“Why should we punish someone, when the border guards are acting within the confines of the rules that are known internationally?! So murder is an incorrect term. It would be wise if the Georgian side explained well to its people, that it’s not worth crossing the border silently and illegally,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin regarding the killing of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi by the Russian military.
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Galuzin was asked about the murder of Tamaz Ginturi by the public broadcaster in Geneva, where the 59th round of international negotiations were held on December 5th and 6th. "It is necessary to fully and clearly accept the geopolitical reality around us. It is necessary to clearly remember the current situation, the reasons and origins, the history, how the events have been developing since August of 2008, how the aggression started in Georgia under the leadership of Saakashvili against the population of South Ossetia and the Russian peacekeepers.
An attack on Russian peacekeepers means an attack on Russia. Therefore, Georgia will be forcibly called to peace.
Regarding the case of Tamaz Ginturi, your phrasing of the question is inappropriate. The issue at hand is not that someone was deliberately trying to kill a person, but that people illegally crossed the border of South Ossetia. On top of this, they were threatening the border guards with an axe. An axe is a serious cold weapon. They tried to break into the church. When they were called to discipline, they threatened our border guards with this axe. The border guards told them to break off. Despite this, they threatened our border guards and wanted to hit them with a car. At first, the warning fire was fired in the air, then at the wheels of the car,” said Mikhail Galuzin.
58-year-old Tamaz Ginturi was killed by Russian soldiers on November 6th. He has two bullets in his back. 33-year-old Levan Dotiashvili, a fellow villager who was with him, was kidnapped and held captive for four days. On November 7th, Tskhinvali TV broadcasted a video showing Tamaz Ginturi and Levan Dotiashvili opening the jammed church door.
Lomisa church in Kirbali is located beyond the occupation line. In August, the occupiers blocked the door of the church with a tin plate, deterring the churchgoers from entering. The killed Tamaz Ginturi was a rank of major and a veteran of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. Locals think the latter was the reason he was murdered.
Levan Dotiashvili who was kidnapped from Kirbali was released by the de facto authorities of Tskhinvali region on November 9th. Dotiashvili spoke to the media about the details of the incident and recalled that they separated from the Russian soldier near the Lomisa church without a conflict, but suddenly, the soldier chased him and Tamaz Gintur down and opened fire.
