Publication N14 / Review Period: September 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.
Important Meetings
IPRM 108th Meeting
On September 23, the 108th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in the village of Ergneti, the Gori municipality. At the meeting, the Georgian side requested the immediate release of Georgian citizens illegally held in the Tskhinvali prison; they condemned the “borderization” process which has been going on with a growing trend over the past month, as well as illegal activities near the occupation line and once again refused to dismantle the Chorchana-Tsnelisi checkpoint.
Arguments and basic position voiced by the Ossetian side on the mentioned issues remained unchanged. It is worth noting that despite the Georgian side's refusal to dismantle the Chorchana-Tsnelisi checkpoint, Alan Gagloyev, the de facto President of the Tskhinvali region, still made a decision to open two crossing points for last ten days of each month until the end of 2022: Perevi (Pereu) in the Sachkhere municipality and Odzisi (Razdakhan) located in the Dusheti municipality.
Coordination Meeting on the Issue of Searching for Missing Persons
On September 9, a coordination meeting on the issue of searching for missing persons in connection with the 90s and August 2008 conflicts was held in the village of Ergneti.
The coordination meeting is a humanitarian platform which gathers Georgian, Ossetian and Russian participants to share available information.
The coordination meetings have been held under the auspices and with the technical expertise of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) since 2010, in its role as a neutral intermediary.
Discussions included an update on the progress made since the last meeting in 2021 and further efforts needed to clarify the fate of the 122 persons who remain missing in relation to the conflicts.
Citizens Detained and Released
Release of Nukri Kalashnikov
On September 27m the occupation regime released a Georgian citizen Nukri Kalashnikov who was illegally detained in June of this year. It should be noted that his arrest became known to the public only at the IPRM 108th meeting. Based on a statement of the Georgian State Security Service (SSS), the European Union hotline was immediately activated after Kalashnikov’s arrest and information was shared with international partners.
Release of Giorgi Kujoshvili
On September 9, Giorgi Kujoshvili, who was detained on April 5 of this year, was released after five months of illegal imprisonment. Kujoshvili, a resident of the village of Akhalubani, the Gori municipality, was illegally detained by the occupation forces in the village of Adzvi, on the territory controlled by the central government of Georgia.
Release of Giorgi Kujoshvili. Source: ssg.gov.ge
Detention of Gela Iobashvili
Gela Iobashvili, a resident of the village of Perevi, the Sachkhere municipality, was illegally arrested by the occupation forces on September 14. According to a statement of Irakli Antadze, the Deputy Director of the Analytical Department of the SSS, the hotline of the EU Monitoring Mission regarding the detention was not activated, therefore the Georgian side received information about the fact belatedly - on September 22. According to his own report, the occupation regime sentenced Iobashvili to two-month preliminary illegal detention as a preventive measure.
“Borderization” and Ongoing Activities Along the Occupation Line
“Borderization” in the Village of Kveshi
On September 19, an illegal “borderization” fact occurred in the village of Kvesh, the Gori municipality. Radio Liberty spread the information about the fact in the media. According to eyewitnesses, representatives of the occupation forces moving from the village of Artsevi, the occupied Erdevi municipality, resumed the work of installing “border fences” which was started in 2021.
New "Border Fences" in Kveshi. Source: 1tv.ge
“Borderization” in the Village of Knolevi
According to the information confirmed by the SSS, on September 30, the occupation forces illegally installed metal poles and laid barbed wire in the village of Knolevi (the Kareli municipality) which borders with the occupied villages - Kvemo Okona and Khabelaan.
In Kolevi, the ground for the new wave of “borderization” was prepared last May when the so-called fire ditches were dug up on the mentioned area.
Crossing the Occupation Line
Russian Soldiers on the Territory Controlled by the Central Government of Georgia
On September 5, the hiking club Ronin published a photo material which depicts the so-called servicemen of the Russian 4th military base near the Lomisi St. George Church which locates in the village of Zemo Mleta, the Dusheti municipality. The village Mleta borders with the village of Chigoyan, the occupied Akhalgori municipality, and the de facto jurisdiction of the Tskhinvali region does not apply to it.
Cases of crossing the occupation line by the Russian military have also been recorded in the past months.
Facebook Page of the Hiking Club Ronin
Important Visits
State Minister's Visit to the Villages Near the Occupation Line
Tea Akhvlediani, the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, visited villages near the occupation line. On September 1, in the village of Nikozi, the Gori municipality, she attended the opening of the 10th season of the International Animated Film Festival, which has been running since 2011. The Minister spoke with invited guests, organizers and local residents about the great importance of art in the issue of reintegration of the society separated by the war and presenting the severeness of the occupation issue outside of Georgia.
On September 3, Akhvlediani visited the village of Zardiaantkari, the Gori municipality, where she met with the local population. She, along with other representatives of the central and local government, introduced the Prime Minister's initiative to the population. The initiative aims at restoring damaged houses in Zardiaantkari and involving state agencies and local authorities in this process in a coordinated way.
On September 8, the Minister visited the village of Avlevi, the Kareli municipality, and the village of Chorchana, the Khashuri municipality. She personally heard from the locals about the challenges on the ground.
International Visits to the Occupation Line
On September 28, a delegation of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia working group of the EU Council visited the section of the village Odzisi, the Dusheti municipality. The delegation was hosted by the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, who informed members of the delegation about the situation on the ground. He especially emphasized the importance of the decision regarding the periodic opening of the so-called crossing points.
Another visit of an international delegation to the occupation line was held on September 16. Members of the Austria-South Caucasus Parliamentary Friendship Group together with the Deputy Head of the EU Monitoring Mission, Tibor Kozma, visited the village of Khurvaleti which is divided by barbed wire. The guests saw barbed wire fences, metal poles, a watch tower, etc. illegally built by the occupation forces.
The last visit of the month was held on September 29. This time, Marek Szczygieł familiarized the Belgian Ambassador Michel Petermans and his delegation members about the situation in the village of Odzisi. Shchigel informed the Belgian delegation about the developments along the occupation line near the Tskhinvali region and the negative impacts of “borderization.”