22 August 2008, 20:39
Russia and Georgia exchange 17 Georgians for 10 Russians
Today, Russian and Georgian militaries exchanged their prisoners of war at the building of hospital in the city of Gori. 17 Georgians were exchanged for 10 Russian soldiers.
Besides, Russian militaries released, in the evening of August 21, 10 out of 22 Georgian soldiers, arrested on August 19 in the city of Poti.
The "Gazeta.Ru" reports with reference to the press service of the administration of Georgian President's representative in the district of Shida Kartli that the Georgian captives kept in the Tskhinvali prison had various wounds on their bodies. According to the doctors, the former prisoners have no need of medical aid.
The IA "News-Georgia" has reported about release of Shorena Barbakadze, 25, who was kept hostage for more than a week in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.
The girl is now in the hospital of Gori; and, according to doctors, she was severely beaten. No details of her release are disclosed.
Shorena was kidnapped when driving a minibus from Tbilisi to Tkibuli. According to the Georgian party, the young woman was captured by an Ossetian armed formation.
General-Colonel Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of Russian Armed Forces, said today in a press conference that Georgian operative agents captured, in the Georgian-South-Ossetian conflict zone, two persons whom they named to be "Russia's informants."
"On August 18, the Georgian MIA conducted a special action in the Georgian-South-Ossetian conflict zone. As a result of the action, in which two groups of special agents took part, two Russian 'informants' were captured, Ossetians by nationality; presumably, they are residents of Tskhinvali," said Mr Nogovitsyn and added that the Interior Minister of Georgia gave an urgent order to interrogate the detainees, and then - to liquidate them, as the RIA "Novosti" retells the words of the Joint Staff commander.
