Russia Wednesday said at least 74 army men were killed and 171 injured in five days of fierce fighting triggered by Georgia's attempt to regain control over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia.
At least 19 servicemen were also reported missing, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Col-Gen Anatoly Nogovitsyn said and added that Russia has asked the Georgian military to exchange lists of P.O.Ws and persons missing in action.
However, he was unable to give exact number of Georgian soldiers killed in action.
Gen. Nogovitsyn hinted that several black Americans and other foreigners were among the Georgian troops killed in the Russian operation.
Russian army stopped active military operations in Georgia on August 12 but were told not to leave the positions where they received this order.
"Some units are protecting transportation facilities, primarily the Zari road, through which humanitarian aid is being delivered and an independent medical battalion started working in Tskhinvali," he said.
Meanwhile, the United States has cancelled upcoming joint military exercises with Russia, its first concrete response to the armed conflict in Georgia, as officials consider broader reprisals following Moscow aggression.
A senior U.S. defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity yesterday said, the August 15-23 exercises involving Russian, French, British and U.S. warships in the Sea of Japan "have been scrapped." The exercises were to involve an onshore component in the Russian port of
Vladivostok.
Gen. Nogovitsyn also denied Russian regular Army's involvement in clearing of Kodori Gorge by the Abkhaz separatists in the west of Georgia.
He, however, said the Russian eacekeepers stationed in Kodori Gorge had orderly disarmed the Georgian servicemen posted by Tbilisi in violation of 1992 peace deal in Abkhazia.
Meanwhile, Abkhaz Defence Minister Merab ishmariya is visiting the upper part of the Kodori Gorge, which has been freed from Georgian troops, Interfax reported.
"Having completed the administration of the operation, the defence minister went there to organise a combat reserve because the Georgian troops left a lot of weapons and ammunition when they were retreating," Abkhaz General Staff
Chief Anatoly Zaitsev said.
"The weapons and ammunition were made mainly in the U.S. and Italy and only a small amount of them are Soviet-made weapons," he said adding that an Army map has been found which indicates Tbilisi's plans of similar offensive against
Abkhazia.