Russia’s Occupation of Georgia’s Territories Intensifies
Since 2008, Russia has occupied two sovereign regions of Georgia, the Black Sea coastal region of Abkhazia and the central Georgian region of South Ossetia (Tskhinvali). The occupation is an unpleasant reminder that Russia has yet to prove willing to promote the peace and prosperity of states that border it. It underlined its commitment to attempt neighboring states to comply with Russia’s interests at the expense of their own in 2014 when Russia seized Crimea from bordering Ukraine. Russia’s occupation of Georgia’s territories has provoked condemnation from many international quarters, but so far to no avail. The harsh realities of its occupation are visible and abundant. (See attached Fact Sheet.)
Russia’s has continued to occupy more and more of Georgia, especially in the South Ossetia region, since its initial invasion. Its technique is simple and insidious. This technique, called “borderization,” is characterized by Russian forces continually moving the fences that mark the limits of its invasion of Georgian territory deeper into Georgia. Its troops simply lift the barbed wire and other devices that delimit its invasion at that moment and re-plant them further and further into Georgian territory. In this way hundreds of Georgian citizens all of a sudden find their farms and businesses uprooted, their lands taken over by foreigners, and their lives placed under Russian rule.
In recent days, Russia has stepped up its “borderization.” Its target this time is to occupy the vicinity of the village of Takhtisdziri of the Karleli Municipality.
Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Russia’s further encroachment on Georgian territories, noting the imperial opportunism that apparently impels the larger state to use the combination of the COVID-19 crisis and Georgia’s Easter holidays to seize more of Georgia. At a time when the whole world is trying to fight the spread of the infection caused by the Coronavirus,” MFA’s statement stressed, everyone, including Russia, should “attach particular importance to show the care and commitment to the conflict-affected population, who have long been suffering from the intensified pressure and discrimination.”
The United States Embassy in Georgia condemned Russia’s actions unequivocally: “We condemn any actions by the de facto authorities in Tskhinvali that aggravate tensions and distract from urgent efforts to safeguard the lives and health of the affected populations, particularly during the Orthodox Easter weekend and against the backdrop of the global pandemic crisis.” It statement called for an “immediate halt to the construction of any signs, structures, fencing, or barriers intended to strengthen or expand the illegal ‘borderization’ of the administrative boundary line,” and an end to Russia’s illegal occupation of 20 percent of Georgia’s territory.
The European Union’s ambassador to Georgia also condemned Russia’s latest “borderization.”
Perhaps predictably, in response Russia changed the subject by targeting more false charges at Georgia’s Lugar Center, which, Russian authorities insinuated, was aiding American projects to create and modify “different dangerous disease pathogenic agents.” The Lugar Center, as described above, has played an important role in impeding the spread of COVID-19 in Georgia, as well as in the search for a vaccine to benefit the world. Georgian commentators urged Russia to refrain from spreading misinformation about the Lugar Center, likely with little hope for success.