FSB demands to deprive three South Ossetian deputies of Russian citizenship – Kommersant

The Russian FSB demanded that three members of the South Ossetian parliament from the “For Justice” faction, Garry Muldarov, David Sanakoev and Dzambolat Medoev, be deprived of Russian citizenship, they report “Vedomosti”. The FSB Operational Information Department determined that their actions “create a threat to the national security” of Russia.

According to the Russian intelligence service, Garry Muldarov, David Sanakoev and Dzambolat Medoev committed actions “aimed at aggravating the military-political situation near the Russian state border.” Other details are not provided in the conclusion, which Vedomosti reviewed. On this basis, the FSB sent a demand to deprive the deputies of Russian citizenship. All three told the publication that they filed lawsuits to challenge the FSB’s request in court at their place of registration in Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia).

In conclusion, the FSB refers to the law adopted in April 2023, which provides for the deprivation of Russian citizenship for threatening national security. The deputies themselves claim that the reason for what was happening was their political activity in South Ossetia.

Citing a source close to the South Ossetian government, Vedomosti writes that a threat to Russia’s security could be seen in the deputies’ attempt to pass a bill on the state border of the republic through the South Ossetian parliament. He noted that, in particular, Mr. Muldarov was the chairman of the parliamentary commission on compliance with regulations and for some time supervised the interdepartmental commission on demarcation of the border with Georgia. The commission was created in April 2021 on the initiative of the past president of the republic, Anatoly Bibilov. She stopped working in March 2023.

As Mr. Sanakoev himself explained to Vedomosti, a commission in parliament proposed shifting the demarcation line from 2008 deeper into Georgian territory. A bill on the state border was developed, but the matter did not come to a vote of deputies; the document was returned to the committee, he said.

In August 2008, Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The then-current president of the country, Dmitry Medvedev, noted that when making this decision, Moscow took into account “the will of the Ossetian and Abkhaz peoples.” Georgia considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia its territories.

Milena Kostereva