Georgia's foreign minister says Russian forces have returned to a
disputed village near the boundary of the country's breakaway region of
South Ossetia.
Grigol Vashadze told journalists late Friday
that Russian troops had re-established their positions in Perevi, just
hours after European Union monitors negotiated and confirmed their
withdrawal from the area.
The EU mission did not comment on the latest development.
Georgia had accused Russia of violating the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement by refusing to withdraw its forces from Perevi.
Russia
swept into Georgia August 7, after Georgian troops tried to
regain control of South Ossetia by force. Russia later withdrew its
forces from most of Georgia, but kept them in South Ossetia and another
breakaway region, Abkhazia.
In Washington, the U.S. State
Department issued a warning Friday against traveling to both regions
due to an increased potential for violence.
News