Russia and Georgia in plane shooting row
Updated on 21 April 2008
Georgia has accused Russia of shooting down a Georgian reconnaissance plane over one of its breakaway territories.
Officials in Tbilisi released video footage that they said came from the drone's on-board camera.
They said it showed a Russian military MiG-29 jet launching a missile at the drone as it flew over Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili went on national television to say he had telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin and "categorically demanded that these aggressive attacks on Georgia be stopped immediately".
But Putin hit back by accusing Georgia of whipping up tension.
"Vladimir Putin expressed his bewilderment (at) the very fact of Georgia making flights with military purposes over the conflict zone and stressed ... this is a destabilising factor escalating tension," the Kremlin said in a statement.
The video footage showed a jet aircraft banking to face the drone. A bright flash could be seen as a missile was launched and headed toward the drone. A few seconds later the screen went blank.
No identification markings were visible on the aircraft that fired the missile.
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