Gunshots fired near motorcade carrying the Georgian & Polish Presidents

On 23 November 2008 gunshots were fired near a motorcade carrying Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Polish President Lech Kaczyinski in northern Georgia near the South Ossetia border. No one was injured in the incident, and both leaders safely returned to Tbilisi. The presidential convoy was reportedly just across the border from the town of Akhalgori when gunshots were heard nearby. It has not been confirmed who fired the shots or if the two leaders were specifically targeted. However, the Georgian government has claimed that the gunfire came from a Russian military security post inside South Ossetia. Russian officials and South Ossetia militants have denied responsibility for the shooting, which they called a provocation organized by the Georgian side. The incident further increases tensions between the two countries, but at this point appears unlikely to result in a renewal of armed hostilities.