Russian warships arrived in the rebel Georgian region of Abkhazia Wednesday after Moscow stepped up criticism of North Atlantic Treaty Organization naval movements in the region, news agencies reported, citing a top commander.
The ships are there to "support peace and stability in Abkhazia and in the republic's territorial waters," Deputy Admiral Sergei Menyailo was quoted as saying.
"Our tasks include the control of Abkhazia's territorial waters and the prevention of arms shipments" as well as delivering humanitarian aid, he said.
The group of warships included the missile cruiser Moskva - the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet - despite an earlier report that it was due to return to its home port, Interfax and RIA Novosti reported.
Tuesday, the deputy head of Russia's General Staff, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, told journalists in Moscow that the Moskva was due to return to its home port of Sevastopol at the end of the day.
He also criticized the "extreme level" of NATO activity in the Black Sea, which has been the site of maneuvers by both Russian and NATO warships in recent days during a stand-off over the conflict in Georgia.