Residents of Georgian Gogeti village report that Russian border guards install prohibiting signs

Near a number of villages of the Kareli District of the Shida-Kartli Region, Russian border guards installed signs indicating the state border with Georgia. One of those banners was set near the village of Gogeti, in which on December 6, members of a Georgian non-governmental organization held a protest action.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by a source from the military police that near the village of Gogeti, the Russian border guards installed a barbed wire with length of about one kilometre, and they continued installation works.

According to the source from the military police, during the installation of a fence, the border was deepened towards the Kareli District. As a result, about 25 hectares of land, including farmland belonging to residents of the village of Gogeti, appeared to be in the territory of South Ossetia.

Gogeti residents have reported that they are not allowed to cross the border, and, as a result, they lost their land. Meanwhile, the villagers have noted that the local authorities promised to help them after the installation of a wire.

In its turn, the non-governmental organization "National Centre for Democratic Development" plans to assist the villagers in determining material damage and protecting their property rights.

The protest action organized by the NGO in the village of Gogeti was held under two demands "de-occupation of Georgia" and "support of the European choice of Ukraine and Georgia." The protest action was attended by 70 persons, mostly students of the Tbilisi institutions of higher education.