Georgia says Russian drones overflying its territory

Defense & Security News — By RIA Novosti on July 9, 2009 at 4:26 am

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TBILISI: Georgia's Interior Ministry accused Russia on Wednesday of increasing the number of reconnaissance missions conducted by spy drones over its territory.

"Russia has increased the number of flights by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the territory controlled by Georgia for reconnaissance purposes," the ministry said in a statement.

At the same time, the ministry dismissed counter claims that Georgia had resumed reconnaissance flights over Abkhazia.

"The Interior Ministry categorically denies reports spread by Abkhazian separatists about the flights of Georgian UAVs over the territory of Abkhazia occupied by Russia," the statement said.

The Abkhaz Foreign Ministry said earlier on Wednesday that on the previous night border guards had observed four Georgian unmanned aerial vehicles flying in pairs over Abkhaz territory at hour and a half intervals.

Abkhazia expressed serious concern over the incident, saying it could lead to a new escalation in the standoff with Georgia.

The accusations were earlier dismissed by the Georgian Defense Ministry.

Abkhazia has had de facto independence from Georgia since a military conflict in the early 1990s, and was recognized as a sovereign state by Moscow last August, two weeks after Russia's war with Georgia over South Ossetia, another former Georgian republic.

United Nations military observers stopped work in the region on June 16 when Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to extend its mandate, and the monitors are due to leave by July 15. Russia said on Wednesday it did everything it could to prolong the mission.