Russia handed over the base, formally known as the 62nd Russian military base, to Georgia in late June as part of Russia's commitments taken at a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1999.
"A large quantity of ammunition was confiscated from the territory of the former Russian military base," Archil Mamageishvili, a military police deputy head, said. "During an inspection we discovered an arms cache, which contained antitank and land mines, other ammunition and devices for missile launches."
Russia's continued military presence in the South Caucasus nation has been a major source of controversy in bilateral relations with Georgia. The country's leadership has repeatedly accused Russian authorities of providing support for separatists in the Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Tbilisi is determined to bring back under its control.
Russia has closed the Soviet-era Gudauta base in Abkhazia, one of Georgia's breakaway provinces, removed its military garrison from the capital Tbilisi, and is now withdrawing personnel and hardware from bases at the Black Sea port of Batumi.
