The Georgian security council says it has filed a lawsuit against Russia in the International Court of Justice for alleged ethnic cleansing.

Council chief Alexander Lomaia told The Associated Press that Georgia filed the suit Tuesday with the international court. He gave no other details of the lawsuit.

Russian officials have accused Georgia of committing genocide by launching an offensive last week to try to retake control of the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili accused Russian military forces Monday of cleansing the breakaway province Abkhazia of ethnic Georgians.

Russia carried out land and air attacks in Georgia to drive the government troops out of the separatist provinces.