Russian Prosecutor's Office: mercenaries fought for Georgia in conflict with South Ossetia

Alexander Bastrykin, head of the ICPO, asserts that in the August conflict with South Ossetia, Georgia made use of mercenaries recruited in several countries.

"The investigation has received evidences that groups of American, Czech, Turkish, Chechen and Ukrainian mercenaries acted within the Georgian forces," Alexander Bastrykin said today at the conference on international humanitarian law in St-Petersburg, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

According to the ICPO head, foreign mercenaries were mainly used as instructors, but there were also snipers among them. In the area studied by the investigatory team, two snipers operated - a Ukrainian and a Latvian woman, Mr Bastrykin has added. "The total strength of the Georgian army was 17,000 persons, including 2000 reservists," the IA REGNUM quotes him as saying.

As he said, the investigation of the August events will take at least two months more.

"We have established the facts that the Georgian party used non-selective indiscriminate fire from missile volley 'Grad' systems on the houses of the peaceful population of South Ossetia and columns of refugees, as well as the facts of using pellet warheads in 'Grad-2' missile shells, which are prohibited for use," the ITAR-TASS quotes the ICPO head.