MOSCOW. Nov 12 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian peacekeepers stationed in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone are not interfering into surging internal political confrontation in Abkhazia.
"Russian peacekeepers are performing their duties as usual in accordance with the peacekeeping mandate, and are not interfering in internal political processes," press service chief of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces HQ in the conflict zone, Colonel Alexander Ovchinnikov, told Interfax-Military News Agency by telephone on Friday.
"No provocation acts against the peacekeepers on the part of supporters of either of the two candidates for the republic's presidency have been registered," he said.
On Friday supporters of Abkhaz presidential candidate Sergey Bagapsh seized the government building and the Abkhaz president's office. Abkhaz Prime Minister Nodar Khashba described the developments in Sukhumi as "mass unrest."