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

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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