The government accuses the Georgian government of allowing Chechen rebels to operate freely in Georgia Pankisi Gorge and cross into Chechnya and attack Russian troops. Russia continues to move closer to an invasion of Georgia, which has become increasingly lawless and out of control since separating from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
A current opinion poll showed about 60 percent of Russians want a negotiated settlement of the fighting in Chechnya.