Georgia said it had quelled a mutiny at an army base on Tuesday, claiming it was part of a Kremlin-orchestrated plot to disrupt Nato military exercises beginning in the country on Wednesday.

Mikheil Saakashvili, the president, said national security was at stake before rushing to the Mukhrovani tank base 19km outside Tbilisi, the capital, to negotiate with the rebels. Earlier about 30 tanks and armoured personnel carriers entered the base.