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PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo's police have detained five Russian and five Serb nationals for illegally crossing the border from Serbia, the police said Wednesday, although the detainees are due to be released soon.
The group was detained a day earlier when police stopped them while they were traveling in two vehicles the Kosovo-Serbia border, the force said in a statement.
The ten are being held by the border police. Authorities have notified Russia's diplomatic office in Kosovo.
A court in Podujeva, 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the capital Pristina, fined them each 250 Euros ($295) for illegally crossing the border, and 20 Euros ($24) each for trial expenses.
Upon paying the fine they would be taken to the nearest border crossing point, a court statement said.
Police could not be contacted at night time to confirm if the detainees had been taken back to Serbia.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, a move not recognized by Moscow or Belgrade.
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