S. Ossetia views Georgian military's actions as invasion

President Eduard Kokoity of the Republic of South Ossetia has commented on what was going on in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict area on the night of July 7 when Georgian armed formations commanded by Internal Affairs Minister Irakli Okruashvili detained a column of the peacekeeping forces with a load and seized vehicles with fuel and munitions. Eduard Kokoity said, "The Georgian side has ignored all arrangements and the good will of the Ossetian side, so we evaluate what happened yesterday as an armed invasion of South Ossetia. All roads leading to South Ossetia have been blocked since 3.00 p.m. Georgia may be viewed as having declared war on us. In case aggression begins, we will take all necessary measures to defend our land and our population."

An Ossetian armed unit has currently really blocked the road at the entry to the city. "No mobilization of reservists is underway, our armed forces are enough to repel Georgian aggression," President Eduard Kokoity said.

The president also said the Ossetian party had detained an armed group of 30 on a by-pass highway. The group is considered a gang. The detainees claim to be peacekeepers from the Georgian battalion, but no ID cards have been found on them. These people are presently being identified with the Georgian battalion muster roll.