Controversy Persists over Commander of Russian Peacekeepers in South Ossetia

Despite Georgian officials’ demands to replace Sviatoslav Nabzdorov, the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces in the South Ossetian conflict zone, Moscow is showing no willingness to speed up the rotation procedure.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters on July 25 that the replacement of the commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops in the conflict zone “is scheduled.” “But it is up to the Russian side to decide when this rotation will take place,” Russian media sources reported quoting Sergei Ivanov as saying.

Recently Chief of Staff of the Georgian Armed Forced Givi Iukuridze said that Sviatoslav Nabzdorov would leave South Ossetia in two weeks, adding that Maj.Gen. Marat Kulahmetov would take over Nabzdorov’s position.

This replacement of Sviatoslav Nabzdorov was agreed upon at a session of a quadripartite Joint Control Commission, involving the Georgia, South Ossetian, Russian and North Ossetian sides, on June 2.