Another kidnapping of Georgian reported near occupied Tskinvali

A Georgian citizen has been captured by Russian troops near Georgia’s occupied breakaway region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), officials say.

The State Security Service said the detainee is Enver Beraia, 52, resident of the village of Khurcha in central Georgia.

The man was detained for allegedly illegally crossing the "border” – the administrative boundary line (ABL) erected by the occupying forces separating breakaway Tskhinvali region from the rest of Georgia.

The State Security Service did not specify whether or not Beraia was captured on Tbilisi-controlled territory, however Khurcha locals said he was kidnapped while working in his own wheat field in the village, meaning the occupants actually crossed the ABL into Georgia-controlled land to kidnap him.

Locals also said the kidnappers asked Beraia’s family for 50,000 Russia rubles (about $880 USD / €800) as a fine for the man’s release.

The state Security Service said talks for freeing the captured local is ongoing through the European Union Monitoring Mission Hotline.

The kidnapping is the latest in a series of frequent kidnappings of residents living in Georgian villages along the ABL separating the Russian-occupied regions of Tskhinvali and Abkhazia from the rest of Georgia. Over 130 people were detained by guards patrolling the occupation line in 2016.

It is not always obvious where the occupation line has been demarcated as Russian occupation forces keep changing the so-called borders. This process is informally referred to as a "creeping occupation”.