Georgia Says Shot Down Russian Drone

Georgia shot down an unmanned Russian aerial vehicle (UAV) close to breakaway South Ossetia, the Georgian Interior Ministry said on September 23.

Russia, however, denied it had lost a drone over Georgia.

The Georgian Interior Ministry said that the Russian UAV was shot down over territory between the villages of Khurvaleti and Tsitelubani near breakaway South Ossetia early on September 22.

“The drone was flying at low altitude, so it was possible to inflict damage on it with firearms,” Shota Utiashvili, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said.

He said the drone was equipped with a photo camera and GPS system and was presumably conducting reconnaissance of the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline.

The Georgian interior Ministry said in a statement posted on its website that the Russian drone was first noticed by a special ministry task force unit charged with protecting the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline.

Utiashvili also said it was a medium-range drone, capable of flying five kilometers from its take-off site.

“The use of this vehicle near Tsitelubani confirms that the Russians are continuing reconnaissance activities aimed against Georgia,” Utiashvili said.

The Russian Defense Ministry, however, said that the Georgian claim was yet another provocation.

“No Russian [aerial] vehicles have conducted any flights in this region,” Itar-Tass news agency quoted Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Alexander Drobishevsky as saying.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)