Georgia said it put down a mutiny at a military base on Tuesday and accused Moscow of financing a coup on the eve of NATO war games in the former Soviet republic.

Russia, which fought a war with Georgia last year, denied any involvement and said President Mikheil Saakashvili was trying to shift the blame for domestic problems. Georgia’s opposition called it a show to deflect attention from protests against the President. Saakashvili called the rebellion at the Mukhrovani tank base a serious threat.

About three hours after news broke of a military uprising, around 30 tanks and armoured personnel carriers entered the base, followed later by Saakashvili and the ministers of defence and interior. Officials said officers had surrendered and their commander had been arrested.

Earlier, Russia's Interfax news agency said Mukhrovani base commander Mamuka Gorgishvili had made a statement criticising Saakashvili's government but pledging not to use force. "One cannot look calmly at the process of the country falling apart, at the ongoing confrontation. But our tank unit will not resort to any aggressive actions," the agency quoted Gorgishvili as saying.

Defence Minister David Sikharulidze said the plotters wanted to undermine month-long NATO exercises beginning this week in Georgia which Russia has criticised.

Sikharulidze told Rustavi 2 television the rebellion was also an attempt at a military coup. Saakashvili accused the plotters of links to Moscow and demanded neighbouring Russia refrain from provocations.

Russia said the Georgian accusations were insane. "Today what is happening is what we have always feared -- the Georgian leadership are trying to shift their domestic problems on to Russia," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said. Instead of dialogue inside the country, the Georgian leadership is trying to accuse Russia of totally insane things.

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