MOSCOW, November 29 (AVN) - The CIS peacekeeping forces in the zone of Georgian-Abkhazian conflict on Monday began rotation of their personnel, a spokesman for the Russian General Staff told the Military News Agency.
According to him, a battalion of Motorised Rifle Division 22, based in the town of Totsky in the central Russian Privolzhsky military district, will be replaced by units of Motorised Rifle Brigade 131 of the North Caucasian district.
There are two reasons behind the replacement, the spokesman said. First, the conflict territory belongs to the zone of responsibility of the North Caucasian district and should be controlled by its forces. Second, a train from Totsky needs four days to reach Abkhazia, making transportation costs amount to 500,000 roubles (about 18,900 U.S. dollars). At the same time, a train from the town of Maikop, where Brigade 131 is currently quartered, needs less tan a day to reach the conflict zone and costs less than 100,000 roubles (about 3,800 dollars).
This measure will help save at least three million roubles (about 113,000 dollars) in each new rotation, the spokesman said.
Only a half of peacekeeping personnel will be replaced this year. The newcomers will stay for only six months in the conflict zone. Earlier, peacekeepers had to spend an entire year there.