A Georgian citizen was killed by Russian soldiers on Monday near the separatist region of South Ossetia, which has been under Moscow’s control since an invasion in 2008, Tbilisi said, in a relatively rare episode that came at the height of tensions between the two neighbors. , reports AFP.

On Monday, “a citizen of Georgia was killed as a result of shelling by the Russian occupation forces near the village of Kirbali in the municipality of Gori,” the Georgian security services said in a statement.

They did not provide details about the identity of the deceased or the exact circumstances of his death, but stated that “another citizen of Georgia (was) detained illegally.”

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili, whose powers are limited, immediately expressed “deep indignation at the fatal shooting of a Georgian citizen by the Russian occupying forces during an illegal arrest.”

Describing the reported violence as a “flagrant attack on the Georgian state,” the 2018 leader called on the “international community to unequivocally condemn Russia’s actions, which have blatantly and shamelessly violated all international norms.”

Tensions between Russia and Georgia have been high for several months amid the war in Ukraine.

Tbilisi began lobbying Brussels to become a candidate for EU membership shortly after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which revived unpleasant memories of Russia’s 2008 war on its territory.

After that brief war, won by the Russian army, Moscow occupied the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Georgia’s membership in the European Union and NATO, enshrined in the Constitution, is supported by more than 80% of the Georgian population, according to polls.