|
FACT SHEET ON GEORGIAN SPY PLANE
In connection with the Georgian unmanned reconnaissance aircraft shot down by the Abkhazian anti-aircraft defense, it is important to take into account the following facts.
The flights of spy planes in any case are a serious destabilizing factor.
Firstly, they can be qualified as military reconnaissance. Secondly, the drones like that could be used to direct the fire. The existing agreements on the settlement of conflicts forbid any such unauthorized flights in the zones of the conflict.
In particular, the Moscow agreements on ceasefire and separation of forces of May 14, 1994 says that there should not be any armed forces in the security zones, and according to the UN Resolution 1808 (2008) all parties are urged “…to maintain the security zone and the restricted weapons zone free of any unauthorized military activities”. These circumstances were specifically underlined by UNOMIG's press release (http://www.unomig.org/data/file/793/PR_2008_89_eng.pdf) issued on April 21, 2008.
It is noteworthy that the Georgian side tried to legitimize post factum the flight of its drone. UNOMIG received the report of the Georgian Home Ministry only late in the evening of April 20, approximately at 17.00 hrs GTM, which was ten hours after the drone was shot down. Thereby that flight definitely falls into the category of “unauthorized military activity”.
The inconsistency of the Georgian authorities’ statements is also noteworthy, when initially they tried to deny the fact that the spy plane belonged to Georgia.
According to the Sukhumi authorities the drone was shot down by Abkhazian anti-aircraft defense which has L-39 fighter jets equipped with missiles at its disposal. As the Russian Ministry of Defense has already stated its planes did not operate any flights in that direction. This makes the statement by the Georgian side about some Russian MiG -29, a figment of imagination.
Neither is the so-called “video evidence” trustworthy and it actually gives rise to a lot of questions. In particular, specialists point out the strange behavior of the jet’s pilot as if he were posing for the camera by diving under the spy plane (the upper space is a blind area for the drone’s cameras fixed on its fuselage).
Specialists also draw attention to the fact that according to that video the missile was launched from a pylon at the edge of the wing, while Russian MiG-29s do not have any pylons at the edges of their wings.
The visible inversion trace could be left only by an earth-to-air missile. There cannot be any such trace when an AA missile is launched. The list of such absurd “evidences” can be easily continued. For example, one cannot determine where and when the video was shot. If one watches the video closely, two roads running parallel to the sea shore are visible. There are NO such roads in that particular area of Abkhazia.
Taking into account all the above facts, it was not accidental at all that the Georgian authorities desisted from presenting officially that controversial and inconsistent video at the UN Security Council at its April 24 meeting convened at their request.
Moscow, April 29, 2008 |
