Russian General Staff: Georgian statements that Russia prepared for war well in advance without basis

Генштаб: Заявление Грузии о том, что Россия заранее готовилась к войне, не имеет под собой оснований

"Statements from Georgia saying that Russia prepared for aggressions against Georgia well in advance are obviously false and have no basis in fact," stated Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commenting on statements from Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili saying that Russia had been preparing for armed aggressions against Georgia since 2007 and that Georgia has documents to prove it.

As an IA Regnum correspondent reports, Nogovitsyn stated: "Let them show these documents, we're prepared to examine them. But they will turn out to be baseless statements. Let this rest on the conscience of those who make them." He also noted that Russia itself has at its disposal powerful evidence of Georgia's preparations for military operations against South Ossetia and Abkhazia. "Based on valuable articles seized in the war and intelligence from investigations, we are prepared to prove that Georgia prepared for war well in advance and was the first to begin aggressions," stated the representative of the General Staff.