Russian fighter shot down Georgian spy drone

Independent:

A UN report has accused Russia of shooting down an unmanned Georgian spy plane over the breakaway region of Abkhazia last month. The report, by the UN observer mission in Georgia, is likely to further increase tension in Abkhazia, a Russia-backed region that is officially part of Georgia but broke away in the early 1990s.

Georgia accused Russia of shooting down its drone on 20 April, releasing footage of what it said was a MiG-29 fighter plane, which neither Georgia or Abkhaz separatist forces possess, firing on the drone. Yesterday's report said that the video seemed genuine and that the plane flew from the direction of Russia: "Absent compelling evidence to the contrary, this leads to the conclusion that the aircraft belonged to the Russian air force," the UN said.

The Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, said that this was "the first time when an international organisation, especially the United Nations, has, without any doubt, blamed the Russian Federation for aggression against Georgia".

In an appeal for Western support, he claimed his struggle with Russia was a struggle against neo-imperialism: "Georgia lies on the frontier of European freedom and it is here where the future fate of Europe and world order is being determined."

Russia has denied the claim all along, and reiterated its denial yesterday, but it becomes less plausible after the UN findings.

...

I think Russia's credibility on this issue has been exhausted, unless they can come up with an explanation which seems unlikely. Georgia must rely on the UN in this matter since its military capability would be dwarfed by Russia. If there is a situation that needs a negotiated solution, this is it.