Russia Says ‘Terrorism Threat is Coming’ from Georgia

The Russian Embassy in Georgia issued a statement on January 17 noting that a “terrorism threat coming from Georgia is still maintained and represents a serous challenge for the security of Russia, as well as for Georgia.”

“Recently, Russian officials have made some public statements regarding the presence of Chechen fighters and terrorists in Georgia’s Pankisi gorge in an attempt to attract the attention of the Georgian leadership, relevant agencies and society towards this problem. Moreover, an exact location and approximate number [of militants] was also indicated [in these statements]. But, unfortunately, in response, in spite of undertaking appropriate measures, statements were made [by Georgian officials] that the Pankisi gorge ‘is free of terrorists,'” reads the statement.

Last November, Russia’s Counter-Terrorism Operations Center in the North Caucasus alleged that a group of Chechen rebels and foreign mercenaries are still based in Georgia’s north-eastern mountainous gorge of Pankisi.

The statement issued by the Counter-Terrorism Operations Center indicated that one group of Chechen rebels, consisting of 200 fighters, is based in the villages of Duisi and Khalatsani. The second group – consisting of up to 50 militants – is based in the northern part of the gorge, in the village of Omalo.

According to Russia’s Counter-Terrorism Operations Center, there is a third, 30-strong group of militants, consisting mainly of foreign mercenaries, “speaking Turkish,” near the village of Birkiani.

The Georgian leadership denied these reports immediately, stating that Pankisi gorge is under the full control of Georgian security forces. Recently, Georgian officials organized several fact finding visits of  foreign, including Russian, officials to the gorge in an attempt to prove that the area is “free of terrorists.”

However, according to the Russian Embassy’s statement issued on January 17, “every time, when [the militants] received information about foreign representatives’ planned visits in the gorge, the fighters dispersed. But, after the visits end, the fighters were again deployed.”

The statement reads that a resolution of the terrorism problem is possible only through development of cooperation between special services and border guards “and not through pinning hopes on international monitoring, which demonstrated less effectiveness.” Here the statement is referring to the OSCE border monitoring operation at the Georgian-Russian border, which is suspended due to the Russia’s veto to prolong the mission’s mandate.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)