RUSSIAN SOLDIER DESERTS, SEEKS ASYLUM IN GEORGIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000148 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF MOPS KBTS RU GG SUBJECT: RUSSIAN SOLDIER DESERTS, SEEKS ASYLUM IN GEORGIA Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary and comment. On January 26 a Russian soldier based in the Akhalgori Valley inside South Ossetia deserted his post, crossed the administrative boundary at Odzisi, flagged down a Georgian Interior Ministry car, and requested asylum, based on his difficult living conditions. The Ministry publicly announced the event January 27; a video of the soldier telling his story was made available on TV and the Internet; and he spoke with international news organizations. Russian government officials have reportedly accused the Georgian government of forcibly detaining the soldier and demanded his return. The Ministry has facilitated phone contact between the soldier and his family and offered to facilitate the family's travel to visit him in Georgia; it has also offered the EU Monitoring Mission a chance to meet with the soldier. Post is still gathering information, but we have no reason to doubt the government's version of events, particularly given the many reports circulating about the difficult conditions facing Russian soldiers in South Ossetia. The government seems to be developing a careful approach to the case. End summary and comment. ¶2. (C) Head of the Interior Ministry's Analytical Department Shota Utiashvili provided EmbOff with the following chronology. On January 26 Aleksandr Glukhov apparently crossed the Ksani River on his own and flagged down a car near Odzisi, which happened to be an Interior Ministry vehicle. (Post note: Odzisi is the location of the last Georgian checkpoint before the administrative boundary, so many, if not most, of the vehicles at that part of the road are Interior Ministry vehicles. End note.) He identified himself, complained about difficult living conditions at his post, including poor food and no opportunity to bathe for over a month, and sought permission from the Georgian president to stay in Georgia. The Ministry publcly announced the event on January 27, provided video testimony to television stations, posted the video on its own website (www.police.ge/en),and made the soldier available to the press. The Ministry is currently hosting Glukhov in Mtskheta. Glukhov has spoken with his parents on the phone, and the Ministry has offered to facilitate his parents' travel to Georgia to see Glukhov. ¶3. (C) Utiashvili said that Glukhov did use the word "asylum" in his request for protection. He also expressed the opinion, however, that Glukhov probably wants to return to Russia; he just does not want to serve in the Russian Army any longer. Noting that Glukhov is free to return to Russia whenever he wants, he thought Glukhov would stay in Georgia for a while and try to negotiate a return that would avoid negative consequences for his desertion. ¶4. (C) The Interior Ministry made Glukhov available to meet publicly with representatives of the press and others on January 27 at McDonald's on Rustaveli Avenue in downtown Tbilisi. In communications with Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria and Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze, however, post advised caution, suggesting indiscreet treatment of the case could cause difficulties for both Georgia and Glukhov. Post also suggested that the government stay in close contact with the Europeans, who would likely track the case very Qthe Europeans, who would likely track the case very carefully. Bokeria explained that the only way to counter likely Russian accusations of kidnapping was to present Glukhov himself to the press. Vashadze acknowledged the need for caution, however, and informed the Ambassador of the efforts to establish contact between Glukhov and his family. The Interior Ministry has extended an invitation to the EU Monitoring Mission to meet with Glukhov in a more discreet setting and has reached out to the Swiss Embassy, which looks after Russia's interests in Georgia, about the case. COMMENT: A DELICATE SITUATION ¶5. (C) Post has heard numerous stories from credible sources, including the EUMM, that Russian forces in South Ossetia do indeed live in difficult circumstances. Russian soldiers in Perevi, for example, complained to the EUMM about not being paid for months. The EUMM heard a story that Russian forces in Akhalgori approached the Georgian side about the possibility of bringing in supplies by helicopter over Georgian airspace, should the situation get truly desperate, because they were already having supply problems. (Senior Russian officials later disputed this story.) Although we cannot confirm the details of this apparent defection, we have no reason to doubt the Georgian version of events. A TBILISI 00000148 002 OF 002 real difficulty for the Georgians, however, is how to handle the situation carefully, so that Glukhov himself is protected and the Georgian government is not perceived as exploiting a personal tragedy for the sake of political expediency. The initial impulse, to showcase Glukhov at McDonald's, was questionable, but by contacting the family and bringing the Europeans into the process, the government seems to be developing a more sophisticated approach. TEFFT