Second Russian Soldier Defects, Georgia Says

Artemyev said he was following the example of a Russian sergeant who defected in January and now lives in Georgia.

A second Russian soldier has defected from his unit in breakaway South Ossetia, complaining of conditions in the army and seeking political asylum in Georgia, Georgia said on Thursday.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war last August when Russia crushed a Georgian assault on the pro-Russian rebel region of South Ossetia. Two weeks ago, a Georgian lieutenant asked for political asylum in Russia and railed against Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Russian radio.

Georgia's Refugee Ministry named the Russian soldier as Private Dmitry Artemyev. He defected on Wednesday by crossing at a village on South Ossetia's western flank, the ministry said.

Artemyev said he was following the example of a Russian sergeant who defected in January and now lives in Georgia.

"I was being beaten by the sergeant," Artemyev told reporters at the U.N. refugee agency in Tbilisi. "I knew that someone else escaped and I decided to escape too. They've treated me very well here and I'd like to stay here."

The refugee ministry said he had been granted the status of asylum seeker.

Russia launched a criminal case against Artemyev, Interfax news agency reported, quoting sources in Russia's North Caucasus Military District.

The report said he was being charged with "desertion with arms", punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Georgia's government claimed a public relations coup in January when Sergeant Alexander Glukhov defected and said conditions in his unit were unbearable. Russia first accused Georgia of abducting him but later threatened to jail the runaway for desertion. Georgia has refused to extradite him.

On June 18, Georgian lieutenant Alik Bzhania gave a live interview to Moscow's Ekho Moskvy radio station in which he accused Saakashvili of "destroying Georgia from within". Georgia said he had been dismissed for disciplinary violations.