Authorities of South Ossetia deploy border guards in area of Georgian checkpoint

Border guard patrols were deployed in the vicinity of the South Ossetian village of Tsnelis, not far from which the Georgian armed forces arranged a checkpoint. People from Georgia went to the village all summer and paved their way through the forest to the hill on which the checkpoint was arranged, local residents reported.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 25, South Ossetia announced that border guards conducted a raid in the village of Tsnelis, where the Georgian armed forces were arranging a checkpoint. The South Ossetian parliament claimed that Georgia violated the border.

Residents of the village of Tsnelis said that Georgians walk freely here.

"They do not threaten people, they are not armed, and they just ask how we live here. In July, they began to cut down trees in the forest and used tractors to pave the way," said Elsa Alborova. According to her, the Georgians told the local residents that they were arranging gas supply, but now it turned out that they continued to build the road to the hill and arranged a checkpoint with Georgian flag there.

The villagers claim that they repeatedly informed the law enforcement authorities in Tskhinvali that Georgians were walking in the village and paving the way through it.

Anatoly Bibilov, President of South Ossetia, promised the local residents that the law enforcement bodies would keep the situation under control.