The body of a kidnapped Russian officer found in Georgia
Georgian police discovered the body of a kidnapped Russian officer of the federal group of forces in Transcaucasia, 52-year-old Igor Zaitsev, in a forest on the outskirts of Tbilisi in the early hours of Thursday. The press centre of the Georgian State Security Ministry reported about this on Thursday morning.
The officer disappeared in Tbilisi two weeks ago during the skirmishes between the federals and a terrorist gang who had infiltrated into Russia from Georgia, in the Itum-Kale district of Chechnya. According to the ministry, investigating bodies decided that the Russian serviceman could have been abducted by Chechen gunmen, to be subsequently exchanged for the Chechen captives the federals had seized in Itum-Kale. The rest of the Chechen bandits escaped back to Georgia, heading for their bases in the Pankisi Gorge.
Georgia has become a dangerous place for foreigners. This year alone over ten people have been kidnapped, businessmen among them. As a rule, Chechen terrorists want to receive a ransom for the abducted people. But Georgia's authorities are turning a blind eye to this.
