Killing of Georgian citizen “another example of destruction” caused by Russian occupation – US State Department

Vedant Patel, the Spokesperson of the United States Department of State, on Tuesday responded to the killing of a Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi by Russian-controlled occupation forces this week, and called it “another example of the destruction caused by Russia’s occupation of the sovereign territory of Georgia and other territories”. 

 

“This is something we will continue to monitor,” Patel said.

 

Ginturi, a veteran of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war, was reportedly killed when he was trying to open a church door in his village of Kirbali, central Georgia, which was blocked by the occupation forces last month. 

 

Another individual with him, Levan Dotiashvili, was kidnapped by the so-called border guards.