Russia has announced a search for five Georgian citizens who are currently fighting in Ukraine against them, amid its ongoing war with the country. 

The Russian Investigative Committee said on Tuesday three of the five Georgian nationals had been charged and sentenced to pretrial detention in absentia. 

The body claimed it was collecting information about other foreign nationals who were fighting on behalf of Ukraine in the war. 

Thirty-six Georgian citizens have been killed by Russian troops since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine in February 2022.