Missing Soldier: AWOL or Dead

Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe

Twenty-three-year-old Nodar Gengiuri, a contracted soldier of Gori Infantry Unit of the Georgian Defense Ministry, has been missing for more than two weeks.

Nodar Gengiuri, resident of the village of Kvesheti in Gori District, was on Orpolo Military Base together with his unit. On March 28, Friday, he, together with Shota Lomidze from Surami and Zviad Devadze, a resident of the village o Tsnisi in Akhaltsikhe Municipality, visited Devadze’s family. The new recruits had left the military base without first having obtained permission.

Residents of Tsnisi recall they heard the singing of friends at approximately 4:00 AM when the guests had left the family. Villagers retold that the boys were seen going in the direction of Orpolo Military Base. At the site of a bridge Nodar Gengiuri disappeared. Later, near the end of the bridge, personal things belonging to Nodar Gengiuri was discovered, which included a mobile phone, shoes and a suit.

Shota Lomidze and Zviad Devadze arrived at their unit in the next morning and were taken into custody. Military police has not made any comment about the incident. Having arrived at the police station, the police officer on duty stated the soldiers had left their duty station and nobody was at the station at the time.”

Villagers from Tsnisi were then interrogated. Neighbors of the Devadzes have not commented about Zviad Devadze, their son, and who is highly respected by his school teachers and villagers alike.

The family of Nodar Gengiuri learned about the status of their son on Monday.

“Relatives were informed that three soldiers had left the unit but only two of them returned, and Nodari had gone missing. The family then started looking for their son in the families of their relatives but he is nowhere to be found,” said Zurab Rcheulishvili, a resident of Kvesheti.

People suppose that Gengiuri went AWOL, absent without leave, from the military unit. However, family members cannot accept this possibility or other more dire possibilities.

“His military contract was finishing in May. How could he run away after having served four years in the army? He was a good soldier and was had earned the rank of a sergeant. He was respected both in the army and in our village too,” said one of the villagers.

On the fifth day after the incident, almost ten relatives of Gengiuri had arrived in the village of Tsnisi. They expressed their growing discontent over the poor quality of the investigation being carried out by the Military Police. The family feels they have no choice under the circumstances but to make all efforts for find the missing solider on their own.

“Nearly 80 men are now looking for him in Kareli, Gori up to the village of Kvishkheti. Six men are mobilized on every bridge. We have looked for him in every bush but he is nowhere to be seen,” said people from Gengiuri’s village.

On April 2, uncle, brother and relatives of the missing soldier met the commander of the unit.
“They are also interested in find out what all has happened. They are also astonished with not being able to find out what actually happened,” said some of the relatives.

Having discovered the things of the missing man people started to suppose that he jumped into the river in committing suicide. However, relatives categorically cannot accept such a possibility, as there is no motivation.

“I do not know what kind of argument they had but if he wanted to die why he crossed the bridge took off the clothes and then jumped into the water,” said Vazha Okruashvili, a resident of Kvishkheti.

“He was seven when his father died when he served as a peacekeeper in South Ossetia. He died in Tskhinvali and inspite of his sons being fatherless, they sons grew up as really nice young men. I worked in the military commissariat when both brothers came to our office and requested that they enlist and be sent to the army. Afterwards, Nodari remained in the unit as a contractor. He was good guy, sportsman and never had arguments with anyone,” said Vazha Okruashvili who without thinking speaks about the missing boy in the past, as if he is already dead.

In parallel to the investigation relatives are still searching for Gengiuri, alive or dead.

It is the second case when a soldier has disappeared the last year.