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Georgia drones 'downed' in Abkhazia
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SCI-TECH
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By Agencies
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 The Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia has said it shot down two unmanned Georgian spy aeroplanes, two weeks after a similar incident.
"Abkhaz anti-aircraft forces today destroyed two unmanned Georgian spy planes," Abkhazia's de facto defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Georgia denies that any of its aircraft had been short down, an interior ministry spokesman said.
"We categorically deny the loss of any Georgian planes. There were no Georgian planes flying in the region," Shota Utiashvili told the AFP news agency.
Abkhaz claim
Interfax, a Russian news agency, quoted a representative of Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazia's leader, as saying that two unmanned airborne drones were shot down on Sunday.
Georgia earlier alleged that a Russian MiG-29 military aircraft had shot down a Georgian spy aeroplane on April 20. Tbilisi called that incident "an act of [Russian] aggression".
Relations between Georgia, a former Soviet region, and Russia have worsened in recent weeks.
Moscow recently said it was strengthening ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, another Georgian region which is looking to secede.
While Georgia wants to integrate with the West and in particular, the Nato military alliance, Moscow is concerned that Western influence is eroding Russian authority in its border regions.
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Tags: Georgia Abkhazia
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