SUKHUMI. April 12 (Interfax-AVN) - The two Russian peacekeepers injured by a landmine blast have undergone successful surgery in hospital in Sukhumi, a spokesman for the Collective Peacekeeping Forces in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone said on Friday.
Senior Lieutenant Rodionov and Senior Sergeant Cherevko, servicemen of a sapper detachment, were hit by a landmine blast while patrolling the Kodori gorge for the first time together with UN military observers, the spokesman told Interfax-Military News Agency. The blast occurred 1.5km from the 107th peacekeeping post, which is "in the upper part of the gorge controlled by the Georgian authorities," he said.
"When the scene of the incident was searched, a place from where bandits had been observing the patrol was found," the spokesman went on. "The mine was planted right before the peacekeepers and UN observers entered the patrolling route, and there is no doubt that the aim of the planned action was to disrupt the resumption of the Kodori gorge monitoring," he said.
Russian Land Forces Deputy Commander in Charge of Peacekeeping Forces Lieutenant General Valery Yevnevich, who is staying in the conflict zone, has joined the investigation. He will discuss the situation in the Kodori gorge at his talks with the Abkhaz defense minister on Friday morning.