August 26, 2008 (LPAC)-- Today's latest briefing by Russian Armed Forces Deputy Chief of the General Staff Gen. Anatoli Nogovitsyn included the following elements related to the possibility of renewed conflict:

He confirmed the presence of two U.S. Navy vessels in the Black Sea, as well as one each from NATO members Spain, Germany and Poland, as well as four ships of Turkey, a Black Sea littoral nation. Nogovitsyn said that the presence of this group of ships raises the temperature in the region. A Russian Information Agency Novosti wire, reporting Nogovitsyn's remarks, said that the combined firepower of the NATO group includes 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles, half them aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul. Novosti also reported that the missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, is sailing for the eastern part of the Black Sea.

Regarding the potential of renewed conflict with Georgia, Nogovitsyn made two remarks. He said, "We shall be following closely the composition and the defensive and offensive capacity, and what the Georgian side is preparing for and being prepared for. We are constantly studying the situation and drawing conclusions if the Pentagon now starts to implement its promise, as the Georgian Minister of Defense is asking, to quickly restore things to the level existing before the aggression. This is not our choice, it is forced upon us. But military men must draw conclusions from these statements and, most important, actions. That is what we are doing." He added, "The capability of the Georgian Armed Forces is being restored only for a new aggression. Nobody in the region is threatening Georgia, but the attempt to resolve the territorial problem at any price essentially announces the preparation of another aggression."