The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the actions of the Russian occupation regime of Tskhinvali on the unlawful abduction of Georgian citizens on the occupation line near the villages of Akhalubani and Artsevi on August 17-18, 2019.

The resumption of the so-called “borderization” process and the abduction of innocent Georgian citizens are the unprecedented blatant and deliberate disregard for all principles and norms of international law by the Tskhinvali occupied regime, controlled by the Russian Federation. We regard such actions of the Russian occupying forces as intention on further destabilizing the security and humanitarian situation.

We call on the Russian Federation and the occupying forces controlled by it to release illegally detained Georgian citizens, remove artificially constructed dividing barriers on the occupation line and strictly abide by international law.