Russia Violating Georgian Airspace?

"Officials in Georgia are aiming to use the alleged downing of a Georgian reconnaissance drone by a Russian military jet to foster international support for a reduction in the Kremlin’s peacekeeping role in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In an April 21 statement, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry asserted that a Russian fighter MIG-29 shot down an unmanned Georgian Interior Ministry reconnaissance drone off the Black Sea coastline of Abkhazia at 09:53 on April 20. Video footage allegedly recorded by the drone before it was struck shows a twin-tailed dark grey fighter jet sinking below the drone before an air-to-air missile is presumably released in a trail of smoke. The screen then goes to static. No markings on the jet can be identified in the tape.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has described the video footage as "clear proof" of a Russian violation of Georgian airspace. The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the incident at its April 23 session. Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Bakradze will attend the meeting to present Georgia’s claims about the attack."

http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042208b.shtml


Russia is in a tight situations. Georgia feels that Abkhazia is still part of Georgia, so therefore it is Georgian airspace and they have the right to fly over Abkhazia. Russia has no right to fly over Abkhazia according to Georgia, let alone attack a Georgian aircraft. Although there isn't clear proof that it was a Russian jet that shot down the Georgian aircraft, it is pretty obvious that it was.