Three deputies of the de facto parliament of South Ossetia, Davit Sanakoev, Dzambolat Medoev and Gari Muldarov, were deprived of the citizenship of the Russian Federation at the request of the Federal Security Service of Russia (ФСБ)[1] and were banned from entering Russia until 2049. According to the "deputies", ФСБ made the decision after they took a vote of no confidence against the demarcation-delimitation process of the so-called state border of South Ossetia, on the grounds that the de facto government of Tskhinvali was loyal to the Georgian side and was going to "treacherously" cede the "indigenous" lands of South Ossetia.

The politicians appealed against the unprecedented decision of the Security Service in Vladikavkaz (Russian Federation). According to the information available to the Democracy Research Institute, following Davit Sanakoev, the court of Vladikavkaz refused to consider the lawsuit of Gary Muldarov as well. The judge explained to Muldarov that the lawsuit was to be considered by the court of a city where the relevant department of the Federal Security Service of Russia was located. According to Muldarov's lawyer, they will either file a lawsuit in Moscow or appeal against the decision of the Vladikavkaz court.

The Federal Security Service of Russia claims that the deputies of the For Justice faction of the South Ossetian de facto parliament, which, like 90% of the population of Tskhinvali, were Russian citizens, represent a threat to Russia's national interests and security.

At first glance, it is ironic to make such accusations against people loyal to Russia. The only initiative that Muldarov, Sanakoev and Medoev showed was making amendments to the so-called state border draft law. The mentioned initiative provided for the expansion of the occupied territories of Georgia covered by the illegal borderization carried out by the Russian occupying forces.

It is clear from the information spread in public sources that Davit Sanakoev has the ambition to become the so-called president of South Ossetia and enjoys growing popularity in Tskhinvali. It is possible that he needed the patriotism based on the "wrong trajectory" of Russian occupation borderization to justify his ambition to gain power. Ironically, this ambition seems to be simply unacceptable to the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. The unacceptability is so great that Medoev, Sanakoev and Muldarov were deprived of their Russian citizenship, which greatly reduces the chances of Gagloev's presidency.

This sanction emphasizes that the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation does not hide its rule over the territory of Georgia occupied by Russia or the rough ways by which it determines who can be entrusted with the de facto rule of its controlled territory.

 

[1] Jam-news.net, Three deputies from Tskhinvali accuse "Georgian lobby" of taking away the Russian citizenship, 30.03.24, available at: https://jam-news.net/ge/samkhret-osetis-deputatebs-rusetis-moqalaqeoba-chamoertvat/