Giorgi Bolotashvili, who was illegally detained by Russian occupation forces near the village of Khurvaleti in Georgia’s Gori municipality, has been released and returned to territory controlled by the central government, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) announced.

According to the SSSG, Bolotashvili’s release was secured through the active use of the hotline mechanism, in coordination with the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM), and other diplomatic tools available to the central government.

The government reaffirmed its continued commitment to securing the release of all Georgian citizens unlawfully detained in the Russian-occupied territories.