Russia has accused Georgian authorities of premeditated murder in the deaths of two Russians last month in a clash with Abkhazian separatist forces.
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement notes that United Nations investigators, in a preliminary report, said the clash occurred about 300 meters inside separatist-held territory and not in Georgian government-controlled areas near the Kodori Gorge.
The statement urges that the final investigation determine those responsible and bring them to justice.
Abkhazian separatists say Georgian commandoes attacked one of their military training camps, killing two former Russian military officers and taking at least six Abkhaz fighters prisoner.
Georgian authorities had accused Abkhazian forces of attacking workers building a road to connect the government-controlled area to other parts of the country.
Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s, sparking fierce fighting. This led to the dispatch of Russian peacekeepers to the area. Georgian authorities have accused Russia of supporting the separatists, and have vowed to bring Abkhazia back under central government control.
