Russia denies major airstrikes against Georgia

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s military on Monday denied Georgian claims that it used 50 aircraft to bomb Georgian territory overnight.

“Fifty? Is that what they said? How do they count them at night?” Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of Russia’s general staff, told reporters in Moscow at a daily briefing.

“We don’t do that. We don’t have 50 planes flying at night… I do not even want to comment on that. What would we be doing with 50 planes at night? What I mean is that I am not confirming that at all.”

Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said Russia had targeted civilians and communications installations.