Hermes 450 Records Itself Being Shot Down By MiG-29

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Leading Up To The Russo-Georgian War

Recorded in April 2008, a Russian MiG-29 fighter aircraft shot down an Israelia-developed Georgian Hermes 450 unmanned aerial vehicle over the Abkhazia region. At the time, a Russian air force spokesman denied the claim and even called it “nonsense.” It was then reported that both sides apparently violated an Abkhazia cease-fire agreement because Russia shot down the reconnaissance aircraft and Georgia flew it over Abkhazia in the first place.

It only served to increase the tension between the two countries. The long-simmering conflict came to a head in August 2008 when the Russo-Georgian War began. It went on for a few days and displaced 192,000 people.