On February 11, 2016, residents of the village of Tsitelubani in the Gori municipality held a protest to draw the government’s attention to their situation. Tsitelubani is located near the occupation line. A few months earlier, representatives of Russian and de facto South Ossetian border units had appeared in the village’s fields and agricultural lands, moving the so-called “border” signs deeper into Georgian-controlled territory. As a result, villagers lost access to a significant portion of their pastures.

Residents said they no longer knew where the occupation line ran, making it impossible to cultivate their land plots. They appealed to the government to allocate alternative land and assist them in registering their property.

Local authorities in Gori stated that resolving the issue was beyond their competence. According to Deputy Governor Giorgi Tsverava, the village had practically no land left in its reserve fund.

Villagers also recalled that after earlier protests over the installation of the “border” signs, their situation had been ignored and no measures were taken to support them.

On February 11, 2016, residents of Tsitelubani held a protest, calling on the government to allocate alternative land.