PENZA. April 28 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia can use force in case of a threat to its citizens in the unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov said during a one-day visit to Penza.
"Russia's warning that it may use force in Abkhazia and South Ossetia is based on the fact that many Russian citizens live in these republics. If their lives are threatened or any other threat emerges, Russia will have the right to use force and protect them," he said, adding, "Russia would not stay on the sideline."
Mironov expressed hope that would never happen.
"The recent statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry was a kind of message. I would like them to hear it," he said.