Georgia Accuses Four Russians of Spying
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TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – Georgian authorities detained four Russian military officers on spying charges Wednesday, and security forces surrounded Russia’s military headquarters in Tbilisi to demand that another suspect be handed over, the interior minister said.
Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said the four Russian military intelligence officers had been detained in the Georgian capital and the Black Sea port of Batumi on charges of espionage. Interior Ministry forces surrounded the Russian military headquarters in Tbilisi demanding the handover of another Russian officer accused of spying.
The move highlights escalating tensions in relations between the ex-Soviet Caucasus nation and its giant northern neighbor, which has retained military bases in Georgia after the 1991 Soviet collapse but pledged to withdraw them by the end 2008.