Deliberate Mistake? FT Blunders on S. Ossetia Conflict

Black Sea Wars

What is Saakashvili up to? He seems intent on provoking a new crisis to force NATO to stand with him and bring the United States in on his side – against Russia. Ultimate goal: Return the issue of his lost provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia back onto the world’s front burner.

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South Ossetia Under Fire from Georgian Territory

One year since the military conflict in the Caucasus, it is feared that hostilities might resume. South Ossetian authorities claim the republic’s capital Tskhinval was attacked from a Georgian village.

Two shells were reportedly fired from around five kilometers away from the Georgian village of Nikozi during the night. Luckily, no one was injured, a source at the Ossetian Defense Ministry told Interfax agency.

This follows reports that one man has been killed and several people injured at the border between Georgia and South Ossetia.

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"Someone" is trying to kick up that border skirmish again.

Before Israel can attack Iran, there must be wars in Georgia and Pakistan to preclude Russia supplying Iran with military assistance by ground convoy.

Troops Gather on Georgian Border

It's easy to see how things could spiral out of control: the two sides are braced for combat. At Ergneti on Georgia's border with South Ossetia, Georgian military police stand guard behind high barricades made of sandbags and two metre-high slabs of concrete. Out of sight barely 20 metres away, the forces of South Ossetia and Russia are mustered behind barricades of their own, their national flags fluttering.

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Russia Demands Nato Exercises in Georgia are Stopped

Moscow believes that the planned exercises in May "can only complicate a situation in the region which is not simple to start with".

A spokesman said the plans were "absurd" in the light of tensions with the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia – which Russia has recognised as independent – as well as opposition protests against Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

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Georgia: Renewed Military Buildup?

Georgia is moving tanks and armoured vehicles closer to the border with South Ossetia, the republic’s government said on Monday.
"According to intelligence that is coming in, Georgia has moved 28 tanks into the city of Gori, where a tank battalion is deployed. Moreover, Cobra armoured personnel carriers have been detected in the village of Nikozi in the immediate vicinity of the Republic of South Ossetia’s borders," the press release said.

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Georgian Diplomat States Georgia Started War In South Ossetia

'Georgia's former ambassador to Russia Erosi Kitsmarishvili has accused his own country of starting the war in South Ossetia. His comments almost led to a fistfight between politicians. "It was the Georgian government that launched the military action. It doesn’t matter whether it was provoked or not," he told the Georgian parliamentary commission analysing the August events. "As for the fact that Russia was prepared for it, Moscow was ready to perform the actions it did, because they were part of Russia’s overall plan. I am not saying Georgia is to blame for everything, because Russia was not an innocent lamb either."

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'Shots fired' at Georgia's president Mikheil Saakashvili

Mr Saakashvili and his Polish counterpart, Lech Kaczynski, were on a tour of the disputed region of Akhalgori, which borders South Ossetia,. Russian troops are still manning a checkpoint on the boundary since a five-day war in August.
A spokesman for the Georgian government said the Russian troops opened fire when the convoy approached, but shaky television pictures were inconclusive. Automatic gunfire could be heard but it was unclear where it was coming from. No one was hurt and the convoy turned back.

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It will probably come out later that these shot were fired by georgians

Georgian Soldiers Shooting Up Civilian Residential Blocks On Entering Tskhinval, South Ossetia On August 8th

This is actual footage of what Georgian troops were doing in Tskhinval when they entered the city after shelling it all night on August 8. A Georgian machine gunner shoots at civilian dwellings and it seems he enjoys the process like a boy playing a video-game.

War in the Caucasus: Towards a Broader Russia-US Military Confrontation?

During the night of August 7, coinciding with the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, Georgia's president Saakashvili ordered an all-out military attack on Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia.

The aerial bombardments and ground attacks were largely directed against civilian targets including residential areas, hospitals and the university. The provincial capital Tskhinvali was destroyed. The attacks resulted in some 1500 civilian deaths, according to both Russian and Western sources. "The air and artillery bombardment left the provincial capital without water, food, electricity and gas. Horrified civilians crawled out of the basements into the streets as fighting eased, looking for supplies." (AP, August 9, 2008). According to reports, some 34,000 people from South Ossetia have fled to Russia. (Deseret Morning News, Salt Lake City, August 10, 2008)

The importance and timing of this military operation must be carefully analyzed. It has far-reaching implications

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