Georgia blames Russian military for the incident in Gali district of Abkhazia

The Georgian side has blamed the Russian military for the incident in the Gali district of Abkhazia on the border with Georgia, where exchange of fire took place today.

Let us note, Chief of the Gali district militia department Laurence Kogonia informed a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" that the firing had started at 9 am (Moscow time) and ended in one death and two injuries of Abkhazia's state customs committee officers. Head of the State customs committee of Abkhazia regards this incident as "an act of sabotage committed by the Georgian security forces against the Abkhaz customs officers."

But according to the Georgian media, it was a clash between the Russian military and local residents on the border of villages of Saber and Dikhazurga with two Abkhaz killed and some others injured, as a consequence. Kavkaz Online agency reports that the Russian military and Abkhaz customs officers have exchanged fire.

The representative of the refugee government of Abkhazia (Georgia regards this structure as the legitimate power in the autonomous republic) Tornike Kilanava says that this clash was caused by distribution of the money taken from the population. The injured were taken to the Gal City hospital, InterPressNews informs.