MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s SVR Foreign Intelligence Service said on Monday that the current situation around Ukraine was reminiscent of the lead-up to the war in Georgia in 2008, the Interfax news agency reported.
The Russian rouble fell on the comment, which comes amid concern by Ukraine, the United States and NATO over Russian troop movements near Ukraine. Moscow has dismissed reports that it might be poised to attack Ukraine as inflammatory.
Russia comprehensively defeated Georgia in a short war in 2008 and around one-fifth of Georgia’s territory remains garrisoned by Russian troops.
Referring to the current tensions in Ukraine, the SVR said: “We observed a similar situation in Georgia ahead of the events in 2008.”
It said Georgia’s then-president Mikheil Saakashvili had “paid a high price” in that war.
(Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
