Moscow dismisses reports of drone crash in Georgia

Moscow dismisses reports of drone crash in Georgia (NSI News Source) TBILISI/MOSCOW - November 17, 2008: Moscow dismissed reports on Monday by Georgia's Interior Ministry that a Russian drone had crashed on Georgian territory killing two and wounding eight service personnel. The ministry said that the Russian unmanned reconnaissance plane had violated Georgian airspace and crashed in the Gori district to the south of the Georgian breakaway republic of South Ossetia. "When a squad of sappers from the Georgian Interior Ministry arrived at the scene, the drone exploded killing Georgy Skhvitaridze and Marat Nozadze," the ministry said adding that eight other service personnel had been wounded in the blast. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the reports as "further information propaganda on behalf of Georgia." Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in August after Tbilisi launched an offensive in an attempt to regain control of breakaway South Ossetia. Moscow subsequently recognized the republic along with another separatist region, Abkhazia, as independent states.