Moscow - Russian forces were responsible for some of their own losses in last year's Georgia conflict, as three of six planes lost were brought down by friendly fire, Moscow media reports said Friday. They said the reports, all quoting the non-state-controlled specialist magazine Moscow Defense Brief, had been confirmed by the military.
However, Deputy Chief of Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn had dismissed the reports as "a malicious assertion" on which he would not comment.
The reports said Russia and its South Ossetian allies had "completely inaccurate data" on their own and Georgian units during the August conflict.
In addition, "poorly trained pilots" were also responsible for at least three Russian aircraft being shot down by friendly fire, the reports said.
The southern Caucasus conflict began when Georgia attacked secessionist South Ossetia, which was defended by Russian troops marching in and also briefly occupying part of Georgia itself.
Russia continues to keep thousands of troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Moscow has declared both territories independent, in the face of international protest.
