Russia’s North Caucasian Military District (SKVO) is ready to provide assistance to Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia if needed, a Russian military commander said on July 10.

“The major tasks for SKVO in the event of an escalation or the launch of combat action between the conflicting sides are: the provision of assistance to the peacekeeping troops so as to separate the forces of the conflicting sides; the provision of humanitarian assistance to the population residing in the conflict zones,” RIA Novosti news agency quoted Colonel General Sergey Makarov, the commander of SKVO, as saying.

He said that recent military exercise involving SKVO units aimed at “working out actions” required in the event of a flare-up in tensions in the Georgian conflict zones.