Army Charges South Ossetia 'Deserter'

A Russian soldier who upset Moscow by leaving his unit and turning up in Georgia has been charged with desertion, prosecutors said Tuesday."The Military Investigative Directorate has opened this criminal case," said a spokesman for the Military Prosecutor's Office. "Desertion is punished by up to seven years in jail."Sergeant Alexander Glukhov disappeared in January from his unit in breakaway South Ossetia and said he wanted asylum in Georgia. Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili ruled out extraditing Glukhov. "Georgia will not discuss extraditing Glukhov to Russia until the issue of granting him political asylum in Georgia has been decided," he said.Russia's Defense Ministry originally maintained that Glukhov was captured by Georgian forces. It later appealed to him to return to Russia, saying no legal action would be taken against him.