Georgia says Russian troops killed citizen in first fatal incident since 2008 war

Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has alleged that Russian soldiers killed a Georgian national along frontline between Russia-backed South Ossetia and Georgian government-held territory. A Facebook statement from his official account, the PM has said that one Georgian citizen was shot dead and another was detained on Monday (November 6). The statement said that the incident took place near Kirbali village which is close to the de-facto border.

Russia and Georgia fought a brief war over South Ossetia in 2008. The incident on Monday marks first fatal incident to take place on the de-facto border. The line of control between the two sides is undefined and citizens are often arrested around the border.

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South Ossetia is recognised by most of the world as a part of Georgia. But Russia has deployed its forces since 1992 in the small breakaway region.

After the 2008 war with Georgia, Russia recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway province.

Both regions broke away amid political instability and bloody conflicts that followed collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia has supported the regions, which has led to resentment in Georgia.

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Following the fatal incident on Monday, Georgia's president Salome Zurabishvili expressed outrage because of "Russian occupying forces' fatal shooting of a Georgian citizen during an unlawful arrest".

Zurabishvili has called on "the international community to unequivocally condemn Russia's actions".

The 2008 war

The 2008 war between Russia and Georgia is often referred to as the first European war in the 21st century. The conflict started when Georgia sent military forces to counter Russia-backed South Ossetian forces which were already shelling Georgian villages. In the first week of August, Georgian forces took control of Tskhinvali, a stronghold of the South Ossetian separatists.

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Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Georgia which included air and land attacks and even a naval blockade. For several days, fighting raged between Georgian and Russian as well as South Ossetian forces till the retreat of the Georgian forces.