16 March 2009, 23:20
Nothing known about Russian pilot shot down in Georgia
In order to find out anything about the fate of Russian pilot Alexander Koventsov, who was shot down in August in Georgian air space, Russia is studying the documents with tabular DNA codes of human remains, received from Georgia via the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC); however, the remains are still kept by Tbilisi. This was stated by General-Colonel Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of Joint Staff of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
We remind you that earlier it was reported that back in February Georgia delivered to Russia the remains, which could belong to the pilot of the Tu-22 bomber shot down in South Ossetia.
General Nogovitsyn has refuted this information. "It's all full rubbish. The Georgian party gave us, via the ICRC, tabular DNA codes of human remains, made in the Georgian language. Naturally, we had first to translate them into Russian and only then hand over to the laboratory of the Ministry of Defence in Rostov-on-Don for making examination," the ITAR-TASS quotes Mr Nogovitsyn as saying.
He has added that the examination results are no available yet, therefore, the fate of the deputy regiment commander and crew head of the Тu-22M3 long-range bomber Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Koventsov remains unknown.
