MOSCOW, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Russia's recalled ambassador to Georgia said at Tbilisi airport that he would return as soon as the four detained Russian military officers had been released, the Russian news agency reported on Friday.

    Speaking at Tbilisi's airport before flying to Moscow, Vyacheslav Kovalenko told the media he hoped for a settlement of Georgian-Russian dispute and for an early opportunity for the citizens of the two countries to cross the border easily, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

    Kovalenko was reportedly returning to Moscow for consultations.

    The ambassador's plane was also carrying the families of Russian diplomats from Tbilisi and a number of embassy staff. Another Emergency Situations Ministry plane was carrying the families of some Russian military personnel from the headquarters of the Transcaucasia army group.

    Embassy counselor Ivan Volynkin said the two planes, with some 90 Russian citizens on board, had left Tbilisi at 16:38 Moscow time (1238 GMT).

    Georgian security forces detained five Russian officers on Wednesday, thereby triggering strong protests from Moscow.

    The Georgian Interior Ministry confirmed the release of a Russian serviceman earlier on Friday and announced that it had brought charges against another four Russian officers on espionage.

    "The investigation has officially brought charges against them and the case materials have been taken to the Tbilisi City Court, which today will consider the issue of their two-month preliminary detention."

    Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said that the investigation "has numerous specific data on several years of illegal activities of the detained." Enditem