( AP ) - Georgian officials said Tuesday that two Russian fighter jets violated its airspace and fired a missile which did not explode. Russia denied the claim.
Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Ustiashvili said that that the incident took place late Monday when the aircraft entered Georgia's airspace over the northeastern Gori region and fired a missile which fell near the village of Shavshvebi and didn't explode.
Ustiashvili said that he personally had inspected the missile which landed on the outskirts of the village, just 25 yards away from a house. He said that experts were considering what to do with the weapon.
Russia's air force spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky on Tuesday denied the accusations, news reports said.
Relations between the two ex-Soviet nations are tense, and Georgian officials have frequently claimed that Russian military aircraft violated its airspace - accusations Russia has always denied.
Moscow is angry about Georgia's plans to join NATO, while Tbilisi accuses Russia of backing separatists in its breakaway provinces and trying to destabilize Georgia.
