11 February 2009, 21:00
Georgia's MIA states invasion of Russian militaries into Georgian village
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia asserts that Russian troops have entered the Georgian village of Kvemo-Nikozi in the border with South Ossetia.
"On Wednesday at 12:20 a.m. local time Russian militaries deployed one ATC (armoured troop carrier) and up to 50 soldiers near Kvemo-Nikozi village," runs the official statement of Georgian MIA.
The GHN Agency reports that according to the Ministry, Russian militaries have blocked the Georgian police post and started building their own fortifications.
According to Vladimir Dzhugeli, head of the Shida Kartli regional police department, at about 1:45 p.m. Russian servicemen abandoned the village.
The press service of Ministry of Defence of South Ossetia has reported that "nobody had entered Kvemo-Nikozi." According to the Ministry, "in the southern suburb of Tskhinvali, located near the border with Georgia, on Wednesday a pre-planned exercise was conducted for the possibility of an armed aggression by Georgian armed forces," as the RIA "Novosti" reports.
We could not get any comments from the Russian party so far.