This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/6963081.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Georgia fires at 'Russian plane' | Georgia fires at 'Russian plane' |
(20 minutes later) | |
Georgian forces have fired at an aircraft they believed to be Russian after it violated Georgian airspace, a senior government official said. | Georgian forces have fired at an aircraft they believed to be Russian after it violated Georgian airspace, a senior government official said. |
Tbilisi could not confirm whether the plane was shot down, but said that a nearby section of forest, in Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge, was on fire. | |
Russia dismissed the claim, and an air force spokesman called it "the latest provocation aimed against us". | Russia dismissed the claim, and an air force spokesman called it "the latest provocation aimed against us". |
The two ex-USSR states' relations have been strained since a 2006 spy row. | |
Remote site | Remote site |
Georgian officials said Wednesday's incident was not reported earlier because they were still checking information. | Georgian officials said Wednesday's incident was not reported earlier because they were still checking information. |
The Russia defence ministry said Russian planes had not flown near the area on that day. | The Russia defence ministry said Russian planes had not flown near the area on that day. |
Georgian officials said the site where the plane may have crashed was in the Georgian-controlled territory of Upper Abkhazia, but that it was remote and difficult to reach. | |
Upper Abkhazia is the Georgian authorities' term for the strategic Kodori gorge, which is the only part of the breakaway republic of Abkhazia over which Georgia retains partial control. | Upper Abkhazia is the Georgian authorities' term for the strategic Kodori gorge, which is the only part of the breakaway republic of Abkhazia over which Georgia retains partial control. |
Under an agreement between the two, Georgian forces and heavy weaponry cannot be deployed in the area. | Under an agreement between the two, Georgian forces and heavy weaponry cannot be deployed in the area. |