From RIA Novosti:  The French Foreign Ministry has said the deployment of Russian S-300 air defense systems in the former Georgian republic of Abkhazia undermines stability in the region.

Russian Air Force head Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said on Wednesday S-300 systems had been placed in Abkhazia to protect the airspace of Abkhazia and the other former Georgian republic of South Ossetia. He did not say how many S-300s had been deployed.

"We are concerned about [Russia’s] announcement about the deployment of air defense systems in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It [deployment] harms stability in the region," a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry told a news conference in Paris.

France acted as an intermediary in the settlement of a five-day conflict between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia in August 2008. …

On Wednesday, the Georgian Foreign Ministry described the Russian move as "extremely dangerous and provocative," saying it threatened "not only the Black Sea region, but European security as a whole."  (photo: Dmitry Korobeynikov/RIA Novosti)

Image: ria%208%2012%2010%20Russian%20S-300%20air%20defense%20system.jpg