Russian Defence Minister: Russian Aviation Did Not Bomb Pankisi Gorge Of Georgia

Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov has refuted Georgia's allegations that Russian aircraft and helicopters bombed Wednesday the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia near the border with Chechnya. Our combat helicopters do not operate at night, the more so in adverse conditions of the mountains, the minister said. In his words, the Russian side has reliable information that a heavy fight was waged in the Pankisi Gorge between Arab and Chechen militants for the revenues from drug trafficking. During the battle, an ammunition storage exploded. The fight erupted just at the time when reports appeared about Russian aircraft bombing the Pankisi Gorge, the Russian defence minister said.