MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Andrei Popov, commander of
Russian troops in Georgia, on Sunday ordered his troops to be on high alert in
event of any offensive attempts as tensions grew between the two ex-Soviet
republics over Georgia's detention of four Russian military officers.
The Russian military forces were ordered to adopt all
possible measures, including shoot to kill, to protect their facilities from
being penetrated with any possible means, said reports from Georgian capital
Tbilisi, citing the Russian commander.
On Saturday, North Caucasus Military District
Commander Alexander Baranov said that Russia had suspended its planned
withdrawal of troops from the South Caucasus due to security concerns, Interfax
news agency reported.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered
the Defense Ministry to go ahead with the withdrawal of Russian troops as
planned from bases on Georgian territory, though he denounced Georgia's arrest
of Russian officers as "state terrorism."
Russia and Georgia signed an agreement in late March
that set out the deadline and details of the pullout of Russian military bases
from Georgia. Under the accord, the two sides agreed to complete the phased
withdrawal of the Russian bases and other military installations in Georgia by
the end of 2008.
Georgian security forces detained five Russian
officers on Wednesday, which triggered strong protest from Moscow.
The Georgian Interior Ministry confirmed the release
of a Russian serviceman earlier on Friday and the city court of the Georgian
capital Tbilisi ordered keeping the other four accused incustody for two months
on charges of espionage.
Russian ambassador to Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko
was recalled on Thursday and went back to Moscow on Friday. Enditem
Related:
Putin orders further troops withdrawal from
Georgia
MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has
ordered the Defense Ministry to go ahead with the withdrawal of Russian troops
from bases on Georgian territory in compliance with the action plan, the
president's press secretary Alexei Gromov said on Sunday.
Russia had temporarily suspended
its planned withdrawal of troops from the South Caucasus on Saturday amid a
growing row over Georgian authorities' detention of four Russian military
officers.
Putin denounces Georgia's detention of Russian
officers as "state terrorism"
MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on
Sunday denounced as an "act of state terrorism" the Georgian measures to
continue the detention of four Russian military officers amid a growing row
between Russia and Georgia.
"Although Russia keeps following the agreements on the
withdrawal of our military units from Georgia, as you know, our servicemen have
been seized and put to a Georgian jail," said the president.
Georgia regards Russia's reaction as
"threat to use force"
MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Georgian Foreign Ministry
slammed high-ranking Russian officials on Sunday as threatening "to use force"
following Georgian authorities' detention of four Russian military officers, the
Interfax news agency reported.
"Our opinion is that this warlike rhetoric, constantly
voiced by the defense minister of the Russian Federation and other high-ranking
officials and representatives of the upper level of the executive branch of
power in Russia, can be described as an explicit threat to use military force,"
the ministry's Information and Press Department said in a release.
