Russia's navy today sank a Georgian boat carrying missile launchers after a skirmish at sea, news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying.

Georgian boats had made two attempts to attack Russian ships which "returned fire, as a result of which one of the Georgian boats launching the attack sank", agencies quoted the ministry as saying.

The reports gave no indication which ships were involved in the incident or where it took place.

The navy earlier said Russian warships originally said to be near Georgian waters had put into Novorossiisk, a Russian Black Sea port to the north.

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