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Georgian tanks approach the mutinous Mukhrovani army base, some 10 km (6 miles) east of Tbilisi, May 5, 2009. Georgia sent tanks to put down a rebellion at a military base bear the capital Tbilisi on Tuesday and the government accused Russia of financing a coup, a charge Moscow said was ridiculous. [Agencies]
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An official in Saakashvili's office said the mutiny was inspired by a small group of disgruntled officers who were involved in a similar action at the same base in 2001. The official, who spoke on condition he not be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the record, said there was no evidence that the mutineers planned a coup attempt, or of Russian involvement.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Georgia's government was engaged in its "latest anti-Russian prank" and accused it of using Moscow as a bogeyman to blame for its internal problems.
Saakashvili has been the target of more than three weeks of street protests by opposition demonstrators demanding he resign. His government has accused Russians of supporting the opposition.
Opposition leaders said the claims of the planned coup were made up, with one calling it a "virtual coup" and another a "staged play."
"It's nothing but a tall tale, and we've heard so many of them already," said Georgy Khaindrava, a former Saakashvili ally.
Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili had said the suspected coup plot was organized by a former special forces commander, Georgy Gvaladze. He said Gvaladze and another former military commander, Koba Kobaladze, had been arrested and other suspects were being sought. Kobaladze, arrested Tuesday, denied any involvement.
Utiashvili also had said the ministry has a video of Gvaladze telling supporters that 5,000 Russian troops would come to support the coup, and that it was planned for Thursday.
A ministry statement released later said Gvaladze was accused of organizing the military mutiny.
In his address, Saakashvili linked it to the planned NATO exercises.
Russia has sharply criticized the exercises, which it said would encourage Georgia to rebuild its military -- devastated in the five-day war with Russia that erupted amid persistent tension over Moscow's support for two separatist Georgian regions and Saakashvili's push for NATO membership.
NATO has stressed that the exercises are not threatening, and invited Russia to participate. But the plans have contributed to renewed tension even as Russia and NATO seek closer cooperation and Moscow and Washington try to mend their frayed relationship.
Russia and NATO last week restored ties that had been suspended since the August war, but Russia's NATO envoy said Tuesday that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was withdrawing from a planned meeting with the alliance later this month because of the exercises and the expulsion of two Russian diplomats from NATO headquarters.
The exercises were originally planned to include about 1,300 personnel from 19 NATO and partner nations.
But Armenia, which is dependent on Russia for its economic survival, said Tuesday that its military was not taking part. Four other former Soviet republics -- Estonia, Latvia, Kazakhstan and Moldova -- and Serbia also decided to pull out, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported Tuesday.
