Georgia Says Russia Shot Down Its Drone, Releases Video

April 21, 2008 · Filed Under Military, Video, World News · 1 Comment

The former Soviet Republic of Georgia is alleging that a Russian Mig-29 fighter jet illegally crossed into Georgian airspace and shot down an unmanned drone conducting routine surveillance over Georgian territory.

Russia of course completely denies the incident and calls the allegation “nonsense.”

A spokesman for Russia’s air force, when asked about the Georgian allegation, said: “Nonsense. What would a Russian jet fighter be doing over Georgian territory?”

The problem for Russia is that Georgia released high-resolution video recorded by the drone as it was being shot down. The footage which you can see above clearly shows a Mig-29 firing a missile at the drone. Russia now says the video may show a Mig-29, but it’s not from Russia.

However, considering that Georgia has no Mig-29 aircraft and neither do its closest neighbors, it’s painfully obvious that it’s a Russian aircraft. Like its Soviet predecessor, Russia denies anything that happens in the region even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Russia likes to antagonize Georgia because of its close ties to the U.S. and NATO which makes both the incident and the denial not terribly shocking.

Tags: Georgia, Military, Russia, Shoot-Down, UAV, Video