TBILISI. Aug 7 (Interfax-AVN) - The South Ossetian authorities made a decision to mount SAM systems on heights near the city of Tskhinvali aiming to track down helicopters that appear on the territory without authorization.
"The mounting of SAM systems is a forced measure for several MI-8 Hip and Iroquois helicopters without identification signs appeared in the South Ossetian airspace without authorization several days earlier," the self-proclaimed South Ossetian republic's President Eduard Koikoty told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
"The unidentified helicopters flew over strategic installations including those belonging to the South Ossetian Defense Ministry," Koikoty said.
He stressed that "the command of the mixed peacekeeping forces in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone is informed on the matter. At the same time the command will inform the Georgian leadership about the event."
"If there is a need to fly over the territory everything should be coordinated otherwise the helicopters will be tracked down and the Georgian party will be responsible for it," Koikoty added.