Levan Petriashvili, who was illegally detained by the Russian occupation forces in the vicinity of Ergneti village of Gori municipality, is free and is in the territory controlled by the central government. The State Security Service disseminates information.

According to the agency, the "hotline" mechanism was actively used in the process of releasing Levan Petriashvili from illegal imprisonment. The issue of his immediate release from illegal detention was regularly raised by the central government of Georgia in the formats of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and Geneva international discussions.

"The central government of Georgia provided information to international partners on a permanent basis.

The central government, together with international partners, continues to work actively for the release of all citizens of Georgia illegally detained in the occupied territories.

The occupying power bears full responsibility for all destructive actions carried out in the occupied regions and along the occupation line," reads the statement.