Recent developments in the South Ossetian conflict zone, involving abductions, the seizure of allegedly smuggled goods by Russian peacekeepers and random shootings, point at persisting sources of tensions which may shake the fragile peace in the region at any time.
South Ossetia re-emerged as the top news in the Georgian media on August 19 when unknown men kidnapped 11-year-old Geno Petriashvili in the South Ossetian conflict zone. The incident occurred in the village of Nuli, located in the Proni gorge west of the breakaway South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali. It is reported that Petriashvili’s father is a businessman who runs several fuel stations.
Vladimer Jugheli, chief of the Shida Kartli regional police said that Georgian police started to chase the kidnappers shortly after the incident, but the hunt was ceased after the abductors entered the territory controlled by the South Ossetian authorities’ control. Reportedly, car of abductors had the Georgian number plate and not Ossetian one.
This is the second case of abduction in the South Ossetian conflict zone reported in August. Gocha Jarmelashvili, a resident of the Zemo Artsevi village was reportedly kidnapped. No possible motives behind this abduction have been determined.
The office of the Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues described the abductions as “actions directed against the peace process.”
In a statement issued on August 20 the Georgian Interior Ministry said that the recent abduction of the 11-year-old boy “confirms once again that Tskhinvali [capital of breakaway South Ossetia] is a base for criminal gangs, kidnappers, illegal armed groups and the drug trade.” The statement of the Interior Ministry also says that presence of the Russian peacekeeping forces in the conflict zone “contributes” to South Ossetia’s turning into a safe haven for criminals.
Special Affairs Minister of breakaway South Ossetia Boris Chochiev denied allegations of the Georgian Interior Ministry about link between officials of the unrecognized republic and abduction of 11-year-old Geno Petriashvili.
“This is a typical position of the Georgian side – to blame South Ossetia in everything… There are no political motives behind this abduction,” Boris Chochiev told RIA Novosti news agency on August 22.
Chochiev said that Spartak Petriashvili, father of abducted boy, has a business relations with both Ossetians and Georgians and apparently this abduction is linked to his business activities.
In a separate statement issued on August 21, the Interior Ministry reiterated that “the abduction is directly linked with South Ossetian law enforcement agencies and Russian peacekeeping forces.” But the statement did not elaborate further as to what this alleged “direct link” means. Russian peacekeepers have not commented on these accusations.
This was the second time in August when the Georgian Interior Ministry accused Russian peacekeepers of wrongdoing. Georgian police detained Russian a peacekeeping vehicle in the South Ossetian conflict zone on August 12, seized the cargo it contained, mainly cigarettes and accused the Russian peacekeepers of transporting smuggled goods.
In a statement issued on August 15 the Russian Embassy in Georgia condemned the detention of Russian peacekeeping forces’ vehicles as “a provocation” claiming that the seized goods “were intended for the servicemen of peacekeeping battalions” and demanded the return of the cargo. But the Georgian Interior Ministry refused.
Random shootings in the conflict zone also fuel tensions. In an incident on the night of August 21, a grenade exploded 30 meters from the Russian peacekeepers’ checkpoint near the village of Kekhvi, causing no injuries.
“The [area] was shelled from by a grenade-launcher from the nearby hills, which are controlled by the South Ossetian militias. This was a provocation and this kind of incident poses a threat to the peace process,” Mamuka Kurashvili, acting commander of the Georgian battalion of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces, told reporters on August 21.
South Ossetian authorities also say that the situation in the conflict zone “remains difficult.” But during the meeting with law enforcement officials on August 18 South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said that despite “difficult political circumstances,” the overall situation in the region “can be regarded as calm.
