WASHINGTON, August 8. /TASS/. The US seeks to conceal its destructive influence in the South Caucasus by spreading disinformation about Georgia’s 2008 aggression against South Ossetia, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said.

"Let me emphasize: the events’ interpretation pushed by the [US] administration is pure disinformation. In fact, on the night of August 7-8, [2008], it was the criminal Saakashvili regime who unleashed aggression against the South Ossetian people and our peacekeepers with the full support of the West. The Russian Federation decisively stopped these inhumane actions," he pointed out in a statement posted on the Russian Embassy’s Telegram channel.

"Why does the USA stubbornly continue to spread its false insinuations? The answer is obvious - to hide from the international community the inconvenient truth, which clearly exposes the destructive influence of the United States in the South Caucasus," the Russian envoy stressed, commenting on the US Department of State’s statement on the anniversary of the 2008 events.

"Groundless claims against us clearly confirm that the US authorities are still afraid to face the truth. Year after year, Washington repeats the same propaganda cliches, i.e. about the ‘Russian invasion,’ ‘occupation,’ etc," Antonov went on to say.

"Within the format of the International Geneva Discussions, Washington is still not ready to discuss even in general terms the proposal for Georgia to conclude with Abkhazia and South Ossetia legally binding agreements on the non-use of force," he noted. "This plainly indicates that the United States is not interested in peace and stability in the region. Its goal is to spread chaos along the Russian borders," the diplomat added.

In the early hours of August 8, 2008, Georgia mounted an armed attack against South Ossetia. Russia intervened to protect civilians, many of whom had obtained Russian citizenship, and its peacekeeping contingent, which had been stationed in the region since 1992. In a five-day armed conflict, more than one thousand people, including 72 Russian peacekeepers, lost their lives. On August 26, 2008, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another former autonomous region of Georgia.