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{{short description|2012 armed incident in Lopota, Georgia}}
{{infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Lopota incident
| partof            = 
| image             = Lapanquri Operation. TV9, 2012..PNG
| caption           = A TV9 footage showing the Georgian police entering the Lopota Gorge
| date              = August 28 – October 30, 2012<ref name=ends>[http://info9.ge/?l=E&m=1000&id=8436&VS=1 Lopota Special Operation Ends in Pankisi Gorge], INFO9, 2012-10-31</ref>
| place             = [[Lopota]], [[Telavi District]], [[Kakheti]], Georgia
| coordinates       = {{coord|42|6|27|N|45|39|51|E|display=title,inline}}
| map_type          = 
| map_relief        = 
| latitude          = 
| longitude         = 
| map_size          = 
| map_marksize      = 
| map_caption       = 
| map_label         = 
| territory         = 
| result            = Georgian victory
| combatant1        = {{flagicon|Georgia}} [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]
| combatant2        = Unknown
| commander1        = [[Vano Merabishvili]]
| commander2        = Aslan Margoshvili {{KIA}}
Bahaud Aldamov {{KIA}}
Bahaud Bagakashvili {{KIA}}
| units1            = 
| units2            = 
| strength1         = Undisclosed
| strength2         = Estimated 17–20
| casualties1       = 3 killed, 5 wounded<ref>[http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/2059992.html Three special forces soldiers killed in Georgia], Trend.Az, 29 August 2012</ref><ref name=clashes/>
| casualties2       = Officially 11 killed,<ref name=clashes/> "several" wounded<ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/soldiers-nation-georgia-free-10-hostages-120819456.html Soldiers in nation of Georgia free 10 hostages], Yahoo News, August 29, 2012</ref>
| casualties3       = 
| notes             = 
| campaignbox       = 
}}

The '''Lopota incident''', known in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] as the '''special operation against an illegal armed group in Lopota''' ([[Georgian language|Georgian]]: შეიარაღებული დაჯგუფების დევნის ოპერაცია ლაფანყურში, [[Romanization of Georgian|romanized]]: {{transl|ka|sheiaraghebuli dajgupebis devnis op’eratsia lapanq’urshi}}), was an armed incident where the Georgian special forces engaged an unknown [[paramilitary]] group of about 17 unknown individuals (7 of them would later be identified after the incident, see the [[#Identities|Identities section]]) which had allegedly taken several people hostage in the remote [[Caucasus]] gorge of [[Lopota]] near the border between Georgia and the [[Republics of Russia|Russia's Republic]] of [[Dagestan]]. 

At first, the gunmen were widely believed to be Russian [[Islamism|Islamist]] insurgents from Dagestan, however several other theories suggest that they may be local Islamist militants from the [[Pankisi Gorge]].

To this day, there is no definitive answer to the paramilitary group's identity, and the likelihood of their identity has remained classified by Georgian officials.

During the operation, which began on August 28, 2012, at least 14 people were killed and at least six wounded in a firefight on August 29. Among the victims were 11 members of the unknown armed group (including at least two Georgian citizens as well as at least five Russian citizens, all of the latter born in the former [[Chechen–Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Chechen–Ingush ASSR]]). 

Three Georgian special service personnel were killed and five were injured. On September 8, an injured suspected militant, [[Akhmed Chatayev]], a Russian citizen of [[Chechen people|Chechen]] ethnicity holding a [[refugee]] status in Austria, was arrested. Chatayev was put on trial for illegal [[Criminal possession of a weapon|weapon possession]] but protests his innocence, saying he was actually a negotiator for the government and that he was carrying no arms; he was later acquitted. The operation was officially concluded on October 30.

Many details of the clash, the most deadly in Georgia since the [[2008 South Ossetia war]], still remain unclear. The governments of both Georgia and Russia, as well as Russia's Islamic insurgents of the [[Caucasus Emirate]] that abortively claimed that the unidentified armed group belonged to their main forces in Dagestan, accused each other of a provocation.

The incident was also lambasted by Georgian then-opposition (winner of the [[2012 Georgian parliamentary election|October 2012 election]]) coalition [[Georgian Dream]], who accused [[Mikheil Saakashvili|Saakashvili]]'s [[United National Movement (Georgia)|United National Movement]] government of lying about it and promised that those responsible for the deaths would be punished.

==Background==
{{further|Georgia–Russia relations|Insurgency in the North Caucasus}}

The incident saw the worst loss of life in Georgia since the brief [[2008 South Ossetia war|territorial war with Russia]], in which hundreds of people were killed during five days in 2008. Tensions between the two countries have remained strong since the ceasefire, with the Russian military continuing to occupy Georgia's breakaway territories of [[South Ossetia]] and [[Abkhazia]] and the two countries having not resumed diplomatic relations.<ref name=clashes/><ref name=gunmen>[http://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=528323&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21_id=21 Georgia hunting gunmen after clash at border]{{dead link|date=March 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, AFP / Gulf Times / 30/8/2012 (archived from [http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=528323&version=1&template_id=39&parent the original] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426045225/http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2 |date=2012-04-26 }} on 2012-09-01)</ref>

The deadly clash in Georgia took place against the backdrop of the continued Islamic insurgency in Russia's [[North Caucasus]] region, including the Republic of [[Dagestan]], where the situation was reported to be worsening for Russia.<ref name=special/> In the months preceding the incident, the mounting violence in Dagestan had reached the point of practically daily reports of attacks and armed clashes, with scores of fatalities each month.  On the very day of the skirmish in Georgia (August 29, 2012), a local Dagestani member of the [[Border Guard Service of Russia|Russian Border Guard]], apparently recruited by insurgents,<ref>[http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=9800 Dagestan border guard who shot colleagues could be Wahabi recruit – source], Interfax, 29 August 2012</ref> shot dead two of his fellow border guards and then killed at least five [[SOBR]] special purpose police officers from Russia's [[Altai Republic]] before being gunned down himself.<ref>[http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/border-guard-kills-7-servicemen-in-dagestan/467327.html Border Guard Kills 7 Servicemen in Dagestan], ''The Moscow Times'', 30 August 2012</ref> The day before (August 28), Dagestani rebels attacked a base of [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Russia)|Russian Interior Ministry]] special forces, reportedly seizing its armory building and killing at least two [[Internal Troops]] paramilitary soldiers.<ref name=attacked>[https://archive.today/20130417142743/http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_28/Special-forces-base-attacked-in-Dagestan/ Special forces base attacked in Dagestan, 2 soldiers killed], Interfax / Voice of Russia, Aug 28, 2012</ref> According to Caucasian Knot tally, during the week of August 27 – September 2, a total of at least 50 people fell victim to armed conflict in the North Caucasus, not including the events in Georgia.<ref>[http://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/22127/ On August 27 – September 2, at least 50 persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203194717/http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/22127/ |date=2016-02-03 }}, Caucasian Knot, Sep 05 2012</ref>

The Russian government has repeatedly accused Georgia of offering a safe haven to the insurgents and the Western-backed Georgian government has consistently rejected Russian allegations.<ref name=clashes/> According to the [[BBC]] correspondent Damien McGuinness, "it was crucial for Georgia to act decisively, as there were fears in [[Tbilisi]] that [[Moscow]] would use any sign that terrorists from the North Caucasus are operating in the region as a pretext for moving [deeper] in to Georgia."<ref name=dead/> Soso Tsintsadze, head of the Diplomatic Academy of Georgia, said a failure to "respond resolutely" would have exposed Georgia to "even more unpleasant developments".<ref name=journal/> According to the website Vestnik Kavkaza, "such a radical decision and even tragic victims seem to be less evil than another explosion in Georgian-Russian relations in the event of the violation of Dagestani section of the border by an armed group from Georgia."<ref name=vk/> Central Asia-Caucasus Institute analysis by [[Emil Aslan|Emil Souleimanov]] concluded: "As the counterinsurgent activities by federal and local armed forces gain momentum in Dagestan, the current epicenter of Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus, where dozens of thousands of army and ministry of interior troops have concentrated recently, the pressure will increase on the insurgents to occasionally cross the Russian-Georgian, as well as the [[Azerbaijan–Russia relations|Russian-Azerbaijani]] borders, to secure a temporary safe haven. [...] Georgia and Azerbaijan would be prompted to either turn a blind eye on the presence of armed militants on their soil and risk a conflict with Moscow, which might use this as a pretext for exerting pressure on the [[South Caucasus|South Caucasian]] countries with the ultimate risk of military interference, or risk a dangerous conflict with ethnic minorities of [[Chechen people|Chechen]] and Dagestani descent populating their borderline areas."<ref name=spillover/>

==Georgian special operation==
On August 28, Georgian television reported that five young men from the village of Lapankuri in [[Telavi District]], 20 kilometres from the Dagestani section of the border with Russia, had gone missing for several days.<ref name=saboteurs/> Some news reports cited local residents as saying that a few days earlier they had spotted several unknown men in military uniforms in the vicinity of the village.<ref name=clash/> The missing men were soon reported found and taken by police for questioning.<ref name=saboteurs/> A former hostage said that the gunmen demanded to escort them to the border with Russia, promising to release them after reaching Dagestan and claiming they intended "to just quietly cross the border".<ref name=case>[http://eng.expertclub.ge/portal/cnid__12941/alias__Expertclub/lang__en/tabid__2546/default.aspx Case of "one-armed" Akhmed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203194717/http://eng.expertclub.ge/portal/cnid__12941/alias__Expertclub/lang__en/tabid__2546/default.aspx |date=2016-02-03 }}, Expert Club, 15/11/2012</ref> A man identified as Levan Khutsurauili,<ref name=border/> described as one of the freed civilians, later said that he and his friends had been seized on August 26 by an armed group of about 15 bearded men while returning from a picnic near the border and told they would be shot if they tried to escape.<ref name=clashes>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120830183752/http://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=528126&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21 Three Georgians killed in clashes with gunmen near Russia border], AFP / Gulf Times, 30/8/2012 (archived from [http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=528126&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21 the original] on 2012-08-30)</ref><ref name=gunmen/> According to some reports, the gunmen spoke [[Georgian language|Georgian]].<ref name=intruders/>

Late on August 28, [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Georgia)|Georgian Interior Ministry]] released a brief statement saying that an armed group was detected and first reports emerged about movement of special forces in ground and air vehicles into the area.<ref name=saboteurs/> On the morning of August 29, the ministry announced that its troops blocked the gorge and were pursuing the armed group, and at 1 p.m. declared the operation as "[[Counter-terrorism|anti-terrorist]]",<ref name=saboteurs/> claiming that the group had entered Georgia from Dagestan.<ref name=dead>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19414138 Georgian army operation on Russian border leaves 14 dead], BBC News, 29 August 2012</ref> Deputy Interior Minister Nodar Kharshiladze stressed: "We can't definitely say who these paramilitary people are and what their purpose is, but it is clear they were conducting some kind of terroristic activities there."<ref name=border/> Kharshiladze said that the militants had freed their hostages but then opened fire on security forces after being asked to surrender.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/3-commandos-and-11-militants-killed-in-georgia-hostage-rescue-attempt-8092474.html 3 commandos and 11 militants killed in Georgia hostage rescue attempt], ''The Independent'', 29 August 2012</ref> The deaths of 14 people were announced shortly before 4 p.m.<ref name=saboteurs/> The ministry also said that at least six gunmen were continuing their resistance to Georgian security forces,<ref>[http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-hostages-militants-north-caucasus-russia-thought-responsible/24691677.html Georgian Forces Free Hostages Held By Militants], RFE/RL, 29.08.2012</ref> but no further casualties were reported. On the next day, August 30, Georgian Prime Minister [[Vano Merabishvili]], who has established an anti-crisis headquarters and held a meeting with all power ministers,<ref name=vk>Georgi Kalatozishvili, [http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/30946.html Georgia's War Picnic], Vestnik Kavkaza, 09/03/2012</ref> announced the operations to be "nearly completed," saying it "ensured the security of our citizens and our borders," and that special forces were still searching for possible wounded stragglers from the armed group of around 20.<ref name=gunmen/>

Speaking on national television late on August 29, Georgian President [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] said that a "well-armed and well-trained armed group appeared on the [[Chechnya|Chechen]] and Dagestan section of the Georgian-Russian border" and took Georgian citizens hostage, and that this group was "destroyed" in a shootout after having ignored repeated demands to surrender,<ref name=intruders/> adding that military [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s have been deployed at the scene.<ref name=border>[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/world/europe/georgian-forces-free-hostages-along-russian-border.html Georgia Frees Hostages Along Border With Russia], ''The New York Times'', August 29, 2012</ref> Late on August 29, [[National Security Council of Georgia]] Chairman [[Giga Bokeria]] said that it is plausible that the group had links with anti-Moscow groups in Dagestan and "obvious" that their presence in Georgia was connected with "developments there", presumably meaning the reported buildup of the [[Russian Ground Forces]] in the western districts of Dagestan bordering on Georgia (earlier that year, about 20,000 Russian Army soldiers have been transferred from [[Chechnya]] to Dagestan).<ref name=special>Leila Naroushvili, [http://georgiaonline.ge/interviews/1346719174.php Special Operation and possible consequences for Georgia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210175705/http://georgiaonline.ge/interviews/1346719174.php |date=2015-12-10 }}, Georgia Online, 03 September '12</ref><ref name=intruders/>

A more detailed Georgian government account was released later on August 30. According to it, the crisis had begun on August 28, when the armed group captured a patrol of the Border Police of Georgia who had been searching for the five missing local residents. The gunmen agreed to an offer by a senior border guard officer to keep just him as a hostage and to let go the civilians and the other border guards. Later, an official from the Georgian Interior Ministry arrived to negotiate and demanded their surrender, which was rejected. The group then decided to swap the last captive border guard for the official, telling him that he is now their hostage. Two of the gunmen then accompanied the official to a location where he could talk with his superiors to update them about the new developments, but instead they were led to an ambush site, where one of them was shot dead by a government sniper. The shooting sparked a firefight, in which 10 more members of the armed group and three Georgian troops were killed.<ref name=saboteurs/><ref name=clash/> Georgian forces used helicopters and aerial drones.<ref name=spillover/>

The killed Georgian troops were announced as being two officers of the Interior Ministry's special purpose police unit, Major Archil Chokheli (who was also the [[Sambo (martial art)|sambo]] coach of the national team of Georgia and former Europe and world champion in sambo, as well as former champion in [[kurash]]<ref>[http://www.worldsport.ge/Read.aspx?news=41374&lang=2 World Champion Archil Chokheli Dies during Lapankuri Special Operation], worldsport.ge, 29.08.2012</ref><ref>[http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/news/79867.html Head Sambo coach of Georgia killed on the Russian-Georgian border] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721060416/http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/news/79867.html |date=2014-07-21 }}, GeorgiaTimes.info, 2012-08-30</ref><ref>[http://www.rustavi2.ge/news/news_text.php?pg=&cur_d=&month=8&year=2012&wth=0&ct=5&id_news=46457 Former Sambo champion killed in Lopota special operation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722132446/http://www.rustavi2.ge/news/news_text.php?pg=&cur_d=&month=8&year=2012&wth=0&ct=5&id_news=46457 |date=2014-07-22 }}, Rustavi 2, 30.08.12</ref>) and Captain Solomon Tsiklauri, and Corporal Vladimer Khvedelidze who served as a medic with the [[Ministry of Defense (Georgia)|Defence Ministry]]'s [[Special Forces Brigade (Georgia)|special operations forces]].<ref name=saboteurs>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25155 Tbilisi Says 3 Georgian Troops, 11 'Saboteurs' Killed in Clash], Civil Georgia, 29 Aug.'12</ref><ref name=clash/>  On August 30, Georgian police released video footage showing dead bodies of several men in camouflage uniforms with their faces censored, and weapons recovered from the site of the clash, including a variety of automatic weapons, several anti-tank grenade launchers and at least two sniper rifles (one of them equipped with a noise suppressor), as well as communication and night vision equipment, [[Russian passport]]s and copies of the [[Quran]].<ref name=clash/><ref name=officials>[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/world/europe/georgia-officials-say-muslim-fighters-took-hostages.html Officials Detail Hostage Siege in Georgia], ''The New York Times'', August 30, 2012</ref><ref name=footage>[http://dfwatch.net/georgia-releases-footage-of-dead-islamist-militants-40336 Georgia releases footage of dead Islamist militants], Democracy & Freedom Watch, August 30, 2012</ref><ref>[http://police.ge/index.php?m=8&newsid=3492 Special Operation Video Material], Police.ge, 30.08.2012</ref>

On August 31, the Georgian Interior Ministry reported on the continuation of special operation in Lopota Gorge.<ref>[http://www.oananews.org/content/news/politics/georgian-interior-ministry-reports-continuation-special-operation-lopota-gorge Georgian Interior Ministry reports on continuation of special operation in Lopota gorge], OANA NEWS, 08/31/2012</ref> On September 5, additional vehicles and helicopters with military and police special forces were sent into the area to reinforce the continued search for the estimated six remaining militants.<ref>[http://www.topnews.az/en/az/news/13285 Special mission unit brought into Lopota gorge in Georgia Special mission unit brought into Lopota gorge in Georgia], Trend.az, 05.09.2012</ref> On September 8, Interior Ministry announced it had captured one wounded member of an armed group, identifying the suspected militant as "a citizen of the Russian Federation from North Caucasus," Akhmet Chataev (Akhmed Chatayev), adding he was rendered the medical assistance and his life is not in a danger.<ref name=detained>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25194 Interior Ministry: One Lopota Gorge Gunman Detained], Civil Georgia, 8 Sep.'12</ref><ref>[http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/2063261.html Georgian special forces detain one of militants hiding in Lopota gorge], Trend.Az, 8 September 2012</ref> According to the government announcement, Chatayev surrendered to a patrol of border guard to whom he handed over two live [[F1 grenade (Russia)|F-1 grenades]].<ref name=case/><ref name=witnesses/> The operation officially ended on October 30 with the burial of four alleged militants.<ref name=ends/>

==Identity and motive of the armed group==

===Official statements===
More detailed official information about the incident has been slow to emerge, with interpretations offered by Saakashvili and Bokeria having been at odds.<ref name=intruders>[http://www.rferl.org/content/georgian-intruders-caucasus-report-daghestan/24696534.html Identity, Motives Of Intruders Onto Georgian Territory Remain Unclear], RFE/RL, September 03, 2012</ref> Initially, Georgian government-connected television stations [[Imedi TV]] and [[Rustavi 2]] described the armed group as "[[sabotage|saboteurs]]" and the initial Interior Ministry reports indicated involvement of infiltrators from Russia's Republic of [[North Ossetia–Alania]].<ref name=saboteurs/><ref name=intruders/><ref>[http://dfwatch.net/anti-%E2%80%98saboteur%E2%80%99-operation-continues-in-georgia-69764 Anti-‘saboteur’ operation continues in Georgia], Democracy & Freedom Watch, September 1, 2012</ref> Later, the group was described as "terrorists"<ref name=intruders/> and "armed [[Subversion|subversives]]".<ref>[http://www.police.ge/index.php?m=8&newsid=3499 Statement], Police.ge, 04.09.2012</ref> Parliamentary Chairman [[Davit Bakradze]] declined to comment but said that members of the armed group "are not citizens of Georgia."<ref name=fsb/> The [[Border Guard Service of Russia]] said that "no cases of crossing the Dagestani stretch of the Russian-Georgian border were recorded" and Russian officials called the reports of fighting in Georgia "a provocation." However, a [[RIA Novosti]] source in the Dagestani police said that the group was a part of a Dagestani insurgent group from [[Tsuntinsky District]] ("Tsuntinsky gang") and had indeed crossed the border with Georgia.<ref>[http://pik.tv/en/news/story/46247-dagestani-law-enforcement-source-insurgents-crossed-russian-georgian-border Dagestani Police Source: Insurgents Crossed Russian-Georgian Border], PIK TV, 30 August 2012 {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Vdagestan.com, a website of the Dagestan wing of the North Caucasus insurgency, took responsibility for crossing the border, but denied planning any operations on Georgian territory. They rejected the allegations of having taken civilians hostage, dismissing them as "lies and slander", and blamed the Georgian authorities for the bloodshed.<ref name=intruders/> The statement accused the Georgian side of arranging a "trap for the [[mujahideen]] of the [[Caucasus Emirate]]" by "betraying and killing the brave sons of the Caucasus", adding that "this is by no means the first time they have taken such a treacherous step in a bid to appease the [[Putinism|Putinist]] regime in Russia," and threatened revenge attacks in case special operation was not stopped.<ref name=journal>[http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/141318/georgians-shaken-by-border-incursion.html Georgians Shaken by Border Incursion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910022839/http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/141318/georgians-shaken-by-border-incursion.html |date=2012-09-10 }}, Journal of Turkish Weekly, 5 September 2012</ref><ref name="georgiaonline.ge">[http://georgiaonline.ge/news/a1/conflicts/1346372742.php Khangoshvili: The special operation should not influence relationship between Georgia and the North Caucasians] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203194716/http://georgiaonline.ge/news/a1/conflicts/1346372742.php |date=2016-02-03 }}, Georgia Online, 30 August '12</ref> The statement also appeared in another Russian Islamist and North Caucasus insurgency-connected website [[Kavkaz Center]] (KC), but was soon removed from both websites.<ref name=spillover/> KC then presented a different version, according to which "a detachment of recruits, secretly formed by the command of the Mujahideen on the border between Dagestan and Georgia, [tried to move] to a destination site on the territory of Dagestan to take part in the fighting against Russian occupation forces" but the Georgian authorities demanded that they surrender, regarding their presence on the Georgian soil as "a provocation, which could be used by Russia as a pretext for a new military invasion of Georgia." Regarding the alleged civilian hostages, KC said that "on the contrary, it is because the recruits released five Georgians, whom they incidentally met en route, the leakage occurred followed by subsequent tragic events."<ref name=events/><ref>[http://pik.tv/en/news/story/46252-kavkaz-center-reports-on-armed-incident-in-lopota-gorge Kavkaz Center Reports on Armed Incident in Lopota Gorge], PIK TV, 31 August 2012 {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

On September 7, the [[Chechen language]] department of [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] (RFE/RL), Radio Marsho, reported that it had been contacted by a Caucasus Emirate representative calling himself Abu Khamza, who stated: "All the necessary information is being gathered now. There should be a thorough investigation into the causes that led to such consequences. Only then we can make an official statement with conclusions and assessments of what happened."<ref>[http://www.radiomarsho.com/content/abu-hamza-georgia-imarat-kavkaz-umarov/24700117.html Гуьржийчоьне тIом кховдо сиха яц Кавказ-Имарат], radiomarsho.com, September 7, 2012{{in lang|ru}}</ref> Chechen secular separatist leader [[Akhmed Zakayev]] said that his [[Chechen Republic of Ichkeria]]'s government-in-exile has already established "a special committee" to investigate the causes of the incident. Zakayev said that "regardless of whether the Georgian side will cooperate with us or not, we have the appropriate resources to the reveal the truth. Afterwards, the Chechen legitimate government will express its position."<ref name=events>Georgia: Tracking events in Lopota Gorge, Kavkaz Center, 4 September 2012</ref><ref>[http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/2061911.html Ichkeria’s former culture minister to clarify Georgian incident details], Trend.Az, 5 September 2012,</ref>

===Media theories===
According to RFE/RL, "It is, of course, possible that the Georgian authorities initially assumed that the incursion was masterminded by Moscow, and realized only after verbal contact was established with the intruders that it was not. Alternatively, they may have inferred at an early stage that the men were insurgents from Daghestan but killed them all the same, in order to perpetuate the uncertainty over their true identity and why they crossed the border and thus, by extension, the suspicion that Russia may have been behind the incident." Caucasus expert at the [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]], Mamuka Areshidze, said it was "odd" that the special forces apparently did not try to take the gunmen alive for interrogation, as they could have shot to incapacitate rather than to kill.<ref name=intruders/> Russian military analyst [[Pavel Felgenhauer]] said he has an "impression that this clash was accidental from both sides. I do not have any reasons yet to connect what happened with the conspiracy theories. [...] What happened in Lapankuri looks more like a serious misunderstanding."<ref name=ipn>[http://www.interpressnews.ge/en/region/40372-what-happened-in-lapankuri-looks-more-like-a-serious-misunderstanding.html Pavel Felgengauer – What happened in Lapankuri looks more like a serious misunderstanding], InterpressNews, 05-09-2012</ref>

According to the Russian paper ''[[Kommersant]]'', another alternative version "actively discussed among the Chechens living in Georgia" is that the gunmen belonged to a Chechen armed group heading for a meeting of field commanders with the Caucasus Emirate leader [[Doku Umarov]] in Dagestan and had entered Georgia's territory through the Chechen section of the Russian-Georgian border, but got lost along the way near Dagestan and so attempted to take the locals as guides.<ref name=georgia/> According to still another theory presented by Georgia's [[Russian language]] television channel PIK TV, the armed group might have come to Georgia to commemorate the son of the famous Chechen field commander [[Ruslan Gelayev]] (Gelayev was killed in a shootout with Russian border guards in 2004 in Dagestan's Tsuntinsky District while trying to enter Georgia), Rustan. Rustam was killed during the [[Battle of Aleppo (2012)|Battle of Aleppo]] in Syria in August 2012 and reportedly buried in Georgia's [[Pankisi Gorge]], located several dozen kilometers from Lopota.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121021142142/http://pik.tv/en/news/story/46793-rustam-gelayev-mysterious-life-death-of-chechen-fighter Rustam Gelayev: Mysterious Life, Death of Chechen Fighter], PIK TV, 09/05/2012 (archived from [http://pik.tv/en/news/story/46793-rustam-gelayev-mysterious-life-death-of-chechen-fighter the original] on 2012-10-21)</ref> Pankisi is an area populated by [[Kist people|Kists]], the ethnic Chechens of Georgia.<ref name=punished/>

===Identities===
{{quote box|quote=I quickly came to Lopota. Amiridze said that the men had to put down their guns and surrender. I went to the gorge to negotiate with the Chechens and Kists. There were 17 people there. I personally knew most of them. (...) I told their message to Amiridze and Khangoshvili on the phone. They gave me several minutes to consider our final answer. I was sitting on a hill for 10–15 minutes when suddenly a sniper shot me in the left leg. I did not have gun with me. I rolled down the hill; I wanted to hide. (...) Afterwards, I heard gunshots which lasted for about 2 hours. I was hiding for 10 days; I could not walk; the wound was getting worse and worse; finally I approached a customs checkpoint.<ref name=demands/>|source=–Akhmed Chatayev's version of the incident|width=35%|}}

The person detained as an alleged militant turned out to be [[Akhmed Chatayev|Akhmed Chataev]] (Chatayev), a one-handed ethnic [[Chechen refugees|Chechen refugee]] and Russian citizen who has received refugee status in Austria and lived in the Pankisi region for more than two years. On September 6, Information Center of [[Kakheti]] announced that Chatayev, described as the notorious Chechen warlord [[Dokka Umarov]]'s personal representative in Europe (according to other sources, Chatayev was rather a former special envoy of the late Chechen President [[Aslan Maskhadov]]<ref>[http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/34586.html Maskhadov's special envoy stays in new motherland], Vestnik Kavkaza, 6 December 2012</ref>), who had briefly disappeared after the special operation in Lopota Gorge. Chatayev insisted that he had been brought by two Georgian Interior Ministry's counter-terrorist department officials, Sandro Amiridze and Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, as a negotiator to talk with a group of 17 Chechen and Kist militants that intended to travel to Chechnya via Dagestan. According to Chatayev, he was unarmed and was wounded when an unknown<ref>[http://dfwatch.net/detainee-in-georgia-dagestan-border-shooting-released-31690 Detainee in Georgia-Dagestan border shooting released], Democracy & Freedom Watch, Dec 7, 2012</ref> shooter suddenly shot him in his left leg as he was waiting for a reply from the authorities after relaying by phone the group's refusal to disarm. After that, he hid and barely survived for 10 days without any food nor water before surrendering to the Border Police, but his wound got seriously infected and a part of his foot was later amputated in the [[Gori Military Hospital]], where he spent the next 10 days.<ref name=case/><ref name=demands/>

By September 3, seven of the 11 killed members of the armed group were announced as identified by the Georgian Interior Ministry. Among them were two Georgian citizens, Bahaudin Kavtarashvili (born in 1986) and Aslan Margoshvili (born in 1990). Another, Bahaudin Baghakashvili (born in 1986), was born in [[Grozny]] but had relatives in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge.<ref name=dead/><ref>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25171 Two Georgian Citizens Among Gunmen Killed in Clash at Russian Border], Civil Georgia, 3 Sep.'12</ref> According to unofficial reports, the total of six of those killed were natives of Pankisi.<ref>[http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/news/80028.html "Militants from Dagestan" eliminated in Georgia turned out to be residents of Georgian villages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203194717/http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/news/80028.html |date=2016-02-03 }}, GeorgiaTimes.info, 2012-09-03</ref> Five others, including Baghakashvili, were Russian citizens from the North Caucasus, specifically the former [[Chechen–Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic]]: Musa Aduyev (born in 1981), Dukvakha Doshuyev (born in 1968) and Salam Zaurbekov (born in 1991) from the Republic of Chechnya, and Jabrail Khashiev (born in 1989) from the Republic of [[Ingushetia]].<ref name=dead/><ref name=georgia/> The most prominent among the killed alleged militants was Doshuyev, veteran of the [[First Chechen War]] of 1994–1996 and a former bodyguard of Zakayev. Doshuyev had been detained and then given amnesty by Russian federal forces in early 2000.  Notably, Moscow unsuccessfully tried to use him as a witness in their 2003 attempt to have Zakayev extradited from his self-exile in [[London]].<ref name=georgia>[http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/articles/80078.html Georgia has eliminated Zakayev's bodyguard] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203194717/http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/articles/80078.html |date=2016-02-03 }}, GeorgiaTimes.info, 2012-09-04</ref> Zakayev commented: "I know that Dukvakha Dushuev, having political asylum in Great Britain, was not in Russia and lived in the Pankisi Gorge, Georgia for the last six months. It is unclear how he joined this group."<ref name=events/>

===Nanuashvili's allegations===
On April 1, 2013, Public Defender of Georgia Ucha Nanuashvili called on the [[Parliament of Georgia]] to set up an investigative commission to look into armed clash and events leading up to that incident, saying that his own probe revealed circumstances contradicting official version of events that was offered by the previous government. In an 800-page report, Nanuashvili alleged that the Interior Ministry's counter-terrorist department itself had recruited 120 local Kists, Chechens (including veterans living abroad) and other North Caucasian refugees. The recruits would be then armed and trained by Georgian personnel and Chechen veterans at the [[Vaziani Military Base]] and at [[Shavnabada]] in early 2012. In August, a group of 16 [[Nakh peoples|Vainakhs]] decided to cross the Russian border on their own initiative, but were refused a passage and intercepted by Georgian Interior Ministry special forces deployed there by helicopter. After the negotiations through prominent Chechen mediators did not bring a breakthrough in the standoff, as the militants responded to the demands they would disarm by insisting they would surrender their weapons only after they reached Pankisi, seven (not 11) of them and three Georgians (including two handlers of the gunmen) were killed, and the rest of them were then escorted to Turkey.<ref name=probe/><ref name=denies>[http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-chechen-militants-allegations-saakashvili-denial/24970927.html President Again Denies Georgia Co-Opted Chechen Fighters], RFE/RL, April 28, 2013</ref> The parliament declined Nanuashvili's proposal on the grounds that an investigation by prosecutor's office is under way.<ref name=denies/>

Merabishvili, who was the Interior Minister in early 2012, dismissed the story as "idiotic" and in line with Russia's anti-Georgian propaganda. Former Deputy Interior Minister Gia Lortkipanidze, alleged to be in charge of the armed group, called it "absurd" and "slander".<ref name=probe>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25911 Public Defender Calls on MPs to Probe into Lopota Armed Clash], Civil.Ge, 1 Apr.'13</ref> A prominent member of the Chechen community in Georgia, Umar Idigov, had previously alleged it was former Defense Minister [[Bachana Akhalaia|Bacho Akhalaia]] who was the mastermind behind a supposed idea to create a force of Chechen fighters and infiltrate them into Russia.<ref name=denies/> Akhalaia, who had also held the posts of chief of the prison system and Interior Minister, had already put on trial on multiple charges of exceeding power and abuse of soldiers and prisoners.<ref>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25820 Akhalaia Refuses Trial by Jury], Civil Georgia, March 5, 2013</ref> However, his brother Data (Dato), himself a former Interior Ministry official who has been put on [[Interpol]]'s wanted list on torture charges, claimed to be in possession of evidence that it was Merabishvili who had plotted the "adventure" in Lopota gorge as a provocation to discredit Akhalaia brothers as a part of a power struggle within the ministry. Tbilisi Mayor [[Gigi Ugulava]] dismissed Data Akhalaia's allegations due to their "absurdity" and hinted that Bacho Akhalaia's associates were targeting [[United National Movement (Georgia)|UNM]] party activists upon instructions from the new government.<ref name=denies/><ref>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25958 UNM Hit by Controversy Ahead of Rally], Civil Georgia, 16 April 2013</ref>

==Reactions==

===Georgian government and opposition===
On August 30, President Saakashvili visited Lapankuri, the village closest to the site of the events.<ref name=gunmen/> Saakashvili called the incident an attempt to "stage a provocation", adding that incidents of this kind "directly or indirectly usually serve as a pretext for our country's invader," meaning Russia.<ref name=clash/> Referring to North Caucasus peoples as "brothers," Saakashvili said: "We salute tourists but won't let raids of armed persons against peaceful population on Georgian territory."<ref name=footage/> He added that "disorder and instability behind these mountains will stay there. We will do everything for this."<ref name=border/> Saakashvili also made a reference to the memory of [[lekianoba]], the 17th–18th century raids in which bands of [[Lezgian people|Lezgi]] highlanders from Dagestan ravaged the Kakhetian countryside of Georgia.<ref name=spillover>Emil Souleimanov, [http://cacianalyst.org/?q=node/5858/ GEORGIA’S LOPOTA INCIDENT MARKS RISK OF SPILLOVER FROM NORTH CAUCASUS INSURGENCY], CACI Analyst, 10/17/2012</ref> On August 30, Georgia deployed sappers into the Laputa Gorge, who, according to unofficial information, would be used to set mine fields at this section of the border with Russia.<ref>[http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/2060129.html Georgia brings sappers into Lopota gorge], Trendz.Az, 30 August 2012</ref> Nevertheless, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Nino Kalandadze said that Georgia will continue its open policy to the North Caucasians.<ref>[http://dfwatch.net/two-georgians-among-dead-caucasus-rebels-45430 Two Georgians among dead Caucasus rebels], Democracy & Freedom Watch, September 5, 2012</ref>

Georgian opposition politicians said that the incident needs to be thorough investigated. [[Irakli Alasania]], one of the leaders of the opposition coalition [[Georgian Dream|Georgian Dream–Democratic Georgia]], said, that "there is not yet enough information to make a comprehensive analysis of what has happened. One thing is clear: our borders are not protected well and an armed group of 20 persons can cross into the country without being detected by the border guard. A comprehensive investigation needs to be carried out in order to look into who was in charge of negotiations with (the armed group); what was the subject of negotiations and why was this operation planned in such a way that led to death of so many people."<ref name=clash/><ref name=georgia/> The Georgian Dream stated: "Even based on existing scarce and contradictory information, which the authorities disseminate, there is an impression that the authorities have acted in a characteristically impatient manner and launched the special operation in a condition when the possibilities of a negotiated solution were not fully exhausted and in a condition when there was still a minimal chance of avoiding casualties."<ref name=slams/>

Both the Georgian Dream opposition and Georgia's then-ruling party [[United National Movement (Georgia)|United National Movement]] have postponed earlier planned mass actions related to the upcoming [[2012 Georgian parliamentary election|parliamentary election]] due to the death of Georgian citizens.<ref name=georgia/> At a rally on September 9, [[Bidzina Ivanishvili]], the leader of the Georgian Dream, accused the government of "insolently lying" about the operation and said that "tragedy" of Lopota would be investigated and those responsible punished, adding, "Georgian troops died there; Georgian citizens, Kists died there and North Caucasians died there too. This is not a Georgian dream; this can't be a Georgian dream."<ref name=punished>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25196 Ivanishvili Says ‘Culprits of Lopota Gorge Tragedy will be Punished’], Civil.ge, 9 September 2012</ref> At his own rally on the same day, Saakashvili said about "a very dangerous military provocation in the Lopota Gorge" related to an alleged greater Russian plot to "give them [Russian government] a pretext to use our internal disorders and internal divide for implementation of their sinister plans" and charged that his opponents who are "weeping today for the fate of terrorists and have not even utter a word about our [three special forces personnel] who died, knew very well what this provocation was about; what this mess was all about."<ref>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25195 At UNM Rally Saakashvili Speaks of ‘Foiled Provocation’], Civil.ge, 9 September 2012</ref> The election was won by the Georgian Dream opposition.

===Other reactions===
Georgian officials said Swiss diplomats were used to contact Russia about the border situation.<ref name=officials/> However, Moscow did not respond to Georgia's proposal to cooperate.<ref>[http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/politics/31197.html Georgia wants to cooperate with Russia at Lopota Gorge], Vestnik Kavkaza, 09/10/2012</ref> According to British expert [[Thomas de Waal]], Russia side did not answer because it "does not want to thank the Georgian government."<ref name=ipn/> The only response came for Vadim Shibayev, a spokesman for the [[Federal Security Service (Russia)|FSB]], which is in charge of Russian border guard, calling the reports of trespassing from Russia "provocative" and groundless.<ref name=fsb>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25156 Russian Reports: FSB Denies Georgia Border Trespassing], Civil Georgia, 29 Aug.'12</ref>

The [[NATO-Georgia Commission]] received information from the head of Georgian representation in [[NATO]], Nugzar Mgaloblishvili.<ref>[http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/2060122.html Georgia informs NATO about situation in Georgian-Russian border], Trend.Az, 30 August 2012,</ref> NATO and the [[European Union]] expressed concern about the situation and declared the need to "find a solution to the problem on the basis of internationally accepted norms."<ref>[http://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/22081/ EU and NATO are concerned about the incident in Lopota Gorge in Georgia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203194717/http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/22081/ |date=2016-02-03 }}, Caucasian Knot, Aug 31 2012</ref> The [[United States Ambassador to Georgia|United States Embassy to Georgia]] issued a statement "remembering three brave Georgians" and extending their "deepest sympathies" also "to the many other Georgian servicemen who continue to risk their lives to ensure a more secure Georgia and a more peaceful world."<ref>[http://georgia.usembassy.gov/latest-news/official_statements2012/condolence.html Statement by Charge d’Affaires Bridget Brink on the Death of Three Georgian Servicemen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217023308/http://georgia.usembassy.gov/latest-news/official_statements2012/condolence.html |date=2013-02-17 }}, Embassy of the United States to Georgia, August 31, 2012</ref>

Representative of the [[Chechen diaspora]] in Georgia and advisor to the State Minister for Reintegration Issues, Meka Khangoshvili, made a statement stressing that the incident should not become a cause for tension between Georgians and the North Caucasian nations.<ref name="georgiaonline.ge"/> Akhmad Umarov, Doku Umarov's elderly brother reportedly living in Tbilisi, stated his opinion that the Georgian side "is not responsible for the death of the Chechen Mujahideen."<ref>[http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/2063765.html Georgian Foreign Ministry has no information about location of Caucasus Emirate leader’s brother], Trend.Az, 10 September 2012</ref> A Chechen secular separatist website ChechenCenter said that "the only country that benefits" from this incident is Russia, saying that Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] might to try to "[[Divide and rule|divide and conquer]]" the Caucasus as the world watches the [[Syrian Civil War|conflict in Syria]].<ref>Salome Modebadze, [http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/2684_september_3_2012/2684_salome.html Reports, opinions vary over border operation], The Messenger, September 3, 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.chechencenter.info/n/events/1818-1.html Battle on Georgia-Dagestan border. (Chechen version)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906191830/http://chechencenter.info/n/events/1818-1.html |date=2012-09-06 }}, Chechen Center, 31 August 2012</ref>

==Aftermath==

===Burials===
Captain Tsiklauri was posthumously awarded the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Georgia#Vakhtang Gorgasali Order|Vakhtang Gorgasali Order]], one of the highest decorations in Georgia, and buried on September 2 in Rusiani in a funeral attended by high officials including President Saakashvili.<ref>[http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?rec_start=16&rec_start_nav=0&id_news=46482&pg=&srch_w=&im=main&srch=1&ct=0&wth=0&l=0&ddd= SWAT officer killed during special operation buried in his village], Rustavi 2, 02.09.12</ref> The funeral of Major Chokheli took place in Galavani on September 4, attended by Saakashvili, Interior Minister [[Bachana Akhalaia]], chief of the [[Georgian National Olympic Committee|National Olympic Committee]] Gia Natsvlishvili, other officials, and representatives of the opposition.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130412212439/http://www.interpressnews.ge/en/politics/40343-mikheil-saakashvili-arrives-at-funeral-of-archil-chokheli.html?ar=A Mikheil Saakashvili arrives at funeral of Archil Chokheli], [http://www.interpressnews.ge nterpressnews.ge], 4 September 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=46499&pg=1&im=main President attended burial of late soldier], Rustavi 2, 04.09.12</ref> Saakashvili and Akhalaia also attended the funeral of Corporal Khvedelidze, who too was posthumously awarded the Vakhtang Gorgasali Order and buried in [[Samtredia]] on the same day;<ref>[https://archive.today/20130213165135/http://www.interpressnews.ge/en/politics/40349-president-attends-funeral-of-corporal-vladimir-khvedelidze.html President attends funeral of corporal Vladimir Khvedelidze], InfoPressNews, 04-09-2012</ref> Khvedelidze's family was given a new house from the state in compensation.<ref>[http://www.mod.gov.ge/en/news/1536 The families of military servicemen donated with residential properties], Ministry of Defence of Georgia, 20 September 2012</ref>

Saakashvili said that killed gunmen should be buried "with observance of their Muslim traditions," adding, "we are not Russian troops; we should pay relevant respect to killed" in a reference to the Russian government's official policy of destroying the corpses of alleged terrorists.<ref name=clash>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25164 Saakashvili Speaks of Provocation Attempt after Deadly Clash at Border], Civil Georgia, 31 Aug.'12</ref> Deputy Interior Minister Shota Khizanishvili also affirmed that the militants' bodies will be buried [[Islamic funeral|in accordance with their faith]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20130417115115/http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_30/Georgian-president-visits-security-operation-area/ Georgian president visits security operation area], Interfax / Voice of Russia, Aug 30, 2012</ref> On September 3–4, three of the killed militants (Baghakashvili, Kavtarashvili and Margoshvili) were buried by residents of Duisi in the Pankisi Gorge.<ref name=slams>[http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25178 Georgian Dream Slams Govt Over Armed Clash in Lopota Gorge], Civil Georgia, 4 Sep.'12</ref> On September 3, the Georgian Dream opposition issued a statement condemning "the criminally irresponsible information policy of the authorities" and said that "horrifying details are being reported about moral pressure exerted on relatives" of the killed gunmen by the government officials allegedly trying to hide the fact there were Georgian citizens among the members of the armed group.<ref name=slams/> Allegedly, government officials conducted at least one burial at night and family members were forbidden to gather people for a funeral or even to see the body.<ref>Nicholas Clayton, [http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/120905/Georgia-Russia-militants-Pankisi?page=0,0 Georgians question government claims about Russian militants], Global Post, September 5, 2012</ref> The killed Chechens were buried also in Duisi village cemetery at night of October 30. Reportedly, family members of one of the killed Chechens arrived in Georgia in September but the government refused to hand over the body to them.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130415014227/http://www.humanrightsge.org/index.php?a=main&pid=15847&lang=eng Chechen People Liquidated in Lopota Gorge Buried in Duisi Village], Humanrights.ge, 05.11.2012</ref> In May 2013, the authorities re-examined corpses of Baghakashvili, Margoshvili and Zaurbekov; family members said they agreed for exhumations to be conducted despite Islam forbidding removing the dead from their graves, because they too want to find the truth.<ref name=denies/><ref>[http://dfwatch.net/three-rebel-fighters-reburied-in-pankisi-66652 Three rebel fighters reburied in Pankisi], Democracy & Freedom Watch, May 16, 2013</ref> The bodies were exhumed in order to determine precisely how they died, as the results of the original postmortems have disappeared.<ref name=denies/>

===Chatayev trial===
On October 24, Chatayev was accused of the illegal purchase, possession and carrying of an explosive device, facing between three and five years in prison if convicted. The date of a preliminary court hearing in the case was set on October 29. Chatayev, reported as having a refugee status in Austria, denied the charge and pleaded his innocence, claiming that had arrived in the Lopota gorge to hold negotiation at a request of senior official of the Interior Ministry of Georgia and that the sniper wounded him in a leg while he was waiting for a reply from the government.<ref name=demands>[http://www.humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=15790&lang=eng Human Rights Center Demands Freedom of Akhmed Chataev], Humanrights.ge, 23.10.2012</ref> According to Information Center of Kakheti, witnesses (three border guards who detained Chatayev) were compelled by the Interior Ministry to sign false testimonies in the case and Chatayev really carried no hand grenades.<ref name=witnesses>[http://humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=15818&lang=eng Akhmed Chataev Innocent – MIA Compelled Witnesses to Sign Fake Testimonies], Humanrights.ge, 29.10.2012</ref> The hearing on the case, scheduled for November 15, was postponed till November 26 due to the absence of the border guard witnesses.<ref name=refuse>[http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/news/83933.html Georgia refused to extradite Akhmed Chatayev] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203194716/http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/news/83933.html |date=2016-02-03 }}, GeorgiaTimes.info, 2012-12-05</ref> Following Chatayev's arrest, his wife Aina Margoshvili left Georgia, presumably to go to Turkey,<ref>[http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/2080366.html Trial over Chechen detainee in Georgia's Lopota Gorge to be held on October 29], Trend.Az, 24 October 2012</ref> but later returned to Georgia and picketed the court hearings along with their son and dozens of Chechens under the slogan "Freedom to Akhmed Chatayev".<ref name=vk/><ref name=refuse/>

On November 13, Georgia refused to extradite Chatayev to Russia<ref>[http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20121113/265335415.html Georgia refuses to extradite Russian alleged militant Chatayev], RAPSI, 13/11/2012</ref> after Khangoshvili appealed to international human rights organizations to protect his rights and declaring him "[[Arbitrary arrest and detention|arbitrarily imprisoned]]".<ref>[http://www.humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=15875&lang=eng Meka Khangoshvili: “We Have Reason for Fear that Chataev Might Be Extradited to Russia”], Humanrights.ge, 12.11.2012</ref> Georgia's new justice minister [[Tea Tsulukiani]] said that "Georgia has refused to extradite Chatayev to Russia, and that is a matter of principle for us," because five Chechens, including residents of the Pankisi Gorge,<ref name=vk/> whom Georgia extradited to Russia by the government of [[Eduard Shevardnadze]] in 2002 had [[Forced disappearance|"disappeared"]]; Tsulukiani said: "We know nothing about what happened to them, but this tradition must be brought to an end." She also promised that Chatayev would receive a fair and impartial trial in Georgia.<ref name=refuse/><ref>[http://www.kyivpost.com/content/russia-and-former-soviet-union/georgia-refuses-to-extradite-chechen-separatist-to-russia-317141.html Georgia refuses to extradite Chechen separatist to Russia], Interfax-Ukraine, Dec. 4, 2012</ref> On December 6, Tbilisi City Court agreed to free Chatayev on $3,000 bail.<ref>[http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-frees-chechen-on-bail/24791188.html Georgia Frees Suspected Terrorist On Bail], RFE/RL, December 06, 2012</ref> On January 18, 2013, the court acquitted Chatayev after the prosecutor has withdrawn all charges against him. Chatayev commented: "I knew that if the witnesses tell the truth, I would be acquitted."<ref>[http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/news/85571.html Akhmed Chatayev acquitted] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203194716/http://www.georgiatimes.info/en/news/85571.html |date=2016-02-03 }}, GeorgiaTimes, 2013-01-18</ref>

===Ivanishvili government investigation===
In November 2012, the new government has reopened the investigation into the incident, conducted by the Interior Ministry is cooperation on with the prosecutor's office.<ref name=probe/> In April 2013, Ivanishvili, who has become a new Prime Minister, said that the investigation may reveal "shocking" results and substantiate allegations of Nanuashvili. Ivanishvili's statement was strongly criticized as "irresponsible" and "dangerous" by Saakashvili, who declared "with full responsibility" that "Georgia never participated in training any terrorists."<ref name=probe/> Alasania, who has become a new Defense Minister, and Parliament Chairman [[David Usupashvili]], also a member of Georgian Dream, have distanced themselves from Ivanishvili's remarks.<ref>Vadimir Socor, [http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=40839&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=e8dcc668f18f2488a01baf9b9f6e87bb Georgian Authorities Investigate Former Government to Hit at Current Opposition], Eurasia Daily Monitor, May 7, 2013</ref>

===Chechen government-in-exile investigation===
The Zakayev government's report was presented by Foreign Minister Usman Ferzauli on August 1, 2013. Its findings repeat many of the allegations contained in Nanuashvili's report. According to the report by the State Commission of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the main organizer of the armed group was Akhmed Umarov, working closely with the special services of the Interior Ministry of Georgia. He had been released from the FSB prison and allowed to leave the country for Georgia, where the Russian side might hoped he would organize a large-scale international provocation and create a ''[[casus belli]]'' for occupation of all of Georgia by Russia. The main instigators from the Vainakh side were also to include Gabriel (Jabrail) Khashiev, an ethnic Ingush wanted for murdering Chechens in Turkey, as well as Chatayev, described as Dokka Umarov's representative in Turkey and a relative of Dushuev. Most of the 200 recruits had left peacefully before the crisis in Lapota began, returning to their homes (in Georgia, the European Union, Turkey and Egypt) after the group's Georgian handlers refused to allow them to cross into Russia. The report names Georgia's Deputy Interior Minister Givi Lordkipanidze as the direct head of the operation in Lopota, which it says was coordinated by and approved by Saakashvili.<ref>{{in lang|ru}} Usman Ferzauli, [http://chechenpress.org/news/3903-doklad-goskomissii-chri-o-rezultatakh-rassledovaniya-intsidenta-v-ushchele-lopota.html Доклад Госкомиссии ЧРИ о результатах расследования инцидента в ущелье Лопота] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609183831/http://www.chechenpress.org/news/3903-doklad-goskomissii-chri-o-rezultatakh-rassledovaniya-intsidenta-v-ushchele-lopota.html |date=2013-06-09 }}, Chechenpress, 01.06.2013</ref>

==See also==
* [[2017 Isani flat siege]]
* [[2008 Georgia–Russia crisis]]
* [[Pankisi Gorge crisis]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:2012 in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Caucasus Emirate]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 2012]]
[[Category:Hostage taking]]
[[Category:Kakheti]]
[[Category:Operations involving Georgian special forces]]