Abkhazia update
The spy plane story I referenced in a previous post seems to have changed significantly over the last several days. CNN now reports the situation entails Georgia accusing Russia of shooting down the spy plane in question, rather than Abkhazia claiming to have brought down the Georgian plane, though Abkhazia stands by the original version.
Vladimir Putin and Georgia’s Mikhail Saakashvili had a tense phone conversation Monday regarding the incident, and the Kremlin released a statement accusing Georgia of violating the 1994 ceasefire with Abkhazia by operating in Abkhazi airspace.
In a nutshell, these two graphs from the story sum up the general state of things between the two nations:
Saakashvili, the Georgian leader, has vowed to bring both Abkhazia and another breakaway region, South Ossetia, back under central government control. He also cultivated strong economic and military ties with the United States and actively sought NATO membership — much to Russia’s consternation.
Russia, meanwhile, has tacitly backed South Ossetia and Abkhazia, granting their residents passports and other support. Moscow recently announced that it was establishing stronger ties with both regions.