Russian Federal Frontier Service possesses information regarding an attempt of militants to break through from the territory of Georgia
Management of the Russian Federal Frontier Service does not exclude a possible attempt of a large group of Chechen militants to break through from the territory of Georgia.
According to the statement made on Friday to journalists by Konstantin Totsky, director of the Federal Frontier Service, the Frontier Service "possesses accurate information that about 150-160 militants are ready to make another attempt to break through." Totsky stated that "frontier guards were prepared to meet them everywhere." At the same time the Federal Frontier Service's director expressed concern regarding more active actions of militants also at other sectors of the Russian-Georgian border. In particular, according to him, on 29 July at the Cherkessk sector of the Russian-Georgian border a group of militants took mountain climbers hostages and were trying to take them away to the adjacent Georgian territory.
The Russian frontier guards detail timely discovered those militants and after two hours of fire exchange the hostages were left behind and the militants disappeared, went to the Georgian territory.
Totsky stressed that "he was concerned by the fact that all five militants were armed with small arms plus a machine gun, plus a sniper's rifle - a typical set of weapons of a combat five of militants." The head of the Federal Frontier Service concluded that this was the evidence that the people who took mountain climbers hostages were "not just ordinary hunters but militants".
