Moscow: Seventeen Indians have been detained on Russia's border while attempting to illegally cross into neighbouring Ukraine, border officials said today (Jan 19, 2004).

On a tip-off, Russian and Ukrainian border guards in a joint operation detected the movement and detained the illegal immigrants in the Bryansk sector of the common border yesterday, ITAR-TASS quoted the officials as saying.

In all, 530 illegal Asian immigrants heading for Western Europe were detained last year on Russia's border with Ukraine.