Reply of the Press and Information Department to the News-Georgia Agency concerning the military exercises held in the North Caucasus

Question: Large-scale military exercises - Kavkaz-2008 have been underway in the North Caucasus since 15 July 2008 involving approximately 8000 servicemen and 700 pieces of military hardware. The military exercises will involve units of the Pskov and Novorossisk divisions of air landing troops as well. Plans are also made to engage naval forces in the aforesaid exercises and to carry out a tactical airborne landing operation in the black sea area.

How would comment on the exercises held by the Russian armed forces in the immediate vicinity of the Georgian state border?

Reply: The scale and goals of the exercises proceeding against the background of the Russian Federation’s recent aggressive policy against Georgia cause the Georgian side’s righteous concern. Added to that is the allegation of some Russian experts that the actual quantity of military hardware and personnel involved in the exercises is by far greater than it was officially declared.

Also causing concern is the fact that information coming from the North Caucasus region is increasingly similar to that from the Theatre of Military Operations. In parallel to the military exercises there are reports of numerous armed attacks between local rebels and Russian law enforcement agencies. The incident in Chechnia’s Nauri district on 21 July resulting in the death of three policemen illustrates how real the threat is. Any further development of events in this direction carries a serious risk of causing instability in the region.

On a final note, we would like to fully agree with the Russian Federation’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations that ‘muscle flexing’ can in no way lead to peace and stability.

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