The de facto authorities of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region say that they detained 38 individuals last month for ‘illegally crossing the border’, while the figure stood at 19 in July.
The de facto authorities stated that 22 of the 38 individuals were fined, while others were able to leave Tskhinvali territory without paying a fine.
The illegal detention of Georgian citizens is a common issue near the occupation line.
Illegally detained Georgian citizens are mostly released after their families pay a fine, however, there have been several cases of Georgian citizens dying while in custody.
The standard fine is 2,000 Russian rubles ($27 USD).
Russia recognised the Georgian regions of Tskhinvali and Abkhazia as independent states in the wake of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
Only Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria have taken the same step of recognition so far.
The rest of the international community says that the regions are occupied by Russia and urge the country to withdraw its troops from Georgian territories.