On September 27, Russian occupation forces abducted 4 minors from the occupation line in the village of Tamarasheni, Kareli district. One of them was allegedly 10 years old. The minors were released the same day, but the arbitrary arrests of Georgian citizens by the occupation forces continue to be a pressing problem in the conflict-affected region.

For years, the Russian occupation forces, together with the de facto governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, have been continuing their policy of illegal arrests and so-called “borderization” along the administrative border. These actions are part of the occupation policy of the Russian Federation and have a significant impact on the local population, especially ethnic Georgians.

At the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism meeting held in Ergneti on September 29, 2025, it was noted that since January 2025, “23 cases of illegal arrests have been recorded, and 11 Georgian citizens are currently in illegal detention.” In the last three months alone, 7 citizens have been abducted, and 8 cases of illegal borderization have been reported.

The occupation line in Shida Kartli is approximately 390 kilometers long, and in Abkhazia it is 120 km long. It should be noted that there are no barbed wire fences or signs on a large part of the so-called borderization line, therefore, it is in these zones that the risk of illegal arrest of Georgian citizens is high.

In the first half of 2025, the de facto Abkhazian government detained 170 people on charges of crossing the so-called administrative border, criminal cases were launched against 19 persons, 9 of them were prosecuted. According to the de facto Abkhazian government, cases of illegal crossing of the so-called border most often involve Georgian citizens.