Russian Citizen Detained in South Ossetia Sentenced to Custody

A court in Tbilisi sentenced Russian citizen Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, who was detained by the Georgian authorities in breakaway South Ossetia on July 22, to three months pre-trial detention.

Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, who is one of the leaders of the Cossack unit in southern Russia, is accused of illegaly crossing the Russo-Georgian border.

Authorities in breakaway South Ossetia make no secret of the fact that dozens of Cossacks from Russia arrived in Tskhinvali, the capital of self-styled republic to join the local militia groups after a recent escalation of tensions in the conflict zone.