Russia has boosted its military presence by 300 soldiers to 1,200 in the breakaway South Caucasus republic of South Ossetia, despite international criticism, dpa reported.
Moscow has this year already increased the number of war ships along the coast of Abkhazia from six to eight, Colonel General Viatcheslav Dorochin said Tuesday, according to the Interfax news agency.
He cited "provocation from Tbilisi" as the grounds.
Russia recognized the two South Caucasus regions as independent after its war with Georgia in 2008. In contrast, the West regards South Ossetia and Abkhazia as part of Georgia.
There were no plans to add to the 1,300 soldiers in Abkhazia, Dorochin said. The colonel general however announced that Russia, in the race of oil and gas supplies in the Arctic, wanted to fortify its military presence in the region.
A border protection system is being gradually built up along the 5,600-kilometre stretch between Murmansk and the Bering Strait, according to the officer.
The Russian navy previously announced that its frigates and submarines would patrol the Arctic see as of the latest in 2015.
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