Locals of the Russian occupied Georgian region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) cannot use the crossing-point between the breakaway region and the rest of Georgia for a couple of days.
The de-facto administration of Tskhinvali is closing the crossing-point tonight due to the presidential elections in Russia scheduled for tomorrow, March 18.
From 9 pm tonight until 6 am on Monday, people will be temporarily unable to use the crossing-point "due to increased security measures".
- Russia recognised Tskhinvali region and the other Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia as independent countries after a military armed conflict with Georgia in 2008.
- As of today, only four countries recognise Georgia’s breakaway regions as independent republics; these are Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru
- Following the war Russian border guards set up a barbed wire fence spanning 50 km along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) between Georgia and the Tskhinvali region. The arbitrary delineation runs through Georgian villages, and was announced by the Tskhinvali side as the new "state border”.
- Any attempt by Georgian villagers to cross the new "state border” is treated as a violation and the so-called offenders are arrested and taken to a Tskhinvali prison.