Non-Subscriber Extract
Georgia accuses Russia of shooting down drone
22 April 2008
EVENT |
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Georgia claimed that a Russian combat aircraft shot down one of its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the separatist region of Abkhazia on 21 April. |
According to Georgian defence officials, the UAV was on a routine patrol to monitor Abkhazia when it was shot down by a missile fired from a Mig-29 Fulcrum aircraft. It went on to say that neither the Georgian air force nor Abkhazian separatist forces had Mig-29s and the aircraft had to be Russian. Moscow dismissed the claimsAbkhazian security officials claimed they had shot down the UAV with one of their L-39c aircraft.
FORECAST |
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Further flashpoints can be expected in coming months, particularly during the run up to the 21 May Georgian parliamentary elections. In the longer term, although Moscow has so far refrained from offering formal recognition to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, should it do so, the risk of renewed conflict would grow significantly. |