Georgia: Russian Soldiers Arrest Georgian Farmers

Russian troops detained 16 Georgian farmers on October 26 for allegedly crossing the border between breakaway South Ossetia and Georgian-controlled territory.

Separatist officials said that the 16 men, who were collecting firewood in the conflict zone, violated what Tskhinvali and Moscow term the international border between Georgia and South Ossetia, the Regnum news agency reported. Moscow recognizes South Ossetia as an independent state and has concluded a border security agreement with Tskhinvali.

Tbilisi, which views South Ossetia as its territorial subject, demanded the immediate release of the farmers, who were moved to a detention facility in Tskhinvali. The Georgian Foreign Ministry expressed the hope that representatives of the European Union Monitoring Mission could help negotiate the Georgian detainees' release.