Georgian citizens detained on Georgian-South-Ossetian border

Four citizens of Georgia have been detained for illegal crossing of the state borders of South Ossetia, said the KGB (State Security Committee) of South Ossetia. According to the Georgian MIA, the young people were gathering edible herbs near the border, when Russian frontier guards tried to arrest them. According to the Georgian party, two of the Georgians were wounded.

According to the above KGB, today in the morning, a frontier unit of the Frontier Guard Service of the republic detected a group of Georgian nationals illegally present in the territory of South Ossetia near the village of Lopan, Znauri District. "At the moment of their detention, a fire from small arms was opened at the frontier unit by some other unidentified persons, who aimed to release the detainees. By the return fire the attackers were dispersed and disappeared in the territory of Georgia," the Information Agency (IA) "Res" reports with reference to the KGB of South Ossetia.

According to the KGB, four persons, including a minor, were detained. Presently, an inquiry is on with them. "In the near future, the minor will be handed over to law enforcement bodies of Georgia in the established order," the KGB reports.

In its turn, the press service of the MIA of Georgia has reported that in the Sachher District of Georgia, near the border with South Ossetia, five young Georgian were gathering edible herbs near the border, when Russian soldiers in uniform tried to arrest them. Young men tried to run away; however, according to the Georgian MIA, the soldiers opened fire on them. As a result, two young persons, including a 17-year-old schoolboy, were wounded. Both need urgent surgery, said the MIA.

The Parliament of Georgia has regarded the incident as a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Russian party, the IA "News-Georgia" reports.