Head of South Ossetian CoM resigns

Erik Pukhaev has fulfilled the protesters' demand and resigned as South Ossetia Premier (head of the Council of Ministers – CoM), explained his resignation by unwillingness to let the president down.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 17, in Tskhinvali, a service car with Igor Naniev, the head of the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), was shelled. Nobody suffered, but today, Inal Djabiev, detained in connection with the above assassination attempt, has died in hospital today. The South Ossetian president removed Naniev from office pending the inquiry into the detainee's death. Hundreds of people gathered outside the South Ossetian CoM and demanded the resignation of the government.

Eric Pukhaev, the head of the CoM, called his resignation a duly considered step, the "Res" News Agency reports.

Let us remind you that in 2019, a group of MPs put forward a vote of distrust to the MIA head, Igor Naniev, and Zalina Lalieva, Minister of Justice. Before that, Naniev confirmed the use of force against the prisoners of the Tskhinvali colony, who held a hunger strike demanding better custody conditions. "One can't pander to dangerous criminals," Naniev stated then. The initiators of the vote of distrust treated these words as justification of violence.