RUKHI, Georgia (AP): Russian forces have turned over 12 Georgian soldiers on the border of one of the separatist provinces that are now under Russian control.

The release along the Inguri River that separates Abkhazia from Georgia proper was a small gesture of cooperation amid the high tensions following the end of open hostilities between Georgia and Russia.

The soldiers had been captured in Georgia's port city of Poti on Aug. 18 and driven away in trucks blindfolded and handcuffed. During Thursday's handover, the soldiers appeared unharmed and some were smiling.

Ten had been released earlier.