Authorities detain 4 Russian military officers

? Georgian authorities detained four Russian military officers on spying charges Wednesday, and security forces surrounded Russia’s military headquarters in Tbilisi to demand that another suspect be handed over, the interior minister said.

Vano Merabishvili said the Russians, who were detained in the Georgian capital and the Black Sea port of Batumi, had been involved in espionage for several years and were planning a “major provocation.” Twelve Georgians were also detained as part of the spy ring.

“They showed a particular interest in Georgia’s defense capability, its programs of integration into NATO, energy security, political parties and organizations” as well as information about the nation’s military forces and infrastructure, Merabishvili added.

He said the ring was led by a Russian agent who staged a February 2005 mine explosion that killed three police officers in the town of Gori.