Georgia Monday condemned large-scale Russian military exercises near its borders as "dangerous" and accused Moscow of stoking tensions.
"Holding such large-scale exercises in this region, including in Georgia's occupied territories, is dangerous and is playing with fire. This is aimed at further increasing tensions in the region," Georgia's deputy foreign minister, Alexander Nalbandov, told AFP.
Georgia says the week-long exercises, dubbed "Caucasus 2009", will include drills in its Russian-backed separatist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
While Russia's Defense Ministry said its troops stationed in the two rebel provinces will participate in the exercises, the two rebel provinces are not among those listed as hosting the maneuvers.
About 8,500 troops will participate in the exercises and up to 200 tanks, 450 armoured cars and 250 artillery pieces of various types, according to the defence ministry.
The war games will run until July 6 and will focus on counter-terrorism and the defence of strategic targets, the ministry said.
The exercises will involve more troops than the "Caucasus 2008" war games that Russia held last year. Some 8,000 soldiers took part in those exercises, which wrapped up shortly before Russia and Georgia fought a brief war last August over the two breakaway regions.