The State Security Committee of the Republic of South Ossetia has expressed concern about the increased incidence of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by the Georgian side.
"In particular, on May 18 and June 3, in the direction of the South Ossetian border post near the settlement of Uista, flights of two quadcopters were recorded. In both cases, the UAVs grossly violated the airspace of South Ossetia, penetrating deep into the territory of the Republic up to 150 meters," the KGB said in a statement released on Wednesday.
According to the Committee, these types of aircraft are used by the Georgian side to conduct visual reconnaissance of the border area.
"At the same time, the arsenal of the defense forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service of Georgia also has shock drones capable of carrying weapons and explosive devices, in connection with which the KGB considers this reality as a threat-forming factor that can lead to escalation of tensions in the border area. Also, one of the reasons for the conflict may be the unprofessional activities of some Georgian civil society activists and journalists. For example, the earlier works carried out by South Ossetian border guards on mowing grass along the state border line, the leader of the Georgian NGO movement D. Katsarava took for the advanced units of the Southern Military District of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
and the stationary observation post with a solar battery located in the locality of Orchosan in the Leningor district was transformed into a "center for electronic intelligence", - it is noted in the text.
At the same time, the special service has stressed, residents of the Georgian border area note a decrease in the level of efficiency of Katsarava, who for a long time previously carried out constructive work to cover the border situation and bring to the citizens of Georgia reliable information about the passage of the South Ossetian-Georgian state border on the ground, which provided significant assistance to the border authorities of South Ossetia.
In particular, the KGB received information that residents of the village of Didi Khurvaleti filed a complaint with the administration of the Gori municipality with a demand to stop the admission of supporters of the movement "Strength in Unity" to the specified village.
"The citizens substantiated their demand by the fact that the activity of the movement on the border territory of Georgia contributes to the growth of tension along the separation line," the statement says.
In this regard, the KGB recommends that the Tbilisi regime once again study the situation, analyze the peculiarities of the border situation and respond positively to the initiatives of the South Ossetian side regarding the issue of bilateral delimitation and demarcation of the state border line and the establishment of an appropriate regime for its protection, both from South Ossetia and from Georgia.
