Detained Georgians released near so-called occupation line

Two Georgian citizens have been released after being taken captive near the so-called occupation line in Georgia's breakaway Tskhinvali region on Tuesday. 

Russian border guards detained a husband and wife pair on Tuesday when they crossing the border of the village Kveshi, which was controlled by Georgia’s central government. The couple were on their way to visit relatives, said the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The couple - Zina Natriashvili and Kakha Kazishvili - mistakenly crossed the so-called administrative border from the de-facto Tskhinvali controlled territory. There were no barbed wire fences or signs that marked the territory, a Ministry official confirmed.

The couple were taken to a detention cell in Artsevi, a village near the occupation line. They were later released.

In previous cases, all Georgian citizens detained for crossing the alleged border were released after paying fines.