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Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon,

First of all, I would like to thank all the heads of the security-related agencies, the border service, the Defence Ministry, the FSB, the soldiers and officers, whose well-coordinated actions last week made it possible to practically eliminate a major band of terrorists who were trying to break through from neighbouring Georgia.

I would like to express condolences to the families of the servicemen who died. All the victims will get huge support from the Government within a short space of time.

As we know, some of the terrorists which where pushed out by the Russian armed forces and special units have been detained on Georgian territory. I see this act as an early sign of the fact that the Georgian leadership is thinking in terms of fighting international terrorism. We will form a final judgment as to how seriously the Georgian authorities are committed to combating terrorism depending on how soon these criminals find themselves in Lefortovo prison, in the hands of Russian justice. The Prosecutor General’s Office in Russia today will request the extradition of the terrorists to Russia.