Russian Ministry of Defense decided against military exercises near Georgian border
The Caucasus- 2012 military exercises will not take place on Chechen territory because of its proximity to Georgia. Several military polygons in the region were removed from the exercises' list.
Earlier, Russian military headquarters rejected the idea of holding military exercises in South Ossetia, Abkhazia or Armenia.
"We decided not to create additional tensions in the Caucasus and therefore will not hold military exercises near Georgian territory," a representative of the Defense Ministry explained.
NATO General Seceretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on Russia to ensure "maximum transparency in the question of the Caucasus-2012 military exercises,"ITAR-TASS reports.