14 October 2008, 14:03
Georgian MFA: Russia has twice intruded into Georgian air space
In the evening on October 13, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Georgia has disseminated its official statement that on the previous day the country's air space was twice broken by Russian military aircrafts.
We remind you that on October 12, Georgian MP Shota Malashkhiya stated a violation, on October 11, of the country's air space by three Russian aircrafts. They made a flight over the Dzhava and Akhalgori Districts, "having deepened into the Gori District", and then returned in the direction towards Russia, Georgian mass media then reported with reference to the Georgian Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Russian counterpart has refuted these statements.
According to Georgian MFA, the violation of the air space took place in the morning on October 12. "At 9:57 a.m., two aircrafts crossed the Georgian-Russian border in the area of Stepantsminda and penetrated into the territory of Georgia by 18 kilometres. At 10:01, the crafts made their way to Russia via the Dzhava District," runs the statement of the Georgian MFA.
The second fact of border trespass took place between 10:00 and 12:30 a.m. in direction of Mkinvartsveri (Kazbek Mount) and Stepantsminda village, when three military aircrafts penetrated into the territory of Georgia and made a flight over the Ona, Sachkheri, Dzhava, Tskhinvali and Kazbegi Districts of the country, the RIA "Novosti" Agency reports.
Meanwhile, the Russian MoD has again refuted the statements about the flights of Russian Air Force crafts over Georgia, the "Russian News Service" reports.
