Russia Says Georgia Violates Treaty by Drone Flights
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 22 Apr.'08 / 18:24

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Georgia’s unmanned surveillance drone was shot down on April 20 by “the Abkhaz air defense forces.”

Georgia blamed the Russian fighter jet, MIG-29, of downing its drone over the breakaway region.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on April 22 that conducting of flights over the conflict zone was a violation of the ceasefire treaty.
 
“This flight of a spy plane, which can also be used for fire correction, is a violation of not only the 1994 Moscow agreement on ceasefire and separation of forces, but also the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “The Moscow agreement clearly reads that there should be no armed forces in the security zone, while the latest resolution of the UN Security Council, which was adopted on April 15, reads that the sides should provide that no unauthorized military activities be carried out in the security zone and the zone of restricted armament.”

It also said that the debris of downed drone revealed it was Hermes 450 type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) produced by the Israel’s Elbit Systems with serial number 553. A serial number of similar drone, which was downed by the Abkhaz side on March 18 over Abkhazia, was 551, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

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