Russia plans to move naval ships toward Abkhazia: US

WASHINGTON: Russia is planning to move parts of its Black Sea fleet towards Georgia's rebel Abkhazia region, a US State Department official has said.

"We have been notified that Russia has plans to move elements of its Black Sea fleet to Abkhazia, to Ochamchira, ostensibly to protect their civilians a couple of cruisers, or large scale naval vessels," said the official yesterday, asking to remaining anonymous.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said in televised remarks yesterday that Georgian forces have successfully repelled several attacks in a Georgian-controlled area of the rebel Abkhazia region.

"From the Abkhaz side there were several attempted attacks. All these attacks were repelled," Saakashvili said.

Abkhazia is one of two Russian-backed rebel regions of Georgia. The other is South Ossetia, where battles have been raging between Russian and Georgian forces since overnight Thursday-Friday.

The widening of fighting to the Kodori Gorge, a Georgian-controlled area of Abkhazia, represented a further escalation of the conflict in Georgia, whose president has pursued a staunchly pro-Western policy.

Earlier, Georgia's government said Russia was attacking civilians in the Kodori Gorge and Georgian television also reported that Russian aircraft had bombarded two villages in the Kodori Gorge.

Russia has not commented on either claim.