State Security Service: Archil Basanidze, illegally detained by Russian occupation forces, is free and on the territory controlled by the central government

Archil Basanidze, who was illegally detained by the Russian occupation forces near occupied Tskhinvali, is free and already on the territory controlled by the central government.

According to the State Security Service of Georgia, both the hotline mechanism and all other tools at the disposal of the central government were actively used in order to immediately release Archil Basanidze.

"The responsibility for all destructive actions carried out in the occupied regions of Georgia and along the occupation line rests with the Russian Federation.

The central government, together with international partners, continues to work actively to release all citizens of Georgia who are illegally imprisoned in the occupied territories," reads the information.