Georgia: attempt on Gabuniya actualizes border-defending issue

The detention of a Russian citizen within the case of preparing an attempt on the Georgian journalist, Giorgi Gabuniya, has revealed problems with the efficiency of guarding the Georgian border. This situation threatens the safety of the country's population, experts believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Nika Gvaramiya, Director General of the Mtavari Arkhi" TV Channel, had linked the preparation of the attempt with the threats against Gabuniya voiced out by the head of Chechnya. However, Ramzan Kadyrov has distanced himself off from the attempt.

Experts on state security have differed in assessing the professionalism of the border service. Nika Chitadze, the head of the Centre for Security and International Relations Studies, has noted that it's impossible to control the mountainous areas. In his opinion, this poses a threat of the illegal crossing of the border by militants from Turkey, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Me Chitadze has recalled that in 2017, Akhmed Chataev a native of the village of Vedeno, was killed in Georgia; he has also mentioned the kidnapping of the Azerbaijani journalist, Afghan Mukhtarly, in Georgia in 2017.

Shota Utiashvili, an employee of the "Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies", believes that the most resonant incident was the crossing of the border by a Turkish armed grouping, which was then found.

However, Vakhtang Maisaya, a doctor of military-political sciences, is confident in the due professionalism of Georgian border guards.