Georgia's MIA states shelling of villages from South Ossetia's side

Today, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia has stated that "last night the South-Ossetian party opened fire in direction of three villages in the Gori District."

The MIA's statement runs: "Last night at about 1:00 a.m. Tbilisi time (midnight in Moscow) an intensive fire was opened from the territory controlled by South-Ossetian separatists in direction of the villages of Kveshi, Mereti and Koshka of the Gori District.

We remind you that earlier South Ossetia reported about bombardment of several villages from the Georgian Kveshi village on the previous night. According to Ibragim Gasseev, First Deputy Defence Minister of South, the shelling from Kveshi village at night from Sunday to Monday was made from large-calibre cannons; however "the armed forces and other agencies of South Ossetia have not given in to provocation."

According to the statement of the Georgian party, the night shooting continued with breaks for about one hour, fortunately, with no victims. "The Georgian party did not respond," the ITAR-TASS quotes the statement of Georgia's MIA. As a result of the fire, several houses and constructions were damaged in the above villages.

Valery Valiev, Minister of Internal Affairs of South Ossetia, has refuted this statement. "This is the usual practice of Georgian authorities: after their own provocations they accuse the South-Ossetian party. Last night there was fire indeed, but from the Georgian villages of Koshka and Kveshi in direction of the Tskhinvali District, bordering on Georgia," said the minister.

According to Mr Valiev, "the fire was chaotic, obviously aimed to provoke actions in response. However, we didn't make a single shot."

He has also reported that such provocations are observed almost everyday, mainly against the Tskhinvali and Znaur Districts of South Ossetia.

Meanwhile, the "Georgia Online" Agency has reported about another incident in the conflict region: tonight shooting was heard near Cheratkhevi village of the Sachkheri District. According to preliminary information, four Ossetians attacked a local resident and seized his "Niva" car.

Georgian law enforcers have returned the car, but the attackers who made their way to the Znaur District managed to disappear. As a result of both parties' fire nobody suffered.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that according to Ibragim Gasseev, on November 29, the southwest part of Tskhinvali was also shelled from the side of Georgia, as well as Khetagurovo village of the Tskhinvali District.

This statement was refuted by the Georgian party. Shota Utiashvili, head of the Analytical Department of Georgia's MIA, called the news about bombardment "mere raving" and emphasized that one of Georgian villages was shelled, but "none of us made a shot at Tskhinvali."