Abkhaz premier confirms Russian S-300 complex placement

Abkhaz Premier Sergey Shamba confirmed the information about the presence of a Russian S-300 AA complex on its territory, RIA Novosti reports.

Earlier the Russian Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces, General-Colonel Alexander Zelin, had said that an S-300 complex is in Abkhazia. The Foreign Minister of the republic, Maksim Gvinjiya, had denied this information, saying that Zelin was misinterpreted.

The S-300 complex was set up to cooperate with the land AA forces to protect Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Zelin said.

Tbilisi has criticized the presence of a Russian S-300 complex in Abkhazia, which Georgia considers its territory. According to a declaration, the S-300 destroys the balance of forces in the region. Tbilisi promised to address international organizations about the issue.