This has implications for the whole region, sorry had to post it here because World/Global Affairs is still closed down on this forum!!!

Russian tanks 'rolling into Georgian breakaway'

TBLISI, Georgia (CNN) -- Russian television Friday showed a convoy of Russian tanks and said they were heading into the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia as escalating tensions over the region threatened to boil into full blown conflict.

The move came after Russia denounced as "aggressive" a Georgian troops military offensive to regain control over the province, vowing to respond.

Russian authorities earlier said several of its peacekeepers died in a Georgian attack in South Ossetia, which borders Russia and has strong ties to its vast northern neighbor, and they vowed not to leave Russian citizens in the territory unprotected.

"The Georgian leadership has launched a dirty adventure," a statement from Russia's Defense Ministry said on Friday. "We will not leave our peacekeepers and Russian citizens unprotected."

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Georgia started the fighting and warned that Russia would respond to their actions.

"Heavy weapons and artillery have been sent there, and tanks have been added. Deaths and injuries have been reported, including among Russian peacekeepers," Putin said in comments carried Friday by Russia's Interfax news agency. Video Watch more about the increased violence in Georgia »

"It's all very sad and alarming. And, of course, there will be a response."

Earlier Friday, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said in a televised statement that Russian aircraft bombed several Georgian villages and other civilian facilities.

He added that there were injuries and damage to buildings. "A full-scale aggression has been launched against Georgia," he said.

A Georgian official reported that seven people were hurt in the attack, the Associated Press said.

Saakashvili urged Russia to immediately stop bombing Georgian territory. "Georgia will not yield its territory or renounce its freedom," he said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/0...?iref=hpmostpop

Georgia might act innocent but US meddling in its relations and its move to join NATO is clear and present danger to Russian as there wont be any buffer between Russia and NATO.

Troops stationed in Ossetia were never peace-keepers but russian marines, more to defend Ossetia.

Georgian army moves to retake South Ossetia - UPDATE

By MUSA SADULAYEV, Associated Press Writer 1 minute ago

TSKHINVALI, Georgia - Georgian troops launched a major military offensive Friday to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia, prompting a furious response from Russia — which vowed retaliation and sent a column of tanks into the region.
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More than two dozen were reported dead in the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won defacto independence in a war that ended in 1992.

Ten Russian peacekeepers were killed and 30 wounded when their barracks were hit in Georgian shelling, said Russian Ground Forces spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov. Russia has soldiers in South Ossetia as peacekeeping forces but Georgia alleges they back the separatists.

Separatist officials in South Ossetia said 15 civilians had been killed in fighting overnight, and Georgian officials said seven civilians were wounded in bombing raids by Russia.

The main hospital in Tskhinvali, the provincial capital, had ceased functioning and ambulances were unable to reach wounded civilians, said international Red Cross spokeswoman Maia Kardova in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The fighting broke out when much of the world's attention was focused on the start of the Olympic Games and many leaders, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Bush, were on their way to Beijing.

Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili, who insists his government's military action was provoked, noted the timing in an interview with CNN.

"Most decision makers have gone for the holidays," he said. "Brilliant moment to attack a small country."

Speaking earlier on Georgian television, Saakashvili accused Russia of sending aircraft to bomb Georgian territory, which Russia denied.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it was sending reinforcements for its peacekeepers, and Russian state television and Georgian officials reported a convoy of tanks had crossed the border. The convoy was expected to reach the provincial capital, Tskhinvali, by evening, Channel One television said.

Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temur Yakobashvili said government troops were now in full control of the city.

"We are facing Russian aggression," said Georgia's Security Council chief Kakha Lomaya. "They have sent in their troops and weapons and they are bombing our towns."

Putin has warned that the Georgian attack will draw retaliation and the Defense Ministry pledged to protect South Ossetians, most of whom have Russian citizenship.

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. The country has angered Russia by seeking NATO membership — a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region.

An Associated Press reporter saw tanks and other heavy weapons concentrating on the Russian side of the border with South Ossetia. Some villagers were fleeing into Russia.

"I saw them (the Georgians) shelling my village," said Maria, who gave only her first name. She said she and other villagers spent the night in a field and then fled toward the Russian border as the fighting escalated.

Georgia declared a three-hour cease-fire to allow civilians to leave Tskhinvali. Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said troops were observing the cease-fire, which began at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. EDT).

Yakobashvili said Georgian forces have shot down two Russian combat planes over Georgian territory. He gave no details. Russia's Defense Ministry denied an earlier Georgia report about one Russian plane downed and had no immediate comment on the latest claim.

Yakobashvili said that one Russian plane had dropped a bomb on the Vaziani military base near the Georgian capital, but no one was hurt.

More than 1,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers were at the base last month to teach combat skills to Georgian troops. Georgia has about 2,000 troops in Iraq, making it the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain.

The White House on Friday urged Russia and Georgia to peacefully resolve their dispute over South Ossetia.

"We urge restraint on all sides — that violence would be curtailed and that direct dialogue could ensue in order to help resolve their differences," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he was seriously concerned about the fighting and that the alliance is closely following the situation.

South Ossetia officials said Georgia attacked with aircraft, armor and heavy artillery. Georgian troops fired missiles at Tskhinvali, an official said, and many buildings were on fire.

Georgia's president said Russian aircraft bombed several Georgian villages and other civilian facilities.

"A full-scale aggression has been launched against Georgia," Saakashvili said in a televised statement. He also announced a full military mobilization with reservists being called into action.

Seven civilians were wounded when three Russian Su-24 jet bombers flew into Georgia and bombed the town of Gori and the villages of Kareli and Variani, Deputy Interior Minister Eka Sguladze said at a briefing.

She said that four Russian jets later bombed Gori, the hometown of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, but that raid didn't cause any casualties.

Saakashvili urged Russia to immediately stop bombing Georgian territory. "Georgia will not yield its territory or renounce its freedom," he said.

A senior Russian diplomat in charge of the South Ossetian conflict, Yuri Popov, dismissed the Georgian claims of Russian bombings as misinformation, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported.

Russia's Defense Ministry denounced the Georgian attack as a "dirty adventure." "Blood shed in South Ossetia will weigh on their conscience," the ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site.

"We will protect our peacekeepers and Russian citizens," it said without elaboration.

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev later chaired a session of his Security Council in the Kremlin, vowing that Moscow will protect Russian citizens.

"In accordance with the constitution and federal law, I, as president of Russia, am obliged to protect lives and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are located," Medvedev said, according to Russian news reports. "We won't allow the death of our compatriots go unpunished."

Saakashvili long has pledged to restore Tbilisi's rule over South Ossetia and another breakaway province, Abkhazia. Both regions have run their own affairs without international recognition since splitting from Georgia in the early 1990s and built up ties with Moscow.

Relations between Georgia and Russia worsened notably this year as Georgia pushed to join NATO and Russia dispatched additional peacekeeper forces to Abkhazia.

The Georgian attack came just hours after Saakashvili announced a unilateral cease-fire in a television broadcast late Thursday in which he also urged South Ossetian separatist leaders to enter talks on resolving the conflict.

Georgian officials later blamed South Ossetian separatists for thwarting the cease-fire by shelling Georgian villages in the area.

___

Associated Press writers Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili in Tbilisi, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and John Heilprin at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Update: The latest on the Georgian front is that Russia has mobilised troops and occupied parts of the Capitol of S.Osetta, a entire Tank division was seen entering the City as Georgian forces are being pushed out.

The Georgians claim to have shot down 4 Russian fighter jets, but it seems they are in retreat mode now that they have woken the Russian bear!

Do you think this will get stopped or could blow into full-scale invasion of Georgia?

Thanks God there is another conflict for the US to stay engaged in ... that way they will spend less time making problems against us !

Georgia has shot down 4 fighter jets??? How?? are migs and sukhois that dumb?

No the pilots inside the Migs and Sikhois are Dumb

Georgia barely has an air force, according to wikipedia
22 Su-25KM
13 Su-25UB
12 MiG-25
4 Su-24
18 MiG-21
11 L-39
2 L-29
1 Mi-35 "Hind"
19 Mi-24-P "Hind"
21 Mi-24-V "Hind"
18 Mil Mi-14
16 Mi-8 "Hip"
6 Bell-212
40 UH-1H
2 Mil Mi-2

and here is their air defence structure

15 BUK-M1
38 S-125
18 9K33 Osa
35 ZSU-23-4
15 C-60
40 MT-LB with towed ZU-23

Georgia has mostly old ground attack aircraft and Russia has so far only used Su-24s, also ground attack. Su-24 not to difficult to shoot down for decent SAMs.

This may be Russia's way of telling the Imperials to think better about Iran.

Actually Georgia invaded South Ossetia (which claims independence from Georgia). Russia and Georgia are not at direct full scale war. Russia is "supporting" its "peacekeeper"s in Ossetia and Ossetian rebels buy sending a column of tanks.

Of they were are full fledged war Russia would crush Georgia.

Shooting down 4 planes is probably a propaganda that the regime in georgia uses considering their sam and anti air capability. How dare they can launch an invasion of this sort killing civilians without mercy and Russian soldiers too unless the support and the results of this attack is preplanned. It is planned to make UN give a fast decision soon and probably a line is planned before to be drawn giving the invaded areas to saakasvili regime. It would be a temporary decision for now but it is planned to be permanent in near future.

The job could be done preemptively before by bombing them back to stone age by Tu bombers and invading to bring democracy but that would only suit US. It should be a defensive warfare tackling down and immobilising the puppet regime of georgia.

-harms should be used to take out radars and comunication. After air control is gained and uavs-satellites determine the georgian artillery Su24 and Ka50s would easily take out the artilleries.
-Arm the locals bring sufficient supply of atgms and don't accept the preplanned temporary redline in UN giving the areas invaded to the saakasvili regime and wait.

saakasvili government wanted support from US but they can't get any Us support through Turkey and no any other surrounding country. Maybe from Azerbaijan Us can give very limited support to the saakasvili regime. Hopefully later on as the locals understand the true face of their extremist government they would bring down the puppet regime.Truth can't be hidden for long.

All i want to know is.... which brand of Vodka was the Georgian leading drinking when he effectively declared War on Russia!

Georgia has 35,000 troops.

South Ossetia Has 2,500 troops, 16 tanks and 2 planes.

Georgia has devastated Ossetia instead of capturing it, and Russia is just getting started with Georgia.

Western Media is behind Georgia.

Russia rolls into disputed territory
Aug. 8: Russian tanks roll into South Ossetia after Georgian officials say they have shot down two Russian military aircraft. MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski reports.

Video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26088742#26088742
chau

Just an excuse to get NATO/US involed in this BS.

Every thing is staged, as its totally foolish for Georgia to attack not even Ossetia but Russian troops.

Now when mother Russian will act, people will start crying of genocide and massacre and will promptly send NATO troops under the banner of UN to intervene.

You mean POOR RUSSIA?

Dont get ahead of yourselves. Keep to the topic or keep your mouth Shut. If you have a problem report the post.

According to the msnbc video, Georgia was provoking. imho, best to condemn any aggression from any side.

BEHAVE!!!

Secondly your post indicated that russia is innocent. thats y i posted that comment but this time ur ### became a ball of fire!!!!

98% russian weapons. then how come it is showing agression to its supplier.

The only thing that has been keeping Sakashvilli in power has been his promise to get South Ossetia and Abkhazia back. Which is really stupid.

If you ask me, this is retarded. Sakashvilli made a really stupid promise just to stay in power, but Russia shouldn't be meddling in Georgian affairs like this. How do you think Pakistan would react if India suddenly decided to send peacekeepers to FATA? I support the South Ossestian people's right to seccession, their should be a democratic referendum to decide whether South Ossetia becomes independent, apart of Russia, or stays with Georgia. Same for Abkhazia. But Russia shouldn't be meddling in Georgia's affairs like this, picking on a small and tiny country like Georgia is sad. It bullying, and blatant imperialist aggression.

huh...

"poor Russia" comment was uncalled for even if I meant "Russia is innocent", as it was making a mockery of what i said.

And if you cant control yourself please grace us with your absence here.

Sorry your words dont have any importance here. So bear me!

REGARDS

Siddharth i didnt see that coming from you atleast! anyway refrain from such comments when nobody is saying anything to india. This leads me to aks you why your a$$ is always on fire?

On aside note i do agree its all staged to get NATO involved.

Its something kind of China-Taiwan/US scenario. You can call it meddling but can be seen as intervention too.

Also here Georgian troops made a grave mistake of taking out Russian troops stationed there, prompting Russian move.

In one of the documentaries made by BBC on Ossetia (aired last year) showed Russian peace-keepers clearly siding with Ossetian cause. One of the soldier even said they would tear off their UN badges if Georgians came.

lol, i just dozed of that fire with garden sprinklers. Its no problem now, only some smoke.

back to topic, what Georgia thought to achieve by this actions as they don't have the man power to capture this land. Even a blind man can calculated Russian response and chances of success for Georgian troops.

Only reason can be to highlight it on international arena or call for military intervention.

Gorgia would be eaten alive by the Russian force lol, i dont even want to think about what Russia would do to the small country i mean come on they would do more Damage to Gorgia then what the US forces and NATO forces did combined to Iraq. i also believe its a good game by gorgia to use the NATO card not only to station troops but infact to get a complete member ship one knows how the rest goes they get access to great military machinery and what not hence creating another front for Russia to fight on in the long term.

We should kill their president!!! Just kill one bastard for peace in region!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikheil_Saakashvili
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_revolution
Another american puppet.

Russia was angry that Georgia wanted to join NATO so it started causing trouble in Ossetia by placing troops and aircraft there and calling them "peace keepers". They deserved an invasion. Ossetia is a part of Georgia.

I think Georgia is playing a very dangerous game if they think by attacking Russian troops in southern Ossetia by getting NATO involved, if that were to happen I don't think Russia is going to sit down like a spectator and let NATO do whatever it likes.

do u think that NATO will start war with Russia just because of their newly borm ally?
chau

do average Georgians hate Russians? if they do, then any future peace will be expensive to maintain, just look at Pakistan and India. Russia may have to impoverish Georgia from time to time to make peace last longer.

If you analyse the whole situation - its Russia that is playing a decietful and dirty game ....

Siddarth has has posting rights revoked for 14 days due to his flaming. I've noticed little petty digs like that (flame baiting) many times.

Siddarth has has posting rights revoked for 14 days due to his flaming. I've noticed little petty digs like that (flame baiting) many times.

How did you come to that conclusion bro?

The way i see it Russia is being encircled by NATO.

Frankly i dont see how Russia is playing a dirty game here, from what i see Russia is making it clear not to gorgia but everybody else including the Americans and their NATO allys that they arent the former shadow of them selves any more and if provoked they would go after anybody and everybody that threathens them plain and simple.

On a side note i dont understand people hating Russia hell i wish USSR was here now at this point intime and things would have been much better because the balance of power would have been there between the americans and the Russians now all we see is americans or to be exact american goverment getting its way we need another super power besides US may it be Russia or China but we definately need one to balance out the equation.

Russia is simply trying to take control and install a puppet Government so that it can control Azerbaijani oil that is being exported to Turkey via pipelines through the region ....

they simply want to make slaves of the Azeris and all these newly independent republics ...

Lol if theoratically we accept what your saying isnt that what the americans are doing as well all over the world trying to control energy and oil rich lands, hell everybody is doing it so whats the point here.isnt it wrong when our SOOOOOOOOOOO great ally uncle sam does it in Iraq to control the oil supply of the country i dont care if the US can do it and get away with it, why shouldnt the Russians do it as well.

bro .... just one little thing here .... forget America .... ask any Georgian .... or any other people ....

how would they feel if Russia did to them what they have been trying for decades in Georgia ....

leave USA out of this .... we should have the wisdom to see issues seperately .... and simply because USA does it ..... and ITS WRONG .... does not mean we should say ... yeah ... so what .... let Russia invade and enslave another free country ....

why do you look at everything from the perspective of how much you hate the USA??? be fair .... and look at this situation independently ....

visioninthedark ,



U.S and this issue is interconnected. Russia can't leave this alone, just like Pakistanis who wouldn't tolerate foreign influences.

I think Russia has forgot the beatings of Chechneya and Afghanistan.

I seroiusly hope this time NATO goes in like in the Bosnian war, NATO should use military force and side with Georgia.

Russia needs to be reminded every 5 or 10 years that is it a weak nation with no global power, it needs to be reminded to stop invading countrys which dont want to share its extremist idealogys.

I seriously hope Russians are attacked and they losse even more to Georgio.



There is no foreign influence, the Caucasus is not Russian territory and never has been.

Russian only know one thing, to grab land ethnic cleanse it and declare it part of Russia, but they also need to realise Soviet Union died 17 years ago at the hands of Pakistan and the Mujahideen.

you did that to our president, but you still got a beating in Afghanistan.

Skull-Buster that wasnt a very nice thing to say. :-)

This is getting uglier by the minute…..

What does this topic have to do with Pakistani strategic forum?

I get surprised when people of your claimed-intellect (PhD and all) write such things my brother.

While millions of Chechens died in one conflict, Afghanistan as a country and the lives of its people were ruined in the other one.
We (Pakistan, the US, and others) are still struggling to overcome the side effects of the Afghan war.
Look at both sides to the story man.

War is never pretty, but NATO and Russia engaged in a non Middle eastern territory... I say let them beat each other black and blue. I don't see it happening though. NATO may provide covert military support to Georgia and open diplomatic support, but it will not provide direct military assistance. On the other hand a "UN intervention" and a "peacekeeping force", might be exactly what is needed to ensure Russia backs down.

hope it is not for keeping russia away from afghanistan?This is their sensitive point which can not be ignore