TSKHINVALI. Dec 15 (Interfax) - A source in the Russian military force in South Ossetia said on Monday that the reason why the Russian military retook control of the village of Perevi in South Ossetia on Saturday was that Georgia moved a special forces unit into Perevi the day before and that this was in breach of agreements.

"In violation of the agreements that had been reached, a unit of the special forces of the Georgian Interior Ministry (120 people and 16 (pickup trucks) of the Toyota Hilux type) was moved into the village of Perevi of Dzhava district of South Ossetia on December 12 by decision of the Georgian leadership," the source told Interfax.

"In order to prevent the situation from exacerbating, units of the Russian military contingent (stationed in South Ossetia) were returned to the village of Perevi on December 12," he said.

"As a result of an operation that had been efficiently planned and carried out by the units of the Russian military contingent, the units of the special forces of the Georgian Interior Ministry, which were superior numerically, were ousted outside South Ossetia within one hour without any exacerbation of the situation and the previous state of affairs was restored," the source said.

The police chief of Georgia's Shida-Kartli region, coordinator of Friday's Georgian special forces operation, "said the (Georgian) unit had arrived with the aim of setting up a police station in Perevi and organizing its activities and that that number of personnel was necessary for construction and economic work," the source said.

However, "the equipment of the personnel was not what was needed for construction work, the jeeps were overcrowded with personnel, and in the backs of the vehicles were weapons and ammunition, bullet-proof vests, helmets and weapons of an unclear kind that were covered by tarpaulin," the source said.

"Before dawn on December 13, three platoon strongpoints were set up for Georgian special forces on a road between Perevi and Sinaguri and they blocked off the observation post of the Russian contingent in Perevi," he said.

"At night, members of the special forces of the Georgian Interior Ministry threatened Russian troops and demanded the removal of the post, claiming that about 500 troops had been pulled in from central parts of Georgia and that mortar positions had been deployed in the vicinity of the post," the source said.

"Throughout the night, the 24 Russian troops who were staffing the observation post (and were) surrounded by the 120 Georgian special forces personnel were holding up the further advance of the units of the special forces of the Georgian Interior Ministry," the source said.

A Russian force that arrived at Perevi on December 13 drove the Georgians outside South Ossetia "within one hour without any exacerbation of the situation," he said.