OREANDA-NEWS. April 22, 2008. Question: Is the flight of a Georgian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over Abkhazian territory a breach of the international treaties and agreements on the settlement of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict?

Commentary: Yes, absolutely. This flight of a spy plane, which can also be used for the adjustment of fire, is a violation of the Moscow agreement on the ceasefire and separation of forces of 14 May 1994, as well as of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions pertaining to the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG). The Moscow Agreement states that there must be no armed forces in the security zone, and according to the last UNSC resolution 1808, adopted on April 15, the sides should maintain the security zone and the restricted weapons zone free of any unauthorized military activities. By the way, this formulation was included in the resolution by western countries as accommodating the concerns of Russia over the increased frequency of flights of Georgian military aircraft and UAVs over the territory of Abkhazia.

According to data from the Russian Defense Ministry and Abkhazian authorities, the spy plane entered the security zone from Georgia, flew through it, went deep into Abkhazian territory, made a U-turn above the port city of Ochamchira, and again across the security zone attempted to return to Georgia. At 9.50 am, on April 20, it was shot down by Abkhazian air defense forces 20 kilometers southwest of Gali. Some of its fragments fell down on the coast and a portion into the sea. It is noteworthy that UNOMIG received notification of the flight from the Georgian Foreign Ministry on the evening of the same day, at about 7.00 pm, and, of course, could not notify the Abkhaz side in advance. Thus, this flight is an unauthorized military activity.

On April 21, a press conference was held in Sukhumi, at which fragments of the UAV were shown to media members and representatives from UNOMIG and the CIS PKF. They have the serial number 553 of a Hermes 450 air vehicle manufactured by Elbit, an Israeli company. Of a similar spy plane downed on March 18 over the Ochamchira District of Abkhazia, the serial number is 551.

We assume that these facts speak for themselves.