Russia denies claims Georgia shot its spy plane

23 Sep, 2008 06:03 / Updated 16 years ago

Russia's Foreign Ministry says Georgian claims that one of Russian drones was shot down over Georgian territory is a provocation. Moscow denies an unmanned plane was flying over the security zone on the border with South Ossetia.

A spokesman for Georgia's Interior Ministry said a Russian reconnaissance plane had been shot down near the town of Gori. Moscow calls the claims a way to upset stability in the region. Colonel Aleksander Drobyshevsky, a spokesman for Russia's Defence Ministry, says no missions have been flown in the security zone. Anatoly Tsyganok from the centre for military forecasts believes this to be another provocation ahead of the upcoming session of the UN Security Council. “Georgia wants the body to again consider the situation in Georgia. It’s against Russia’s interests to launch an unmanned drone from its territory. We have fully complied with our obligations according to the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan,” he said.