LONDON. July 13 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov described on Tuesday the situation in South Ossetia as "very explosive."
Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Ivanov explained that South Ossetia had been part of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the Soviet Union. And that "when the Soviet Union fell apart, war immediately broke out in that area. Over 50% of South Ossetia's residents are Russian citizens and they immediately said that they wanted to become incorporated in the Russian Federation.
Ivanov added that Russia recognizes Georgia's territorial integrity and attributed the quiet in South Ossetia over the past 12 years to the efforts made by peacekeeping servicemen and the Joint Control Commission of Russian, Georgian and South Ossetian officials. He further explained that "the control mechanism to which all the parties subscribed provided for the presence in the conflict area of peacekeeping units sent by Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia.
Ivanov referred to peacekeepers' estimate that there are as many as nearly 3,000 Georgian servicemen in the conflict zone today. As a consequence, South Ossetia responded by arming itself and mobilizing its units, and so the situation has become extremely volatile.