Tbilisi accuses Russian planes of dropping a bomb in Georgia

A pair of Russian fighter jets violated Georgian airspace Monday evening, firing a missile that landed near a village north of the capital, Tbilisi, Georgian authorities said Tuesday morning. There were no casualties.

"Two Russian, presumably, SU-24 frontline bombers violated Georgian airspace near Kazbegi and flew towards Gori," an Interior Ministry statement said. "The Russians launched 'air-surface' precision-guided missiles and bombed the surroundings of Tsitelubani village." According to media reports, the ordnance did not explode.

A senior official in Russia's air force quickly denied the reports.

Col. Alexandr Drobyshevskiy, the assistant commander of Russia's air force, said Russia planes did not fly any missions in the area and did not violate Georgia's airspace.

Tsitelubani is located about 40 miles (65 km) north of Tbilisi, and on the border of the breakaway region of South Ossetia. South Ossetia split with Georgia in the early 1990s.

Officials from the breakaway region were to meet with Georgian officials on Tuesday, but canceled the meeting after the alleged attack, claiming Georgia could not guarantee their safety. Tbilisi accused Moscow of trying to sidetrack the talks