Georgian politicians claiming that the August 6 air attack was orchestrated by Tbilisi itself are traitors, Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava said on August 9.

“Only a traitor can say that it has been done by Georgian forces, when the entire world agrees that [the attacking aircraft] came from the north – and we have only one neighbor to the north [Russia],” Ugulava, who is a key figure in President Saakashvili administration, told reporters.

Shalva Natelashvili, the leader of the opposition Labor Party, alleged on August 8 that the Georgian authorities were behind the August 6 incident.

He said President Saakashvili’s administration hoped the incident would “shift attention of angry people from its evil doings to patriotic themes.” He also said the authorities wished to start a war, which would help the Saakashvili administration to maintain power.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Irina Sarishvili, the leader of the Imedi (Hope) political party, which is affiliated with wanted ex-security chief Igor Giorgadze, who found safe haven in Russia.