The Georgian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said it has requested the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) stationed in the South Ossetian conflict zone to probe into the late night shelling which occurred in the Georgian village of Vanati on April 17.

“There has been no reaction [from the JPKF] to this appeal yet,” the Georgian MoD said on April 18.

A mortar shell “fired from the Dmenisi village, which is under the South Ossetian side’s control” exploded near the police station in the village, according to the Georgian MoD.

But the South Ossetian side rejected these allegations and said that it was a provocation by the Georgian side, “which aims at destabilizing the situation” in the conflict zone.