Recently, public information and activity reports of the de facto authorities of South Ossetia indicate that the de facto authorities are trying to divert attention from the criminal and socio-political crisis in the region to the alleged threats emanating from Georgia. This is evidenced by the allegations of treason and espionage against the local population, including those who do not have access to any classified information at all.

In April, the so-called security services of South Ossetia detained a 51-year-old man living in the Java region. According to reports, the detainee worked at a state enterprise and he is accused of having ties with the Georgian State Security Service, transmitting information about Russian military deployments, their departure to the zone of special military operations, and the internal political situation. The detainee was charged under the “high treason” article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to the statements released by the de facto and Russian security services, the suspect has confessed to the crime and is cooperating with the investigation.

According to the de facto security service, five more citizens of South Ossetia were detained on charges of sharing information with Georgian security services. However, the statement notes that the detainees did not have access to classified information. According to the de facto agency, despite the alleged high treason and threat, due to the lack of grounds for filing formal charges, they were limited to a warning against these individuals.

On the basis of operational-search measures, the de facto authorities have strengthened preventive and security measures throughout the territory of South Ossetia. Under the pretext of the so-called border protection, the de facto security service detained 15 people in April for violating the border crossing rules: eight for violating the “state border regime” and seven for violating the “border regime”.[1] Of the 13 detainees, some were fined, some were expelled, and case proceedings were discontinued against two.

The de facto security services call on citizens to cooperate with the agency. They also indicate that persons whose actions do not cause significant harm to the de facto state security may be exempted from criminal liability.

The increased surveillance and control measures by the de facto government only serve to strengthen Russia’s interests in the region and normalize the imposition of border restrictions. These actions are aimed at severing relations between Georgians and Ossetians to the maximum extent possible and create the illusion of the so-called government control. Although the de facto government justifies the imposition of enhanced security measures by exposing the so-called Georgian espionage network, locals are largely skeptical of this information, which is due to the daily needs and unresolved problems in the region.