Georgia foils coup attempt, blames Russia

Georgia claimed on Tuesday to have foiled a Russian-backed plot to stage a military coup on the eve of joint exercises with Nato troops. An interior ministry spokesman announced that the special services had uncovered a plot to topple the Government involving a former high-ranking officer at the defence ministry.

A tank battalion had mutinied at a base 20 miles east of Tbilisi, and was refusing to obey orders, the defence ministry said. The development comes a day before Georgia hosts three weeks of military exercises with Nato that Russia has condemned as provocative.

About 500 troops at a military base outside the capital Tbilisi were involved in the rebellion on Tuesday that was quickly brought under control, said Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili.

The rebelling soldiers said they were “unhappy with the political situation in the country”. The government thinks the mutiny was intended to disrupt the Nato exercises.

Nato said it had no comment on the incident because it did not independently confirm the event. On Monday, Nato’s secretary general said the exercises would begin on schedule.