Tbilisi/Agency Caucasus – The tension continues to swell up after it was first caused by Georgian officials and security officers being held responsible for the recent attacks and blasts in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia and it was afterwards mounted by Russian warplanes flying over South Ossetia as a challenge for Tbilisi to face.
After Georgia ordered its ambassador to Moscow to return to its capital Tbilisi, Nikoloz Rurura, Deputy President of the Georgian Commission on National Security, threatened to shoot down the Russian warplanes next time they were flown again. "We are serious about keeping our armed forces ready to attack; and they are capable of responding effectively to aggressive moves. Next time Russia flies its warplanes, it will surely have to pick up the remnants of them," Rurura said.
Four Russian warplanes flew over South Ossetia on Wednesday night for 40 minutes. The flights were scheduled to take place shortly before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of the United States made a trip to Tbilisi as an expression of solidarity between the two countries. FT
