Another eight Georgian combat aircraft were spotted over the conflict zone by the joint peacekeeping force of the former Soviet republics on Wednesday, when a major dispute erupted between Georgia and Russia over the arrest of Russian servicemen on espionage charges.
"In the early hours of September 29, peacekeepers' observation points ... tracked a military aircraft," Vladimir Ivanov, assistant commander of the force, said over the phone.
"The flight lights and wing modifications indicated that it could have been a Su-25 [Frogfoot ground attack aircraft]," he said, adding that the incident was in breach of all agreements of the Joint Control Commission overseeing the ceasefire in the area.
Ivanov said Wednesday that another eight Georgian combat aircraft had been seen flying from southeast to northwest at an altitude of 5,000 meters (1,525 feet) over the conflict zone.
