SEVERODVINSK. July 20 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian soldiers are running drills to prepare for eventual assistance to peacekeepers in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in case Georgia escalates the situation in the region, Russian Vice Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told journalists on Thursday in Severodvinsk.
"This is an issue to be rehearsed in exercises," the minister said, adding that Russia rehearses its actions in case the situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia escalates.
"Everybody understands that it is possible and the possibility is quite high. We keep the situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia under constant monitoring," Ivanov said.