GEORGIA: RUSSIAN SERVICEMAN SEEKS ASYLUM IN GEORGIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 002276 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2010 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUMRU RU GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA: RUSSIAN SERVICEMAN SEEKS ASYLUM IN GEORGIA REF: TBILISI 001237 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. According to Ministry of Refugee Affairs (MRA) officials, a Russian contract soldier, Vitaliy Khripun, crossed the administrative border line (ABL) from the breakaway region of South Ossetia into undisputed Georgia December 20. The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) and United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have been involved in the case since the soldier first crossed the ABL. Khripun is currently in Tbilisi and has begun the process of seeking asylum in Georgia. Russian officials are seeking consular access to Khripun. Little is known about the family background of the serviceman, despite various press reports about family members. This is the third defection by a Russian soldier since the August 2008 war (ref A). The asylum seeking process in Georgia takes approximately four months and the previous two Russian asylum seekers were both granted asylum and are now resident in Tbilisi. End Summary. Khripun Crosses the ABL, Alcohol May Have Been a Motivator ¶2. (C) MRA told emboff that Khripun is a 25 year old Russian contractor with the Russian "border protection army" (sic),part of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and has been employed as such since 2008. Khripun appeared in a police station on the undisputed Georgian side of the ABL not far from the Perevi checkpoint on December 20, and was reportedly inebriated at the time. He slept in a police station for a number of hours, and when he awoke said he did not want to return to South Ossetia or Russia. The Georgians contacted the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOIA) who in turn contacted the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation (MRA). The MRA brought Khripun to Tbilisi on December 21, where he was interviewed by an MRA asylum specialist with a UNHCR asylum specialist present. In the preliminary interview Khripun declared his intention to begin the asylum process, and after the interview MRA and UNHCR worked together to coordinate private lodging in Tbilisi, as the standard refugee center was deemed unsafe in such a sensitive situation. UNHCR is funding the private accommodations. Georgian press got wind of the situation the evening of December 21 and began publicizing the Russian's defection, including reporting from the MRA. Russians Activate Hotline; EUMM Interviews Khripun ¶3. (C) On December 22, Khripun was interviewed again by the MRA as well as representatives of the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM). The EUMM's role is unclear and the EUMM Human Rights Officer who did the interview said only that the meeting was held because EUMM was concerned about what the outcome of the case will be. Another EUMM official, the Head of Operations, was contacted by Russian officials via the hotline and was asked to meet with the head of the FSB working in South Ossetia in Ergneti, a village in undisputed Georgia next to the ABL and very close to Tskhinvali. At this meeting the EUMM official was asked to help facilitate a meeting between the Russian serviceman and a consular representative of the Russian interest section in Tbilisi. The EUMM official conveyed the message to the asylum seeker who is considering a meeting with a Russian consular official. The EUMM confirmed that the soldier is continuing the asylum process. ¶4. (C) Russian and Georgian press reports have been telling Q4. (C) Russian and Georgian press reports have been telling various stories about the background of the servceman, his family, and his intentions. Thus far according to UNHCR and EUMM the serviceman has not yet met with his family, although they could not confirm whether he has been in contact with them by phone. Although not focused on personal information, UNHCR officials believe that the serviceman is unmarried and has contact with his mother and sister. Though some media reports have circulated about the serviceman's father, EUMM reports that his father died in 2002. ¶5. (C) UNHCR independently confirmed December 22 that the serviceman is continuing to proceed with the asylum process, and expects that his next interview will not take place until January. The process of seeking asylum in Georgia takes about four months, so the resolution of this case will not come within the next few days. A UNHCR official also commented that the Georgians are, in general, handling the case well, and seem to have learned from previous cases how to better handle these delicate situations. Update on Previous Asylum Requests TBILISI 00002276 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) The previous two asylum seekers (ref A) were both granted asylum by the Georgian government and possess Georgian residency permits. The MRA reports that they live in Tbilisi, though the asylees are not required to report their whereabouts to the MRA and are free to travel in Georgia as they wish. BASS