Russia is at war with Georgia

Yeah, it's CNN -- I don't care.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

If a ceasefire is not issued soon, this could escalate to something much bigger...

Russian news agency "War between Russia and Georgia orchestrated from USA"
http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/09-08-2008/106046-russia_georgia-0
09.08.2008

The US administration urged for an immediate cease-fire in the conflict between Russia and Georgia over the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia.



In the meantime, Russian officials believe that it was the USA that orchestrated the current conflict. The chairman of the State Duma Committee for Security, Vladimir Vasilyev, believes that the current conflict is South Ossetia is very reminiscent to the wars in Iraq and Kosovo.

“The things that were happening in Kosovo, the things that were happening in Iraq – we are now following the same path. The further the situation unfolds, the more the world will understand that Georgia would never be able to do all this without America. South Ossetian defense officials used to make statements about imminent aggression from Georgia, but the latter denied everything, whereas the US Department of State reloaded not comments on the matter. In essence, they have prepared the force, which destroys everything in South Ossetia, attacks civilians and hospitals. They are responsible for this. The world community will learn about it,” the official said.

In the meantime, it became known that the Georgian troops conducted volley-fire cleansings of several South Ossetian settlements, where people’s houses were simply leveled.

“The number of victims with women, children and elderly people among them, can be counted in hundreds and even thousands,” a source from South Ossetian government in the capital of Tskhinvali said.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov, told reporters that Georgia’s actions in South Ossetia question its consistency as a state and as aresponsible member of the international community, Interfax reports.

"Civilians, including women, children and elderly people are dying in South Ossetia. In addition to that, Georgia conducts ethnic scouring in South Ossetian villages. The situation in South Ossetia continues to worsen every hour. Georgia uses military hardware and heavy arms against people. They shell residential quarters of Tskhinvali [the capital] and other settlements. They bomb the humanitarian convoys. The number of refugees continues to rise – the people try to save their lives, the lives of their children and relatives. A humanitarian disaster is gathering pace,” Russia’s Foreign Minister said.

The minister added that the Georgian administration ignored the appeal from the UN General Assembly to observe the Olympic truce during the Beijing Olympics.

“The Georgian administration has found the use to its arms, which they have been purchasing during the recent several years,” Lavrov said. “The fact that Georgian peacemakers in the structure of joint peacemaking forces opened the fire at their Russian comrades from one and the same contingent speaks for itself, I think,” the minister added.

“Now it is clear to us why Georgia never accepted Russia’s offer to sign a legal document not to use force for the regulation of the South Ossetian conflict,” Lavrov said. “Not so long ago, before the military actions in South Ossetia, Georgia’s President Saakashvili said that there was no point in such a requirement because Georgia would not use force against its people, as he said. It just so happens that it is using it,” Sergei Lavrov said.

Sergei Lavrov believes that the international community should stop turning a blind eye on Georgia’s active purchase of arms.

“We have repeatedly warned that the international community should not turn a blind eye on massive purchases of offensive arms, in which the Georgian administration has been involved during the recent two years,” Lavrov said.

Yeah, setting up a pro western puppet government plus a military buildup on Russia's border is a sure sign of American interference in the region somewhat like the Cuban missle crisis. Russia was just waiting for this guy to do something, he's nuts. declaring war on Russia is completely bonkers, only people like Napoleon and Hitler do things like that. Like, he really should just do what the Russians say and take his lumps.

-by The_lizard

It's not clear who attacked first. Each side is saying the other did..
What I find fishy is the 600 or so US troops over there (in Georgia) before that.

KenCat wrote:

It's not clear who attacked first. Each side is saying the other did..
What I find fishy is the 600 or so US troops over there (in Georgia) before that.

ya they said georgia attacked killed 9 peacekeepers but suspiciously georgia had bought alot of weaponary from U.S. in past few years, of course this will benefit the corporations

Its a proxy war

90% of south Ossetia's population are Russian. Georga wants NATO and EU membership - this pisses of Russia who 'rightly' dont want 'another' western platform on their border. More US missile instillations wont go down well.

In addition Georga would probably commit genocide in South Ossetia if it was not for Russian protection. The EU and the US could care less about south ossetia because they want to keep on good terms with Georga, considering they have control over a large sections of the main gas line to Europe coming in from the caspian.

Inkus2000 wrote:

In addition Georga would probably commit genocide in South Ossetia if it was not for Russian protection. The EU and the US could care less about south ossetia because they want to keep on good terms with Georga, considering they have control over a large sections of the main gas line to Europe coming in from the caspian.

Exactly you can't condone the murdering of innocent people Georgia did

Russian general wounded in Georgia's rebel region
http://www.reuters.com/article/europeCrisis/idUSL9494498
Sat Aug 9, 2008 7:48pm EDT

MOSCOW, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The commander of the Russian troops sent to help separatists in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia was wounded in an exchange of fire with Georgian forces on Saturday, Russian state television reported.

Lt. General Anatoly Khrulyov was wounded when a column of armoured vehicles of his 58th army came under fire by Georgian forces outside the rebel capital of Tskhinvali, Vesti-24 channel said in a report early on Sunday.

It did not say how serious his wounds were. The channel said a journalist and a cameraman of Russia's state-owned RTR television company had been lightly wounded when filming the incident.

It was not clear if the armoured column had been taking part in five hours of heavy fighting between Georgian forces and South Ossetian rebels outside Tskhinvali which Russian television reported late on Saturday.

South Ossetia said the fighting on Tskhinvali's southern fringes had ended at about mid-night on Saturday. The separatists' site www.cominf.org said Georgian forces had lost 12 tanks and a bomber in the fighting.

The report could not be immediately verified. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Richard Balmforth)

Russia is definitely not going to accept this

McCain, Obama step up criticism of Russia over Georgia
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09504234.htm
10 Aug 2008 02:26:49 GMT
By Jeff Mason

HONOLULU, Aug 9 (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain stepped up their criticism of Russia's military activity in Georgia on Saturday, calling for Moscow to withdraw its forces and the international community to facilitate peace talks.

McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona who has made foreign policy and national security the centerpiece of his campaign, said he spoke to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Saturday, their second conversation since the crisis erupted.

Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, said he had also spoken to Saakashvili and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Russia and Georgia came into direct conflict after Tbilisi launched an offensive to regain control over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

McCain, an outspoken critic of Moscow, said it was clear the situation in Georgia was dire. "Tensions and hostilities between Georgians and Ossetians are in no way justification for Russian troops crossing an internationally recognized border," he said in a statement.

"I again call on the government of Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its forces from the territory of Georgia."

Obama called for direct talks among all sides and said the United States, the U.N. Security Council and other parties should try to help bring about a peaceful resolution.

"I condemn Russia's aggressive actions and reiterate my call for an immediate ceasefire," Obama said in a statement.

"Russia must stop its bombing campaign, cease flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and withdraw its ground forces from Georgia."

McCain has long criticized Russia, particularly for what he sees as its backsliding on democratic reforms and human rights. "For many years, I have warned against Russian actions that undermine the sovereignty of its neighbors," he said. "Unfortunately, we have seen in recent days Russia demonstrate that these concerns were well-founded."

Obama has stepped up his criticism of Russia since the crisis started. He called for an international peacekeeping force and said Russia could not be a neutral mediator for political disputes over South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- both pro-Russian separatist regions backed by Moscow.

"The current escalation of military conflict resulted in part from the lack of a neutral and effective peacekeeping force operating under an appropriate UN mandate," Obama said. "Russia cannot play a constructive role as peacekeeper."

President George W. Bush has urged Moscow to stop bombing immediately, saying it marked a dangerous escalation.

Georgia is a close ally of the United States and has relied on military aid and training from Washington, which has pushed hard for Georgia to become a member of NATO despite strong opposition from Russia.

McCain said NATO's decision to withhold a Membership Action Plan for Georgia "may have been viewed as a green light for aggression in the region."

In New York, several hundred Georgians gathered across the street from United Nations headquarters to hold a candlelight protest against Russia's actions. They held Georgian flags and posters with slogans such as "Putin killer," referring to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department said it had authorized the departure from Georgia of family members of certain staff and repeated a warning to Americans to defer travel to the country. (Writing by Jeff Mason and Patsy Wilson; editing by Chris Wilson)

US faults Russia for rising violence in Georgia
By JOAN LOWY
Quad-City Times
http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/08/09/ap/headlines/d92f4iig0.txt
Saturday, August 9, 2008
9:45 PM CDT

WASHINGTON - Russia's use of overwhelming military force against Georgia, including strategic bombers and ballistic missiles, is disproportionate to any threat from the former Soviet state and could escalate tensions in the volatile region, a senior U.S. official said Saturday.

The Bush administration official, who briefed reporters on condition his name not be used because of the sensitive nature of the situation, said Russia has attacked areas in Georgia that are far away from the separatist province of South Ossetia, where the fighting has centered. The official also said the Russian military is striking civilian targets.

"They have employed strategic bombers _ the most potent air weaponry that is in the Russian arsenal .... They actually launched ballistic missile attacks on Georgian territory," the official said. He also said Russia has sent more than 1,000 paratroopers and armor into the region.

Russian bombing has also taken place in Abkhazia, a separate breakaway region of Georgia, far from South Ossetia, the official said.

"This is a dangerous escalation in the crisis," the official said. Russia's military response "marks a severe escalation and is being conducted in areas far, far from the South Ossetia zone of conflict, which is where the Russian side has said it needed to protect its citizens and peacekeepers. So the response has been far disproportionate to whatever threat Russia had been citing."

The U.S. official also scolded Moscow for stymieing attempts at mediation and refusing a cease-fire offer from Georgia.

"The Georgians have offered a cease-fire. The response by the Russians has been to step up the attacks, continue bombing civilians with strategic air assets and then to reject the notion of any international mediation at all _ it's very difficult for us to understand that," the official said. "It is simply not acceptable that anyone would reject an offer of a cease-fire and a plea for international mediation."

The official criticized Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for suggesting Georgia was conducting "genocide" in South Ossetia.

"Those are some pretty powerful words that are really not helping us to end the violence and bring together a new process that can resolve the conflict," the official said. "The line we're hearing right now (from Russia) is quite tough."

President Bush, in Beijing for the Olympics, spoke with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday.

"The violence is endangering regional peace, civilian lives have been lost and others are endangered. We have urged an immediate halt to the violence and a stand-down by all troops. We call for an end to the Russian bombings," a grim Bush told reporters. He did not take any questions.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talked with several European counterparts and planned to meet with the Russia's acting ambassador.

John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said he had spoken with Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili late Saturday. McCain called Russia's actions "totally, absolutely unacceptable" and said Bush should "should talk to the American people and talk to the world."

"I would be very direct with President Putin that these actions will have consequences long term, in terms of our relationship with Russia, and it is in violation of the norms of international conduct," he said in an interview with The Associated Press in Las Vegas.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he had talked with Rice and Saakashvili to condemn Russia's recent actions. He said top diplomats from the U.S., the European Union and the United Nations should become directly involved in mediating the military conflict.

"A genuinely neutral mediator _ not the Russian government _ must begin a process of negotiations immediately," Obama said in a statement.

Families and dependents of U.S. Embassy personnel in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, were expected to receive permission to evacuate.

The U.S. official suggested Russia was looking for a way to draw Georgia into a conflict because Moscow wants to keep Georgia out of NATO.

Georgia, which borders the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the breakup of the Soviet Union. Georgia angered Russia by seeking NATO membership _ a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region.

Russia wants to "keep Georgia kind of weak and off balance and to make it hard for Georgia to join NATO," the official said.

However, he said the United States and its NATO allies will not be drawn militarily into the Russian-Georgian conflict.

"This is a very localized conflict ... There is not a danger of a regional conflict at all in our minds," the official said.

Georgia has about 2,000 troops in Iraq and is the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain. The Georgian government has called home those troops, and efforts are under way now to determine how the U.S. will transport those troops to Georgia, the official said.

Associated Press Writer Kathleen Hennessey in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

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...ballistic missiles reported again, but the reporter is in Vegas so she's handing in somone else's info.