Russian soldiers killed a Georgian in occupied South Ossetia

Russian military killed a Georgian citizen in South Ossetia / AP

Near the demarcation line with occupied South Ossetia, Russian troops killed a Georgian citizen. This is the first death in the area since 2008.

This was confirmed by the Georgian State Security Service (SSS), writes Echo of the Caucasus. It is noted that the incident occurred on November 6 in the occupied territory during an attempt at illegal detention. Another Georgian citizen was illegally detained.

What is known about the deceased

The deceased is an elderly local resident. There were no other details yet. Regarding the detention of another citizen, they report that “active communication is being conducted using all tools available to the central government of Georgia.”

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili responded to the incident.

Deeply outraged by the fatal shooting of a Georgian citizen by Russian occupation forces during an illegal arrest. This blatant attack on Georgian statehood once again exposes the true nature of the “brother of the same faith,” she wrote on her X (former Twitter).

The president called on the international community to condemn the actions of Russia, which “grossly and shamelessly violated all international norms.”

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili also expressed condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

“The incident once again confirms the difficult security situation on the ground and indicates the dire consequences of the occupation that the civilian population also has to face,” Rustavi 2 TV channel quotes the prime minister.

Garibashvili noted that active work is underway to quickly dismiss the illegally detained Georgian citizen. And he also called on the international community to make an appropriate assessment and respond to the incident.

An investigation has been launched

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched an investigation into the murder of one Georgian citizen and the kidnapping of another by occupying Russian forces near the village of Kirbali in the Gori municipality.

“Law enforcement agencies are conducting investigations into this fact,” the department said, Interpressnews writes.

These are rare cases

• Cases where Georgian citizens were kidnapped in areas along the demarcation line with the occupied territories are not isolated.
• Russia is carrying out so-called “borderization” along the demarcation line – demarcation of the border with the occupied Tskhinvali region. The occupiers go beyond the real demarcation line and seize additional territories controlled by Tbilisi.