Irakli Alasania, the newly appointed Chairman of the Tbilisi-based Abkhazian Council of Ministers-in-exile, said on October 15 that armed groups from Russia have penetrated into the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia following the crisis, which erupted in the breakaway region after the disputed October 3 presidential elections.

“The Georgian intelligence services have confirmed the reports regarding the presence of armed groups on the territory of Abkhazia. These forces are led by the leaders of the Confederation of the North Caucasus Peoples,” Irakli Alasania said at a news briefing on October 15.

The organization known as Confederation of the North Caucasus Peoples was actively supporting the Abkhazian side during the armed conflict in 1992-93.

Irakli Alasania expressed protest over the inactivity of Russian border guards regarding the facts of illegal crossing the Abkhaz section of the Russian-Georgian border.