Russia says no Georgia invasion in works

MOSCOW, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Russia won't invade Georgia despite concerns about the possibility of Georgia escalating tensions in the Caucasus, a Russian military official said Wednesday.

"We have no plans for any kind of invasion of Georgia and never had," RIA Novosti reported Gen. Nikolai Makarov as telling foreign military attaches in Moscow. "Media reports claiming that Russia is planning military action for next spring have no basis."

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August after Georgian forces moved into the South Ossetia province to try to bring it under Georgian control. Russian troops later moved into parts of Georgia not under dispute and eventually pulled back once an international peacekeeping force arrived in Georgia.

Makarov said "Georgia is continuing to escalate the situation" when arguing that the country should not receive military support from the international community, the Russian information agency said.