Vladimir Ivanov, a spokesman for the Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone, said the peacekeepers registered on the evening of July 8 two Georgian Air Force Su-25 strike aircraft entering the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone.
Later Wednesday, a Georgian Air Force deputy commander said that at around the time, two Russian fighters intruded Georgian airspace and later were joined by two other aircraft.
Zurab Pochkhua also said that the four Russian military aircraft circled to the north of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, for approximately 40 minutes, adding that Georgian Air Defense had recorded evidence.
Georgia's breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which witnessed armed conflicts in the 1990s, have seen a rise in tensions with Tbilisi this year, ranging from air space violations by Georgian aircraft and drones to recent explosions in Abkhazia, to shootouts and the brief arrest of Georgian officers in South Ossetia.
Russia submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Tuesday on the situation in Georgia, voicing its concerns over Tbilisi's growing military presence near the conflict zones, which South Ossetia says is evidence of plans for an all-out invasion.
Abkhazia broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Between 10,000 and 30,000 people were killed in the subsequent fighting. Hundreds of people were also killed in South Ossetia after it declared independence at the same time.
