Russian plane fired upon, official says

Georgian forces fired on a Russian plane flying over Georgian territory, a government official said, asserting that residents nearby had reported an explosion and fire afterward. Russia immediately denied the claim.

The dispute comes amid heated disagreement between the neighboring countries over Georgian accusations of airspace violations by Russian military aircraft. If Georgian forces did shoot down a Russian plane, it would be the most serious incident in years of increasingly strained relations between the former Soviet republics.