Russian foreign ministry accused Georgia Friday of "an open act of aggression" for launching mortar attacks against Ossetia.
The Russian-backed separatist administration said, Georgian forces fired at their capital, Tskhinvali, and nearby villages. It said the large-scale attack killed two people and injured 10.
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, "Tbilisi's actions represented an overt act of aggression against South Ossetia, which is an internationally recognized party to the conflict resolution process."
The statement said "the recent military incidents will lead to a sharp escalation in the armed confrontation in the conflict zone."
"Any further delays in resuming the negotiations process could lead to the most tragic consequences," it warned.
The Georgian side said reportedly that its forces returned fire only after South Ossetian rebels had attacked Georgian-controlled villages in the region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded Friday that Tbilisi sign a non-aggression pledge on South Ossetia.
Russian news agencies quoted the head of Russia's peacekeeping troops in the region as saying that more soldiers could be deployed there if the situation worsened.
Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke from central rule during wars in the 1990s after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. But their self-proclaimed independence is not recognized internationally.
Source: Xinhua
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