Monday, August 11, 2008

Russia seizes Georgia base, opens second front

By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI, Associated Press Writer 3 minutes ago

TBILISI, Georgia - Russia opened a second front of fighting in Georgia on Monday, sending armored vehicles beyond two breakaway provinces and seizing a military base in the country's west, Georgia's Defense Ministry and a Russian official said.


The development indicates that Russian troops have invaded Georgia proper from the separatist province of Abkhazia while most Georgian forces are locked up in fighting around another breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Nana Intskerveli, the Defense Ministry's spokeswoman, said Russian armored personnel carriers rolled into the base in Senaki, about 20 miles inland from the Black Sea port of Poti.

In Moscow, a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give his name, confirmed the move into Senaki and said it was intended to prevent Georgian troops from concentrating.

The move followed Russia's warning to Georgian forces west of Abkhazia to lay down arms or face a Russian military action. Senaki is located about 30 miles east of the Inguri River, which separates Abkhazia from Georgia proper.

The Russian move is certain to draw a strong condemnation from the West which has sharply criticized Russia's military response to Georgia's attack on South Ossetia as disproportionate.