Russia increases peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia

Russia has been sending more peacekeeping troops to Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia. The move comes amid tensions between the two nations, a Russian news agency reported on Thursday. Russia increases peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia "Additional units of the Russian troops are coming to the area of the peacekeeping operation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Collective Peacekeeping Force in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict," Itar-Tass cited Vyacheslav Sedov, spokesman of Russia's Defense Ministry, as saying. The number of increased troops is still unknown but the spokesman said they are setting up a camp in Abkhazia for military hardware, canteen and communication system. Moscow said on Tuesday that it will add 15 more observation posts in Abkhazia, a strip between the Caucasus and the Black Sea. Tbilisi, however, has rejected such a decision and warned that it will view the move as an aggression. Relations between Russia and Georgia were tense, fueled by Russia's stance on Georgia's breakaway regions and Tbilisi's bid for NATO membership despite opposition from Moscow. Separatists in Abkhazia self-proclaimed independence after bloody conflicts with the Georgian government in the 1990s and an uneasy ceasefire was monitored by CIS peacekeepers. The CIS collective peacekeeping force, made up of Russian servicemen, was deployed in the Abkhaz conflict zone in 1994.

Russia increases peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia

"Additional units of the Russian troops are coming to the area of the peacekeeping operation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Collective Peacekeeping Force in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict," Itar-Tass cited Vyacheslav Sedov, spokesman of Russia's Defense Ministry, as saying.

The number of increased troops is still unknown but the spokesman said they are setting up a camp in Abkhazia for military hardware, canteen and communication system.

Moscow said on Tuesday that it will add 15 more observation posts in Abkhazia, a strip between the Caucasus and the Black Sea. Tbilisi, however, has rejected such a decision and warned that it will view the move as an aggression.

Relations between Russia and Georgia were tense, fueled by Russia's stance on Georgia's breakaway regions and Tbilisi's bid for NATO membership despite opposition from Moscow.

Separatists in Abkhazia self-proclaimed independence after bloody conflicts with the Georgian government in the 1990s and an uneasy ceasefire was monitored by CIS peacekeepers.

The CIS collective peacekeeping force, made up of Russian servicemen, was deployed in the Abkhaz conflict zone in 1994.