The Russians are still searching for the leader of TU-22 crew fired in August. In Colonel General Alexander Zelini’s words, the fate of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Koventsov is still unknown for the Russian side. In Zelini’s words the strategic bomber YU-22M3 was shaken down by Georgian solders. Two members of the crew were killed and their bodies were found. But the leader of the crew could not be found. Near the spot of the plane crash the armchair and parachute of catapulting were discovered “We have only one problem (as for the loss of August 2008) – this is Lieutenant Colonel Koventsov, who unfortunately has not been found yet”.- said Zelini and added at the same time that military-air commanders still “consider him as disappeared without trace”. No comments related to the mentioned fact are made in Georgian Ministry of Defense. “We made no comments on the Russians statement,” - announced the head of press service Salome Makharadze to “Presa.ge”. The members of Georgian Power did not make any comments either.
It is noteworthy that after the end of hostilities, international organizations were involved in the process of prisoner exchanging. Although it was a rather prolonged period, no captives are alive now. However, one of the military prisoners still stays in Tskhinvali jail, he is a Corporal of Georgian army, sapper Zviad Kobaladze. The Ossetians blamed the Corporal in taking part of “committing genocide of Ossetian people” and they are categorically against his discharge or exchange.
Military expert Giorgi Melitauri remembers that In August 2008, there
was an event when Ossetians brought down Russian SU-25 and stoned to death
the Russian pilot thinking he was Georgian.
“As for this fact, I do not think that Georgia has captured Russian colonel and this fact is concealed by Georgia . It is rather far from logic. “Such act will bring Georgia no benefit. It is not ruled out that this person is really lost without trace”, - said Melitauri.
Mamuka Areshidze - an expert in Caucasus issues –who was a member of Russian-Georgian mixed commission, says that the Russian side strongly demanded Georgian one to find the Russian pilot then. “This pilot was not an ordinary person, he was a head, leader of the crew of TU22M3. This airship costs 30 million dollars, it is a rather significant airship and it is not so easy to shake it down. But our side managed to do it as it would not be followed by relevant defense. It happened so that one member of the crew perished, two of them were captured, the forth one was lost. Those two were sent to the Russian side very soon . But as for the lost colonel, we have been asked to deliver him for a long time. They said as if we had him but then these demands were ceased already. Maybe, there were some talks among the departments but no loud statements were made. I had such impression that the Russians felt confident about the death of this person during the explosion. But, even by means of sought evidence by the Georgian side, the trace of his body was not detected anywhere and that is why everything is so suspicious. Within the bounds of the commission works, the Russians made even such a statement that we handed him to the Americans in order to gain any secret information. It is strange but this man vanished with no trace. The traces of his body could be found either.” - said Areshidze.
In his words too, Georgian authority officially announced international organizations or the Russian part that they did not have that person. “ You told me that international organizations worked here and they would find the trace in case he was here. This is not true, because nobody could find the traces of some Ossetian captives, those Ossetian captives who were presumably detained by our side. So, if they want to keep hidden anybody, this is not very difficult. But the other point is what they need to do it for“ - said Mamuka Areshidze
