Tbilisi Protests Russia’s Artillery Drills in Breakaway S.Ossetia

Russian MoD photo accompanying its press release on launch of artillery drills in North Caucasus and breakaway South Ossetia.

Georgian Foreign Ministry has condemned Russia’s artillery drills in breakaway South Ossetia and North Caucasus as a “provocative act”, which “poses a threat to peace and security in the region.”

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense 1,500 artillery servicemen from the 58th Army of the Southern Military District are involved in the two-week long exercises launched on July 15 at several firing ranges in North Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan and South Ossetia. It said that Akatsia, Msta-S and Msta-B self-propelled howitzers; Grad, Tornado-G and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems; Shturm-S self-propelled anti-tank guided missile systems, as well as mortar systems are involved in the exercises.

“This provocative act of the Russian Federation represents an infringement of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said on July 16, adding that the drills also violates Russia’s commitments undertaken under the August 2008 ceasefire agreement.
 
The Foreign Ministry has also called on the international community “to duly assess this aggressive action of Russia” and to “adequately react” to Russia’s “yet another destructive move and prevent the activities, which aimed at the infringement of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

In the same statement the Foreign Ministry also reiterated concern over the placement of border signposts by the Russian troops along the sections of the breakaway South Ossetia’s administrative boundary line.

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