Georgian citizen illegally detained by Russian occupation forces released, State Security Service

A Georgian citizen who was detained by Russian occupation forces near the village of Bershueti in the Gori municipality has been released and is now in territory controlled by the Georgian central government, according to the State Security Service of Georgia.

The individual was detained on 22 June near the occupation line adjacent to Bershueti, a village located close to the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region.

In a statement released on Thursday, the agency said all available mechanisms had been employed to secure the citizen's release, including the hotline operated by the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia.

"The process of securing the release of the unlawfully detained Georgian citizen involved the active use of all relevant instruments available to the central government, including the hotline managed by the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia," the agency said.

The security service added that efforts continue to secure the release of all Georgian citizens who remain in what it described as unlawful detention in the occupied territories.