Head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, has appealed Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing concern over reported shift of South Ossetian administrative boundary line deeper into the Georgian-controlled areas.

“We express our concern over shifting of Georgia’s temporary border by the Russian soldiers at the village of Ditsi,” reads the letter posted on the Georgian Patriarchate’s website on June 1.

“This is a very painful and unexpected action for our population, especially against the backdrop of those attempts, which are being undertaken by our countries to normalize relations and which is not easy to implement for us because of a difficult political situation in Georgia.”
 
“We hope that you’ll make a right appraisal of the existing situation and take appropriate measures to timely rectify the situation,” reads the Georgian Patriarch’s appeal.