Three Georgian citizens detained in South Ossetia
By Nazrin Gadimova
The Russian border guard service has arrested three Georgian citizens in the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
According to the Georgian side, three residents of Zegduleti village were arrested by armed men on their way to a neighboring village. Nana Vanishvili, Alexander Tsertsvadze and Irakli Merabishvili are accused of crossing the so-called South Ossetian border.
It was reported that a six-year child was among the detainees, but the Russian border guards did not detain him and gave him the opportunity to go to a nearby village.
Seven citizens of Georgia were detained in this area in the last two months. All of them were released after paying a fine.
The Georgian Interior Ministry has started negotiations with the South Ossetian and Russian sides.
Georgia and Russia, its giant northern neighbor, have maintained no diplomatic relations since a brief war in 2008. Tbilisi broke off relations with Moscow in August 2008 when Moscow crushed a Georgian assault to reassert control over two rebel regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- and later recognized the regions. Georgia announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories in September 2008.