Ukraine Warns Russia Over Sending Warships to Georgia
Ukraine has warned Russia that it reserved the right to temporarily bar Russian warships dispatched to the Georgian coast from returning to their Ukrainian base in Sevastopol.
“The Ukrainian side warns the Russian side against the possibility of Black Sea warships taking part in the conflict over South Ossetia,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Gregory Karasin, the Russian deputy foreign minister, said Russia had dispatched vessels to the Abkhaz coast in order to prevent the possibility of “a reoccurrence of the events that have already happened in South Ossetia.”
It was reported earlier today that military vessels from Russia’s Black Sea fleet, including the missile cruiser Moskva, have been deployed at the Georgian maritime border.
The vessels’ task is to prevent supplies of armaments to Georgia via maritime routes, Interfax reported, quoting a source from the general staff of the Russian armed forces.