Statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

13 December 2008

Yesterday, early in the morning, Russian military troops have left the territories of the village of Perevi and for 8 hours. Aiming to ensure security and order, units of Georgian police have started to take positions in the village. Backed with one unit of armored personnel carrier and live force, Russian military troops returned to Perevi checkpoint approximately at 17:00 pm and started to regain the positions which they left in the morning.

From this morning the troops of Russian army have started to reinforce heavy techniques and live force in the disputed village. Today, approximately at 09:00 am, Russian occupants, have deployed the Mining riflemen battalion as well as troops of landing forces from 6 military helicopters. Russian occupants, under the threat of opening fire towards the units of Georgian Police deployed in the village, have demanded to pull back from Perevi village. Aiming to ease the rising tension, Georgian law enforcers were forced to withdraw from Perevi village, where currently more than 500 live force of Russian military troops have been deployed. Monitors from EU (European Council) and OSCE observers mission to Georgia, together with French, Rumanian and Lithuanian Ambassadors accredited in Georgia have also witnessed the fact of re-entering Perevi village by Russian occupants.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia assumes the above mentioned fact as premeditated provocative behavior from the side of Russian occupants which aims to re-initiate the armed conflict in the region.