Two missing Georgian border guards located in Russia
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Two border guards who disappeared while on duty are expected to be returned to Georgia by Russia on June 29, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia says.
The border guards from Lagodekhi municipality of Kakheti region headed to the Georgia-Russia border near Dagestan to open a temporary summer checkpoint on June 27.
The Lagodekhi unit of the border police later began a search for them as communication with them was cut off for some time.
Finally, the MIA border police department found out that the missing guards had been detained and taken onto the territory of the Russian Federation.
One of the guards detained by Russian border police, Koba Macharashvili, had been working for Georgian border police for 13 years, his family members say.
"There has not been any such case in the past. He left for work on Monday as usual and we do have heard from him since", Macharashvili’s mother Nargiza Makhatadze told journalists.
The detained border guards are from the villages of Shroma and Patara Gori, Lagodekhi municipality.
The MIA is going to start an investigation into the incident as soon as the border guards are returned to Georgia.
Russian-occupied Tskhinvali calls the occupation line between Tskhinvali region and the rest of Georgia "the state border” and treats any cases of line crossing by locals as cases of "illegal border crossing” even though the line is not well differentiated in some areas.
Russia-controlled border guards have detained two Georgian citizens today near the Bershueti village of Gori municipality at a church on territory which is administered by Tbilisi.
The Georgian occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) de facto parliament has created a ‘border delimitation-demarcation commission’ and is now saying that it is "unjust” that the village Tsnelisi is not "within the border of the South Ossetian republic.”Both the commission and the statement on the village have been assessed as provocative and as a violation of all international law by Tbilisi.
According to official data, 126 Georgian citizens were illegally detained by Russia-controlled border guards last year at the Georgia-breakaway Tskhinvali occupation line. In most cases detainees are released after paying a fine which amounts to about $30.
Russia has released two Georgian border guards who were detained on June 27 at the Russia-Georgia border.
Georgia marks border guards’ day today, expressing respect for the individuals who protect the state borders in a very challenging time.
Negotiations are underway to secure the release of a Georgian citizen who was detained for illegally crossing the border by Russian border guards at the Dagestan section of the Russia-Georgia border on June 13, reports the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Russia has released Georgian shepherd Davit Vardoshvili who was detained for illegally crossing the Russia-Georgia border on June 13.