Russia accuses Georgia of "an open act of aggression"

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Source: CCTV.com | 07-05-2008 10:29

Russia has accused Georgia of "an open act of aggression". This comes after Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia said Georgian forces launched an overnight mortar and grenade attack.

South Ossetia says 11 people were wounded most of them civilians in addition to two servicemen who were killed.

The South Ossetian government says Georgian forces shelled its capital of Tskhinvali in the early hours of Friday, killing two people.

Reports say intensive gunfire, including grenade launchers, lasted for about 30 minutes.

South Ossetia says 11 people were wounded most of them civilians in addition to two servicemen who were killed.

But Georgia denies it attacked, saying it only responded to South Ossetia's fire.

In the wake of the incident, Russia expressed concerns over the escalation of violence in South Ossetia.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Georgia's attack on South Ossetia was an "open aggression".

Relations between Moscow and Tbilisi have drastically deteriorated since Russia's former president Vladimir Putin called for closer ties between Moscow and the breakaway republics in April.

South Ossetia declared its independence from Georgia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

A joint commission co-chaired by officials from Russia, Georgia, and North and South Ossetias has been involved in conflict resolution negotiations.

But Tbilisi has indicated that it doubts results can be achieved in the current format.

Editor:Zhang Ning