2007 Georgia helicopter incident

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Location of the Kodori Gorge Abkhazia Kodori Valley.PNG
Location of the Kodori Gorge

The 2007 Georgia helicopter incident refers to the accusation [1] by Georgia that three Russian helicopters fired on the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia on 11 March 2007. It was a break-away autonomous republic in north-western Georgia (at the time [2] the Kodori Gorge was the only portion of Abkhazia still under Georgia's control). The attack was at the village of Chkhalta, which damaged a school, [3] and the government headquarters of the Georgian-backed Abkhaz government-in-exile. [4] Russia denied any attacks and said all its aircraft near the area were grounded over the weekend.

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Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili held an emergency meeting after the alleged incident and told the Security Council that the incident created a grave situation and constituted "a very dangerous, serious and far-reaching provocation" but he stopped short of pointing the finger at Russia directly. He said that he didn't "want to make accusations against one particular side." The [Georgian] foreign minister has received instructions to contact his Russian counterpart and firmly demand that Russia react to this situation." [5]

On 14 March, Nikoloz Rurua, the then deputy chairman of the Georgian parliament's Committee for Defense and Security, did point the finger at Russia as he said that the helicopters came from Russian territory. [3] He further said that the "helicopters, preliminarily identified as Mi-24 attack gunships, flew [into the Kodori Gorge] from Russian territory or, to be precise, from the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria. They made a circle above the villages of Upper Abkhazia, and as they were making a second circle they dropped about 20 unguided rockets, or so-called NURS (Russian-made unguided) rockets." Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Eka Sguladze made similar allegations in remarks to foreign diplomats that day.

Russia

The deputy commander of Russia's ground forces, Lieutenant General Valery Yevnevich responded that helicopters could not have flown over the Caucasus mountain range. Yevnevich said:

"From the Russian side, it is impossible for helicopters to find a passage to fly through because of the high mountains. Mount Elbrus is over 5,000 meters high. Helicopters cannot fly over the Caucasus mountain range for technical reasons."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin added that Russia was investigating the circumstances of the shooting, but noted that the air force said it did not conduct flights in the area at the time. [5]

Abkhazia

Abkhazia’s leader Sergei Bagapsh denied such incident. [5]

United Nations

A quadripartite Joint Fact-Finding Group (JFFG) was convened to investigate the incident. The JFFG, headed by the UN Observer Mission in Georgia, also involved representatives of Russian peacekeepers, and both the Georgian and Abkhaz sides. The interim report was released on 2 April 2007, followed by a supplementary report on 13 June. [6] The report was inconclusive, but it confirmed that "helicopters used multiple approaches from the north" to reach the upper Kodori Gorge. It also ruled out the possibility of Georgia's involvement in the incident. [7]

Aftermath

Georgia accused Russia of a similar incident in August 2007 when a missile was allegedly fired upon Georgian soil, which was denied by Russia. Georgia pressed the UN Security Council to look into both the helicopter and the missile incident. [8]

On 22 August 2007, a plane downing incident took place that involved the downing by Georgia's anti-aircraft system, of a military plane that violated Georgia's air space. [[AbkhazSocialist Soviet Republic of Abkhaziaia's]] break-away government stated that a plane was crashed by itself, and rejected that it was shot down. [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

The Kodori Valley, also known as the Kodori Gorge, is a river valley in Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, populated by Svans, was the only corner of the post-1993 Abkhazia directly controlled by the central Georgian government, which since 2006 officially styles the area as Upper Abkhazia. On August 12, 2008, Russo–Abkhazian forces gained control of the Upper Kodori Valley, previously controlled by Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazia conflict</span> 1989–present conflict between Georgia and the partially recognized Abkhazia

The Abkhazia conflict is a territorial dispute over Abkhazia, a region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea in the South Caucasus, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The conflict involves Georgia, Russian Federation and Russian-backed self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, internationally recognised only by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria; Georgia and all other United Nations members consider Abkhazia a sovereign territory of Georgia. However, as of 2023, Georgia lacks de facto control over the territory.

The 2006 Kodori crisis erupted in late July 2006 in Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge, when a local militia leader declared his opposition to the Government of Georgia, which sent police forces to disarm the rebels. The upper part of the Kodori Gorge was at that time the only portion of Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway republic, not controlled by the Abkhaz authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emzar Kvitsiani</span> Former Georgian military commander and politician

Emzar Kvitsiani is a former Georgian military commander and politician. He took part in the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993), forming a paramilitary group Monadire in the upper Kodori valley, guarding it from Abkhaz forces. He was mainly active in Kodori valley, which he ran de facto through his militia from 1992 to 2006. In 1999, President Eduard Shevardnadze appointed Kvitsiani to the post of President's special envoy to Kodori valley. In 2001, Kvitsiani allegedly cooperated with Chechen field commander Ruslan Gelayev in an attempt to bring Abkhazia back under Georgian control. Kvitsiani opposed the Rose Revolution, which subsequently led to confrontation with the Georgia's central authorities under Mikheil Saakashvili. President Sakaashvili removed him from his official government position in December 2004 and later disbanded the Monadire in April 2005. Kvitsiani declared defiance to the authorities in 2006 and was subsequently ousted by the Georgian government forces. He fled to North Caucasus, but, in 2014, he was arrested on his return to Georgia, initially sentenced to 16 years in jail, and then released under a plea bargain in early 2015. He was one of the leaders of the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia and a member of Parliament of Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Abkhazia</span> Municipality in Georgia

Upper Abkhazia, commonly known by its current name, Azhara Municipality is a geographical term and municipality of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia. The term was first introduced in 2006, to denote the northeastern part of the disputed territory of Abkhazia, that had remained under Georgian control after the 1992 War in Abkhazia. From September 2006 to August 2008 its main village, Chkhalta, hosted the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and was the seat of the Azhara municipal community. This situation came to an end in the Battle of the Kodori Valley in August 2008, when Upper Abkhazia was conquered by the Russo-Abkhazia armies, which had already controlled the rest of Abkhazia. Even though the area was no longer controlled by Georgia, the Georgian Government kept its municipal status as a sign of not recognizing any changes to the Abkhazian administrative divisions made by the breakaway republic. The current seat of the municipal government-in-exile is Tbilisi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Russia and Georgia have had relations for centuries. The contacts between the two date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, and the most important stage started in the 1580s, when the Georgian kingdom of Kakheti and the Russian Empire signed a treaty of alliance in 1587. Since then, Georgia–Russia relations have been developing vibrantly and culminated in the Treaty of Georgievsk, which established eastern Georgia as a protectorate of Russia. At that time, Georgia saw Russia as a powerful Christian and modernizing neighbor, capable of protecting Georgia from invading Muslim empires and North Caucasian raiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)</span> War between Georgia and Abkhaz separatists

The War in Abkhazia was fought between Georgian government forces for the most part and Abkhaz separatist forces, Russian government armed forces and North Caucasian militants between 1992 and 1993. Ethnic Georgians who lived in Abkhazia fought largely on the side of Georgian government forces. Ethnic Armenians and Russians within Abkhazia's population largely supported the Abkhazians and many fought on their side. The separatists received support from thousands of North Caucasus and Cossack militants and from the Russian Federation forces stationed in and near Abkhazia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazian Armed Forces</span> Military of Abkhazia

The Abkhazian Armed Forces are the military forces of Abkhazia. The forces were officially created on 12 October 1992, after the outbreak of the 1992–1993 war with Georgia. The basis of the armed forces was formed by the ethnic Abkhaz National Guard. The Abkhaz military is primarily a ground force but includes small sea and air units. According to the authorities of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Abkhazian Land Forces are organised along the Swiss model – in time of peace they have personnel of 3,000 to 5,000 and in case of war further 40–50,000 reservists are called out. Georgia regards the Abkhaz armed forces as "unlawful military formations" and accuses Russia of supplying and training the Abkhaz troops.

The 2007 Georgia missile incident refers to the landing of a missile in the Georgian village of Tsitelubani in the Gori district near the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, some 65 km (40 mi) north-west of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, on 7 August 2007. Georgian officials said that two Russian combat aircraft violated its airspace and fired a missile, which fell on the edge of a village but did not explode. Russia denied this allegation and said that Georgia may have fired the missile on its own territory as a way of provoking tensions in the region. Several expert teams were sent to Georgia to investigate the incident. While two international investigation teams confirmed Georgia's claims, the Russian team dismissed them. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) stated that it was "extremely difficult to have a clear picture", given the conflicting nature of the experts' findings. The organization decided not to launch its own probe into the incident. The Portuguese ambassador to the OSCE has issued a statement on behalf of the EU, which refrained from supporting either Georgian or Russian version of the events.

The 2007 Georgia plane downing incident refers to the possible downing, by Georgia's anti-aircraft system, of a military plane that violated Georgia's air space on August 21, 2007. It is still not confirmed by Georgia whether the plane was downed. Abkhazia's break-away government stated that a plane crashed, and rejected the claim that it was shot down.

The 2007 Bokhundjara incident refers to a skirmish that occurred between Georgia and its breakaway republic of Abkhazia near the border with Georgia proper in Abkhazia Tkvarcheli District on September 20, 2007, between Georgian Interior Ministry commandos and Abkhaz forces. The United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) launched an independent investigation of the incident. On October 11, 2007, it released a progress report, confirming the incident took place on Abkhaz-controlled territory at the foot of Mount Bokhundjara, thus confirming the Abkhaz version of the event. On October 27, 2007, Georgia released the arrested Abkhazians and handed them over to the U.N. observers as a "sign of good will."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Kodori crisis</span>

The 2001 Kodori crisis was a confrontation in the Kodori Valley, Abkhazia, in October 2001 between Georgians and Abkhazian forces. The crisis was largely neglected by the world media, which was focused on the concurrent US attack on Afghanistan. The fighting resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people.

2007 in Georgia saw a number of military incidents involving Georgia and Russia over the Abkhazia area. Abkhazia is a partially recognised state within Georgia's territory. In March, Georgia accused Russia of attacking the Kodori Valley in Upper Abkhazia, which was the only area in Abkhazia that Georgia controlled. Russia denied the claims, saying that their aircraft in the area were grounded at the time. In August, Georgia claimed that Russia fired a missile into Georgia. This claim was confirmed by 2 investigation teams but challenged by a Russian investigation team. Also in August, Georgia claimed it shot down Russian aircraft that were in Georgia's airspace over the Georgia-controlled Upper Abkhazia area. Russia denied this claim and Abkhazia said that it was an American or Georgian aircraft that crashed in Abkhazia. Abkhazia also held elections that were not recognised by any countries. The president was Mikheil Saakashvili, who stepped down in November to run in the 2008 elections, which he won, again becoming president and replacing Nino Burjanadze who had been acting president since he stepped down.

An international diplomatic crisis between Georgia and Russia began in 2008, when Russia announced that it would no longer participate in the Commonwealth of Independent States economic sanctions imposed on Abkhazia in 1996 and established direct relations with the separatist authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The crisis was linked to the push for Georgia to receive a NATO Membership Action Plan and, indirectly, the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo.

2008 Georgian drone shootdowns refers to several incidents in March, April and May 2008, when Georgia's pro-Russian breakaway region of Abkhazia claimed to have shot down unmanned Georgian reconnaissance aircraft. Georgia initially denied that any of these downings took place, but made the allegations public following the April 20 shootdown carried out by a fighter jet belonging to the Russian Air Force. Involvement of the Russian military was denied by the Abkhaz separatists and Russia, with both falsely claiming that the separatists alone had accomplished the task. However, Russian military involvement was later confirmed by a UNOMIG fact finding mission which represented its results on May 26. On June 1, in a note sent to the Russian delegation at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Georgia recognised that two other downings of its drones had taken place in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russo-Georgian War</span> 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia

The 2008 Russo-Georgian War was a war between Russia, alongside the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Georgia. The war took place in August following a diplomatic crisis between Russia and Georgia, both formerly constituent republics of the Soviet Union. The fighting took place in the strategically important South Caucasus region. It is regarded as the first European war of the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Kodori Valley</span> Battle in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War

The Battle of the Kodori Valley was a military operation during the Russo-Georgian War in the Upper Kodori Valley of Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. It was the only part of Abkhazia under Georgian control before this military conflict. On 9 August 2008, the Abkhaz military, with support by Russian forces, launched an operation to remove the remaining Georgian troops from the disputed gorge. After three days, the Georgian military left the Upper Kodori Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Russo-Georgian War</span>

The Russo-Georgian War broke out in August 2008 and involved Georgia, Russian Federation, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazia</span> Partially recognised state in the South Caucasus

Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It covers 8,665 square kilometres (3,346 sq mi) and has a population of around 245,000. Its capital and largest city is Sukhumi.

References

  1. "Georgia Says Helicopters From Russia Attacked Gorge" in Radio Free Europe , 12 March 2007, Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. it was then lost at the Battle of the Kodori Valley;
  3. 1 2 "Georgian Official Says Kodori Attack Came From Russia" in Radio Free Europe , 14 March 2007,
  4. Molly Corso, "Georgia: Kodori attack – fresh cause for conflict", 19 March 2007,
  5. 1 2 3 "Georgia Says Helicopters From Russia Attacked Gorge". Radio Free Europe . Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  6. Joint Fact-Finding Group Report on the Rocket Firing Incident in the upper Kodori valley on 11 March 2007 Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine . JFFG Report Annexes Archived 27 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine . United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia. 13 June 2007.
  7. UNOMIG Report on Kodori Attack. Civil Georgia. 12 July 2007.
  8. "Experts confirm jet entered Georgian airspace from Russia". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . 16 August 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  9. "Pro-Russian Abkhazia says Georgian plane crashed". 25 August 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2018 via Reuters.
  10. "Georgia overflight dispute deepens". www.AlJazeera.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.