Valya Vanishvili, a citizen of Georgia, has passed away in the village of Khurvaleti, located near the occupation line.
Her death on May 19 was confirmed by Roin Adikashvili, a representative of the Mayor of Gori, who reported that the elderly woman died at her home on May 18.
Valya Vanishvili and her husband, Data Vanishvili, lived in the village for many years in near-total isolation—behind barbed wire installed following the so-called “borderization” in 2011.
Following the 2008 Russo-Georgian War and the subsequent division of the territory, they remained in a house that ended up on opposite sides of the boundary line: the building itself was on territory controlled by Russian occupation forces, while their plot of land remained under the control of the central Georgian authorities.
Despite being effectively isolated from the rest of the country and receiving numerous offers to relocate, the Vanishvili family refused to leave their home. Data Vanishvili passed away earlier, in 2021, at the age of 88.
Notably, Data Vanishvili became a symbol of the consequences of occupation and resilience after his home was divided in 2011 by barbed wire installed by Russian occupation forces.
As a result, the house was situated on territory controlled by de facto authorities, while the land plot was on territory under the control of the central Georgian government.
He was frequently visited by high-ranking politicians from various countries who came to Georgia to witness firsthand the effects of so-called “borderization”—divided families, severed ties between relatives, and seized territories.
Despite repeated offers, Data Vanishvili refused to accept the citizenship of so-called “South Ossetia”—the occupied Tskhinvali region of Georgia—and never left his home.
