Russian general seeks return of 2 trucks

An aide to Lieutenant-General Valery Yevnevich, the commander of Russia's ground forces, left Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia, Russia) for Tskhinvali (South Ossetia, Georgia) on Thursday.

Gen. Yevnevich arrived in Vladikavkaz at night and met with the South Ossetian leadership to discuss the situation in South Ossetia after a motorcade of Russian peacekeepers was detained.

On behalf of the joint chiefs of the Russian Armed Forces, Gen. Yevnevich will investigate why the incident occurred and will attempt to secure the return of two vehicles and weapons.

"I am not going to give any political assessments on the events yesterday in South Ossetia," he told RIA Novosti. "My goal is to secure the return of the weapons to the Russian peacekeepers and to promote in every way the resumption of the peace process."

Yesterday, Georgian Interior Ministry troops detained a column of ten Russian military trucks transporting cargo from Vladikavkaz to Tskhinvali near the village of Kekhvi in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. Georgian Interior Minister Irakly Okruashvili supervised the action personally. Eight of the vehicles were returned to the Russian peacekeepers; however, two vehicles carrying weapons were confiscated.

The vehicles were carrying about 300 unguided missiles, radio transmitters, tents, fuel and other equipment, the Georgian Interior Ministry told RIA Novosti. General Svyatoslav Nabzdorov, the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, said that the weapons were being transported to a military air base.