Russia Swaps Georgians for Seized Peacekeepers
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Four Russian peacekeepers taken prisoner by an unknown group in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia were freed in exchange for two Georgians detained earlier by Russian forces.
The three officers and one soldier had been abducted from their post near Abkhazia’s border with Georgia’s government-controlled territory Monday evening, Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Paata Gomelauri said.
Abkhaz forces, with arms from Russia, pushed Georgian government troops out of the Black Sea region in 1993. Abkhazia has since enjoyed the informal protection of Russia, which has 1,500 peacekeepers in the area.
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