Moscow Says Zugdidi Incident ‘Provocation’
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the recent incident in Zugdidi involving Russian peacekeepers was the Georgian authorities “provocation” aimed at discrediting the Russian-led peacekeeping operation in Abkhazia.
Georgian media reported on May 18 that six Russian peacekeepers were detained overnight on Sunday after their armored vehicle crashed into a civilian’s car in Zugdidi. The peacekeepers were released later. Georgian television stations reported that Russian peacekeepers “were drunk.”
“It is obvious that we had to deal with a pre-planned hostile action of the Georgian authorities in respect of Russian peacekeepers,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on May 19. “This is a usual style of organizing provocative actions regularly against the peacekeepers in conflict zones by Tbilisi.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry also noted that the Georgian leadership spared no efforts to discredit Russian peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
“However, it will not prevent peacekeepers from performing their duties on maintenance of peace and security in the region, while the responsibility for the consequences of provocations will lay on their organizers,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added.
