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Garry Muldarov is a politician from the small, partially recognized, South Caucasian Republic of South Ossetia, serving as a member of parliament since 2019 as a member of the pro-Russian establishment United Ossetia, however, would leave the party in 2021 to become a political independent.

Biography

Muldarov was born in 1987.

Muldarov worked in the South Ossetian defense ministry from 2003 to 2013 and for the South Ossetian KGB from 2013 to 2018. Muldarov was elected to the Parliament of South Ossetia in 2019 as part of Anatoly Bibilov's pro-Russian United Ossetia, however, broke from the party and became a political independent.

In 2021, Muldarov made headlines when he engaged in a fist fight with fellow MP Igor Chochiev. Muldarov denied any wrongdoing while also attacking his opponents as pro-Georgian agents spreading disinformation. Strelkov, a former militia leader and volunteer in the War in Donbass, was accused of pocketing money designated for the construction of housing. At the time, both Chochiev and Muldarov were part of United Ossetia.

Muldarov's dispute with United Ossetia centered around his time as the head of the parliamentary commission for the delimitation and demarcation of the border with Georgia, with Muldarov splitting from United Ossetia shortly after accusing Bibilov of ceding 200 square kilometers of land to Georgia. Bibilov would survive a vote of no confidence initiated by 14 MPs after the scandal.

Muldarov stood as a candidate in the 2022 South Ossetian presidential election, earning 9.33% of the electorate, or 2,592 votes, placing fourth and being eliminated in the first round. In the second round Muldarov supported opposition candidate Alan Gagloev. The election was noted for the incumbent government of Bibilov barring 12 candidates, mostly from the opposition, from standing.

In 2022, Muldarov announced that he intended to create his own political party. The then 35-year old Muldarov called on the youth of South Ossetia to rally around him to form a youth-populist movement. Local pundits are unsure if Muldarov's new party will support or oppose the presidency of Gagloev, as, post election, the relationship between Gagloev and Muldarov has soured, and Muldarov has extensive ties to the pro-Russian establishment.

In 2022, Muldarov, alongside two other South Ossetian MPs, Robert Ostaev and Arsen Kvezerov personally delivered aid to Russian forces in the Donbas as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In 2024 Muldarov, alongside two other leading anti-establishment politicians, Dzambolat Medoev and David Sanakoev, had their Russian citizenship stripped at the behest of the Federal Security Service due to their support of "establishing a state border with Georgia." This comes as Russia is attempting to re-approach Georgia, with a softer position on South Ossetia, which the South Ossetian government has accused of being the product of a "Georgian lobby" in Moscow.

References

1. ^ "Explainer: Elections in Tskhinvali". Civil Georgia. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
2. ^ Tarkhanova, Zhanna. "New parties in South Ossetia - who and why". Jam-news.net. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
3. "The separatists in Tskhinvali established a regime of terror "against their own"". kavkazplus.com. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
4. Tarkhanova, Zhanna. "South Ossetia - political crisis over border demarcation". Jam news. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
5. "De-facto South Ossetian Parliament disrupted due to disputes over the "border" with Georgia". caucasuswatch.de. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
6. "CEC of South Ossetia schedules second round of presidential election for April 28". Caucasian Knot. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
7. Tarkhanova, Zhanna. "Opposition presidential candidate Alan Gagloev leads in South Ossetian elections". Jam news. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
8. "De-facto presidential election in separatist South Ossetia and international reactions". caucasuswatch.de. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
9. "Opposition leader wins first round in South Ossetia presidential poll". OC Media. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
10. "Tskhinvali Court Dismisses Appeals of Rejected 'Presidential' Hopefuls". Civil Georgia. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
11. "Five Candidates to Contest in Tskhinvali 'Presidential Vote'". Civil Georgia. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
12. "Deputies of the Parliament of South Ossetia delivered another batch of humanitarian aid for military personnel". State Information Agency. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
13. "Three deputies of the Tskhinvali parliament may be deprived of Russian citizenship". newshub.ge. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
14. "Separatist South Ossetian President Addresses Revocation of Russian Citizenship for MPs". caucasuswatch.de. Retrieved 1 April 2024.

• Living people
• 1987 births
• Ossetian politicians
• United Ossetia politicians
• Members of the Parliament of South Ossetia