Official: Spy planes downed over Georgia region

SUKHUMI, Georgia - Forces from Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia shot down two unmanned Georgian spy planes over the territory yesterday, an Abkhazian official said.

Georgia denied the claim and traded accusations with Russia, which is struggling with the West for influence in the country strategically situated on the Caspian Sea. Each says the incident indicates the other is preparing for war over the breakaway region.

Strained relations between Georgia and Russia, which has close ties with Abkhazia, have worsened since Georgia accused Moscow of shooting down a pilotless Georgian reconnaissance plane over the breakaway region two weeks ago. Russia denied involvement, and separatist Abkhazian officials said their forces shot it down.

Yesterday, Ruslan Kishmaria, a representative of Abkhazia's president, said Abkhazian antiaircraft forces had shot down two planes. Authorities were searching for fragments of the planes, he said.

Georgian Foreign Ministry official Maka Gigauri dismissed the claims as "completely absurd disinformation." The ministry later released a statement saying pilotless, unarmed Georgian planes "will continue to fly in the sovereign airspace of Georgia to gather full information about the military intervention by the Russian Federation."

Abkhazia and another Georgian separatist region, South Ossetia, seek either independence from Georgia or absorption into Russia.

The alleged plane downings led to redoubled Russian accusations that Georgia is gearing up for a military offensive aimed to take control of Abkhazia.

Russia is strengthening its support of the two breakaway regions as Georgia's U.S.-allied president, Mikhail Saakashvili, pushes for NATO membership for his country.