Georgian police detain Russian peacekeepers commander

Officers of the patrol police and the counterintelligence department of Georgia's Internal Affairs Ministry in the Samegrelo region detained Colonel Alexander Kazantsev, chief of staff of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the Gal district, Abkhazia, on 9 January.

The car in which Mr Kazantsev and three more people, including the wife of the commander, were driving was detained in the centre of Zugdidi, the regional police told RIA Novosti news agency.

"Our suspicion was caused by the fact that the commander's vehicle had a military registration number plate at the front and some unclear plate at the back. Himself, Kazantsev explained this with the fact that his driver had been to Adler (Russia — CK) the day before and that he had had not enough time to change the plate," a Samegrelo regional police officer said.

Mr Kazantsev's car and its passengers were delivered to the regional police where the Russian peacekeepers chief of staff will obviously have to pay a fine.

Earlier, such incidents occurred in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone on 12 and 31 August 2005 when the police detained peacekeepers trucks, Caucasian Knot's correspondent reported.