Two Georgian citizens detained by Russian occupation forces released, State Security Service

Two Georgian citizens detained by Russian occupation forces near the village of Tsitelubani on 15 May have been released and are now in territory controlled by the Georgian central government, the State Security Service of Georgia said on Monday.

The agency said all available mechanisms had been actively used during efforts to secure the release of the detainees, including the hotline mechanism operated by the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia.

The security service said it would continue active work to secure the release of all Georgian citizens being held illegally in the occupied territories.

Georgian authorities regularly accuse Russian and de facto South Ossetian forces of unlawfully detaining civilians near the administrative boundary line separating the breakaway regions from territory controlled by Tbilisi.