You're reading: Saakashvili: Mlitants’ raid from Dagestan orchestrated by ‘our enemy’ in Moscow

TBILISI - Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili claimed on Thursday that a recent raid of militants from the Russian republic of Dagestan into his country that was crushed in a Georgian security operation had been orchestrated in Moscow.

“Our enemy had several tasks: to test out our battle readiness because our armed forces haven’t been involved in any military operations since 2008, and it has come home to everyone that we have no problems with battle readiness; and the second task was to organize a provocation, which we have foiled,” Saakashvili said during a meeting with residents of Lapankuri, a village close to the Russian border and near the site of the security operation.


The militants took several Georgians hostage.


“We will not have the lawless sway of militants on our territory, as was the case in the 90s, nor will we tolerate abductions. There are our brothers living beyond the Caucasus Range, and we are happy to host them as guests, but coming here with weapons and abducting people is intolerable, and that is in the interest of our enemy, the invader of Georgia,” Saakashvili said.