Georgian Airspace Violated

Georgian Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze said on September 19 that two Russian aircrafts violated Georgian airspace above the village of Shatili, which is near the Chechen section of the Georgian-Russian border. However, he did not specify what kind of aircrafts penetrated the Georgian airspace.

The Georgian Defense Minister was speaking during a ceremony marking the 12th anniversary of the Georgian Air Forces at the Alekseevka military air field, near Tbilisi.

The Russian media reported on September 18 that helicopters employed by the Russian air force are launching regular patrols of the Russian-Georgian border in order “to fight a terrorism threat.?

According to the Georgian Defense Ministry, four Russian military helicopters penetrated Georgia?s air space early on September 14 over the Kodori gorge, the only territory in breakaway Abkhazia under the control of the Georgian authorities.