Russia recalled its ambassador to Georgia and ordered a partial evacuation of Russian personnel from the country on Thursday amid a growing row over the Georgian authorities' detention of four Russian military officers.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it has "decided to recall Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko for consultation."

"In view of the increased threat to the security of employees of Russian organizations in Georgia and their family members, a decision has been taken to begin their partial evacuation from Georgia," which is scheduled to start on Friday, the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry has also recommended that Russian citizens refrain from traveling to Georgia.

Georgian security forces detained four Russian officers on Wednesday and Georgian police have cordoned off the Russian army's regional headquarters in Tbilisi to demand the handover of a fifth officer.

Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili accused the officers of spying in Georgia.

"The group had been engaged in intelligence gathering in Georgia for several months," he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying in Tbilisi on Wednesday. They were mainly interested in Georgia's defense capability, he added.

Tbilisi's move triggered strong protest from Moscow. Earlier in the day, the Russian embassy in Tbilisi stopped issuing entry visas to Georgian citizens, and top Russian officials lashed out at Georgia, warning that Moscow's actions would be "adequate."

"We are really concerned about another provocation that Georgia has committed by arresting four Russian servicemen performing their duties in Georgia," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by Interfax as saying in Sakhalin, Russia's Far East.

"This cannot be viewed other than just another manifestation of an anti-Russian policy," he said.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Georgia had raised "invented accusations" against the Russian officers and vowed that Russia's response would be "adequate and sensible."

Relations between Russia and Georgia have dipped since Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili came to power in 2003 amid tensions over Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and the Caucasus Mountains nation's warming relations with the West, including with NATO.

Source: Xinhua