Georgia renews ‘subversive’ mission in conflict zone – Russian military

[The Venetian]

August 18, 2008, 16:13

Georgian units are attempting to increase their combat readiness and have intensified ‘subversive’ operations against Russian servicemen, according to the Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff. The comments from Anatoly Nogovitsyn have come as Russia’s troops begin withdrawing from the conflict zone. In a news briefing on Monday, he said: "I cannot rule out that they might use mercenaries with Slavic appearance for a provocation, clad in the uniform of Russian servicemen, in order to commit subversive acts both on Ossetian and Russian territory."

He added that Georgian forces had planned to destroy the Roki tunnel to prevent the advance of the Russian army.

"The Georgian peacekeeping contingent was given the task to stop and obstruct the advancement of Russian forces [through the Roki tunnel] should they try to help the peacekeeping group,” he said. “For this purpose they stockpiled arms by various means, which could be used to arrange a bloodbath and obstruct the movement of any convoys in both the tunnel and the mountain pass."

According to Nogovitsyn, Russian peacekeepers have also taken the Inguri Hydroelectric Plant - which is vital to the region - under their protection to prevent possible terrorist attacks.

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