Georgian special services were responsible for an explosion in breakaway South Ossetia, which killed two local militiamen, Mikhail Mindzaev, the interior minister of the secessionist region, said on Thursay evening, February 28.

He said that the blast had occurred in the South Ossetian-controlled village of Dmenisi. Two other militiamen were injured, he said. Earlier, the South Ossetian side reported that the explosion had occurred in the village of Kokhati and had injured at least ten people.

According to Mindzaev, an explosive device was concealed in a television set, which had been confiscated by police from Georgians travelling from Gori, because they had no proper papers. After being taken inside the police station, the device exploded.

Mamuka Kurashvili, a Georgian Ministry of Defense official in charge of overseeing peacekeeping operations in Georgia’s conflict zones, confirmed that the blast had occurred, but denied Georgian involvement. He also accused the South Ossetian side of preventing a joint monitoring group, set up by peacekeepers and OSCE observers in the region, from inspecting the scene of the explosion.