara (occupied Akhalgori municipality), Vladimer Kaniashvili was illegally detained and placed in the Tskhinvali prison. According to a SSSG statement of April 19, he is already released. It is still unknown at what stage is the review of Kakha Natadze's “case” as well as the estimated date of his release. Kakha Natadze was detained together with Kaniashvili.

“Borderization” and Ongoing Activities Along the Occupation Line

No case of the borderization was reported in April, which is undoubtedly related to the ongoing developments around the war in Ukraine. On the one hand, this may be due to the transfer of the Russian military contingent from the Tskhinvali region 4th military base to the territory of Ukraine, on the other hand, it may be due to the fact that some members of the Power is in Unity anti-occupation movement who used to constantly patrol in “fear zones” and spread information about the facts of borderization, left for Ukraine.

Patrolling the Occupation Line

Amid the hostilities in Ukraine, de facto president Anatoly Bibilov's warning calls appeared in Ossetian news agencies about the threat of the opening of a second front from official Tbilisi. According to the allegations of the Ossetian side, the intensity of controlling the occupation line has increased.

Important Visits

In April, three important international visits took place to the occupation line in the Tskhinvali region.

Visits to the Occupation Line. Source: eumm.eu

Visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

On April 1, a Danish delegation chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeppe Kofod, visited the occupation line in the Tskhinvali region, in the village of Odzisi, Dusheti municipality. The delegation paid a visit to the crossing point which has been closed since a Georgian police checkpoint was built near the occupation line in Chorchana, Khashuri municipality. The EUMM hosted the delegation and briefed on the situation on the ground.

Visit of the Swedish Minister of Defense to Khurvaleti

On April 7, the Minister of Defense of Sweden, Peter Hultquist, together with the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Goergia (EUMM), Marek Szczygieł, visited the occupation line in the village Khurvaleti, Gori municipality.  Mr. Szczygieł briefed the Minister on the humanitarian and security challenges on the ground. The problem of accessing health services, private property and religious places is quite acute in the Khurvaleti village which is divided into two parts,.

Visit of Members of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) of the European Parliament

A delegation of the European Parliament visited the villages of Odzisi and Khurvaleti near the occupation line in the Tskhinvali region, as well as the IDP settlement of Tserovani. The EU Monitoring Mission, which hosted the delegation, introduced to the guests the specific importance of each section and the challenges there: the consequences of the protracted closure of the Odzisi crossing point for residents on both sides of the occupation line; Problems in Khurvaleti related to the access to health services and private property and the living conditions of IDPs in Tserovani.

Temporary Opening of Crossing Points

At the last meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), the parties discussed the issue of temporary opening of crossing points. It was agreed to open these points on Easter, thus allowing residents on both sides of the occupation line to safely cross the so-called border section on April 21-25. The issue of closed crossing points has been on the agenda of the Georgian-Ossetian dialogue for the last 3 years, but so far unsuccessfully. Nugzar Tinikashvili, the Legitimate Governor of Akhalgori, presumes that the reason for the short time opening is the background of the so-called presidential elections in the Tskhinvali region. In his opinion, with this gesture the de facto President, Anatoly Bibilov, is trying to “win the hearts” of Akhalgori residents after his failure in the first round of the elections.