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Russian MFA Information and Press Department Commentary Concerning the Situation in South Ossetia (Georgia)

On July 8 the situation grew tense in the South Ossetian zone of conflict following reports, by the peacekeeping force command in particular, about the possibility of direct invasion by Georgian units purportedly to free four soldiers detained by South Ossetian law enforcement bodies.

Mamuka Kurashvili, the Georgian defense ministry's chief of staff of peacekeeping operations, practically expanded on the same thesis in a telephone conversation with JPKF commander Marat Kulakhmetov. Direct threats and insults against Tskhinvali came from his lips.

The need arose to take urgent and active measures to prevent bloodshed and keep the situation within legal and peaceful bounds.

In order to clarify the situation, aircraft of the Russian Air Force carried out a brief flight over the territory of South Ossetia. As subsequent events showed, this step helped to cool hot heads in Tbilisi and to prevent a military scenario from unfolding, the likelihood of which was more than real

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