Conflict at a Georgian wedding involving Russian tourists: parties dispute the cause of the incident

Georgian police continue their investigation into the conflict that occurred on the evening of July 18 at the Agaranis Mamuli Hotel in Telavi, where a wedding was taking place and a group of Russian tourists were vacationing. One of the guests at the celebration, Giorgi Chigladze, has been arrested in connection with the case. He is accused of intentionally causing minor bodily harm. The parties involved and their representatives continue to publicly present conflicting versions of the events.

According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, foreign citizens insulted the wedding guests from the hotel balcony and doused the musical equipment with water. Chigladze then climbed up to them and injured one of the tourists.

Almost immediately after the incident, various interpretations of the events appeared on Georgian social media. Opposition politician Boris Chele Kurua, citing eyewitnesses, claimed that the tourists allegedly poured water on the wedding reception, after which one of the men went up to their room and hit one of the women. The Russian women, in turn, claimed that the aggression was provoked by their speaking Russian.

Later, the detainee's brother and his lawyer, Lasha Kapanadze, presented their version. According to the lawyer, the conflict began over the tourists' behavior, who were allegedly irritated by the Georgian music playing at the wedding.

"Georgian music was playing, Georgian songs were being played. They allegedly couldn't stand it, became angry, and then began pouring liquid and spitting. Then a verbal altercation erupted between the people on the terrace and the woman standing on the third floor. After the liquid was poured from above, the equipment was damaged, and the music stopped. "After some time, it was turned on again, but about 15 minutes later, the liquid was poured out again," Kapanadze stated.

According to the lawyer, during their face-to-face meeting, the woman was the first to strike Chigladze, after which a scuffle ensued, and he was struck in the face with an elbow. He also claims that after their arrest, the Russian tourists behaved aggressively at the police station.

Victim Alena Nesteryuk rejects this version. She says she and four friends had come to Telavi to celebrate a birthday and did not cause any conflict.

"I don't think we provoked the conflict in any way. We didn't spill anything, didn't argue, or insult anyone. On the contrary, it was the other side who started the argument," Nesteryuk said.

She said the group had just checked into the hotel and opened a bottle of champagne. She added that a few drops could have accidentally spilled from the balcony, but the girls didn't intentionally spill anything on anyone. When there was a knock on the door, they assumed it was a hotel employee. However, Nesteryuk claims, an unknown man burst into the room.

"His behavior was completely inappropriate. We were all very scared," she said.

Nesteryuk also stated that, in her opinion, the hotel administration made no attempt to resolve the situation and did not apologize to the women.

After questioning the tourists, their lawyer, Lali Aptsiauri, announced that investigators had prohibited her clients from leaving Georgia for the next few days. She claims the women gave detailed testimony but cannot disclose details of the case due to a non-disclosure agreement.

Aptsiauri maintains that the accusations against the tourists are not supported by the case materials.

"They categorically deny any provocative actions. They categorically deny spitting, pouring water or champagne on anyone." They came to Georgia to celebrate a birthday and simply opened champagne on the balcony.

<…> What could have been poured from that balcony for the liquid to fly over two rooftops and land on the equipment? Look at the photo and you'll understand. There's only one victim here – my client. The photo clearly shows the very balcony where the girls were standing and where the incident occurred. There are videos showing them being insulted, sworn at, and addressed obscenely from below," the lawyer stated.

According to Aptsiauri, the published videos do not confirm that the tourists started the conflict. She also noted that it is still unclear who injured Chigladze himself, and the possibility of criminal prosecution against her client is not currently being considered.

New videos of the conflict continue to appear online, but they do not yet allow us to definitively determine what exactly caused the incident. The investigation is ongoing. Currently, only Giorgi Chigladze has been charged. According to available information, no criminal case has yet been opened against the Russian tourists.

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