April 21 (Bloomberg) -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russia is responsible for the destruction of an unarmed aircraft in Georgian airspace yesterday and that he has ``clear proof'' of Russia's involvement.

``A Russian jet from the Gudauta military base attacked an unmanned Georgian plane in the Ganmukhuri region'' of Georgia, Saakashvili said today in televised remarks. ``We have clear video footage showing that Russia carried out this aggressive attack.''

The Georgian leader said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone and demanded that Russia cease attacks on Georgian territory and reverse a decision to develop economic and legal ties with Abkhazia and another breakaway region, South Ossetia.

Putin ``expressed disbelief'' to Saakashvili ``that the Georgian side had undertaken flights for military aims over the conflict zone,'' the presidential press service said in an e- mailed statement. Putin said such flights go against the ``letter and spirit'' of the 1994 cease-fire agreement.

Abkhazia, whose capital Sukhumi is located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Sochi, the Russian Black Sea resort city that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics, broke away from Georgia in a war in the early 1990s. It has asked Russia and the United Nations to recognize its independence.

Russian Interests

Saakashvili has accused Russia of backing the separatist regime in Abkhazia, which has a pro-Russian leadership and Russian peacekeepers. Saakashvili has pledged to bring the region back under central control. Most of its citizens hold Russian passports.

Putin on April 16 ordered his government to protect the ``rights, freedoms and lawful interests'' of Russians living in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to cooperate with the regions' ``actual governing bodies.''

The Russian air force denied that a Russian jet had destroyed the Georgian aircraft, the Interfax news service reported.

Air force spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky said Russian pilots had the day off on April 20, when the incident took place, Interfax said. He said ``not a single Russian air force plane'' was in the air over the North Caucasus region on that day, the news service said.

Sergei Shamba, foreign minister of Abkhazia, said yesterday that Abkhaz forces shot down the Georgian plane. Abkhazia previously said it destroyed a spy drone on March 18, a claim Georgia dismissed as ``deliberate disinformation.''

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze told reporters earlier that the attack is part of a ``step-by-step'' plan to annex the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia. The Soviet-era Gudauta base is located on Abkhazia's Black Sea coast. The plane belonged to the Interior Ministry, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Helena Bedwell in Tbilisi at hbedwell@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 21, 2008 13:19 EDT