Ecologists to challenge their detention by FSB frontier guards in Sochi

On Monday, October 19, members of the Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus, will file their application to the Adler District Court; the ecologists protest against their detention by frontier guards of the FSB, when they were surveying the construction of Olympic object - the combined railway and motor road Adler-Krasnaya Polyana in Sochi, Krasnodar Territory.

On October 12, frontier guards of the Russian FSB detained and arrested the ecologists, who were inspecting the Olympic object in construction for breaching the frontier regime.

Andrei Rudomakha told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he was fined by 500 roubles, the rest of the detainees were warned. "We'll challenge the decision. We don't agree with the detention, as the frontier zone was not marked; not a single indicator was present," said Mr Rudomakha.

His second disagreement was in the absence of the border with Abkhazia. "Russia has a state border with Georgia, but we have no border with Abkhazia. Legally, there's no border there. All the documents at that section refer to the border between Russia and Georgia. After Russia has recognized Abkhazia's independence, the border with Georgia ceased to exist. The agreement about the border with Abkhazia wasn't signed," the ecologist has explained.

His third reason is that the frontier zone should make five kilometres, but it that area it was larger. Andrei has added that one person of his group was detained illegally, as he lives in the frontier zone.

Valery Brinikh, co-chairman of the International Social-Ecological Union, also believes that the detention was illegal. "The region has no warning signs about entrance to the frontier zone. Besides, Valery Akatov is an employee of the Caucasian Reserve, he has access to the frontier zone," he said.