Georgia claimed yesterday to have put down an army mutiny and foiled a plot to disrupt month-long Nato military exercises due to begin in the country today. A tank battalion surrendered at an army base outside Tbilisi, the capital, after a stand-off with forces loyal to President Saakashvili.
Mr Saakashvili talks to some of the soldiers who gave up their weapons.
The Interior Ministry said that the rebellion was part of a wider conspiracy to cause a “full-scale military riot” linked to the Nato exercises. However, it dropped earlier claims that Russia was funding a coup aimed at assassinating Mr Saakashvili. Officials close to the President told The Times that there was no firm evidence of Russian involvement in yesterday’s events or of any organised attempt at a coup. Times Online