   War in Ossetia - Russia v. Georgia
Russian jets attack Georgian city as battles rageQuote:TBILISI, Georgia - Russia sent hundreds of tanks and troops into the separatist province of South Ossetia and bombed Georgian towns Saturday in a major escalation of the conflict that has left scores of civilians dead and wounded....Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that some 1,500 people have been killed, with the death toll rising Saturday.The figure could not be independently confirmed, but witnesses who fled the fighting said hundreds of civilians had probably died. They said most of the provincial capital, Tskhinvali, was in ruins, with bodies lying everywhere....Russian Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev claimed in televised comments Saturday that Russian troops had driven Georgian forces out of the provincial capital. Witnesses confirmed that there was no sign of Georgian soldiers in the streets.Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili proposed a cease-fire Saturday. As part of his proposal, Georgian troops were pulled out of Tskhinvali and had been ordered to stop responding to Russian shelling, said Alexander Lomaia, secretary of his Security Council. ...Lomaia said there had been direct fighting between Russian and Georgian soldiers on the streets of Tskhinvali. He estimated that Russia sent 2,500 troops into Georgia. The Russian military has not said how many of its troops were deployed.Russian military aircraft also bombed the Georgian town of Gori on Saturday. An Associated Press reporter who visited Gori shortly afterward saw several apartment buildings in ruins, some still on fire, and scores of dead bodies and bloodied civilians. The elderly, women and children were among the victims. ...The fighting threatens to ignite a wider war between Russia and Georgia, which accused Russia of bombing its towns, ports and air bases. Georgia, a former Soviet republic with ambitions of joining NATO, has asked the international community to help end what it called Russian aggression....Overnight, Russian warplanes bombed the Vaziani military base on the outskirts of the Georgian capital and near the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said. He also said two other military bases were hit, and that warplanes bombed the Black Sea port city of Poti, which has a sizable oil shipment facility.Georgia, meanwhile, said it has shot down 10 Russian planes, including four brought down Saturday, according to Kakha Lomaya, head of Georgia's Security Council.The first Russian confirmation that its planes had been shot down came Saturday from Russian Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the General Staff, who said two Russian planes were downed. He did not say where or when. ...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 has angered Russia by seeking NATO membership — a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region....Georgia has about 2,000 troops in Iraq, making it the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain. But Saakashvili has called them home in the face of the South Ossetia fighting. The Georgian commander of the brigade in Iraq said Saturday they would leave as soon as transport can be arranged.What do you think? Will the war spread? Will the U.S. come to Georgia's aid? Diplomatically? Militarily? Will Ossetia become the next Chechnya? Is this a Russian land grab? Was Georgia's preemptive attack justified? (Georgian jets and troops pound separatists).    
  This is the answer to Kosovo. It's interesting that unlike in Chechnya there are hardly any Russians in Ossetia. Ossetians are an Iranic people speaking an Iranic language. There's also a pipeline involved somehow, naturally. I've found the best place to follow the conflict live is the Wikipedia page:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_South_Ossetia_(2008);http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_South_Ossetia_(2008)Wow. Lots of details. Seems more like history than a current event.If there are only 70,000 people living in South Ossetia and 1,500 have already been killed... [sad];  Hopefully besides just some saber rattling we stay out of it.  If we get involved in any real scale it could easily be what starts WWIII.   ;  Pretty disturbing.What was a 70000 people nation thinking, going to war with russia? On the other hand, it seems russia is even less concerned with its PR than i would have imagined.   ;Quote:Original post by LessBreadIf there are only 70,000 people living in South Ossetia and 1,500 have already been killed... [sad]That's what the Ossetian side is claiming.   ;  I've been trying to follow this story because I'm trying to avoid the Olympics coverage, but it's getting pretty hard. I find I have to hunt the various news pages for links on the story in the midst of a sea of stories on the Olympics and the John Edwards scandal (though that is interesting for the role the National Enquirer had). Actually, my understanding is that Georgia is the instegator in this situation.Wikipedia already has a rather long article on the "2008 South Ossetia War"Quote:The 2008 South Ossetia War started in August 2008 after days of heavy fighting between Georgian forces and Russia South Ossetian separatists. After agreeing to a ceasefire, on 7 August Georgia launched a surprise military operation to take the town of Tskhinvali, the capital of the unrecognised Republic of South Ossetia (a breakaway region out of Georgia), in response to alleged separatist attacks on Georgian villages. On 8 August, Russia responded by moving its troops across the border, bringing tanks and artillery into Tskhinvali. According to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's intention is to defend the many civilians of South Ossetia who hold Russian citizenship. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili says his country is defending itself from Russian aggression and that Russian forces are bombing its civilian population....The Ossetians are a distinct ethnic group whose origin lies along the Don River. ...Some of them settled in North Ossetia, which is now part of Russia, and others settled in South Ossetia, which is recognised by most countries as part of Georgia. ...South Ossetia... broke away from Georgia in the 1991–1992 war... because, as the BBC says, South Ossetians wanted to unite with the rest of their ethnic group in North Ossetia and did not want to accept being citizens of the Georgian government in Tblisi....Saakashvili proposed a peace deal under which South Ossetia would be given "a large degree of autonomy" within a federal state. The separatist leaders say they want full independence.Today, many of the residents of South Ossetia are Russian citizens holding Russian passports: according to the BBC, "more than half of South Ossetia's 70,000 citizens are said to have taken up Moscow's offer of a Russian passport." Dmitry Medvedev claims 90% of South Ossetia residents possess them. Russia has argued this justifies intervention to "protect its citizens."There are a bunch of other details in the article, which notes that this war is just a the latest facet in various long-running conflicts between Georgia and its various ethnic groups. While Russia's response may be heavy handed, it seems as though the Ossetians would rather be a part of Russia than Georgia.   ;The conflict isn't as clear as could be thought because of the different treaties between Georgia and Russia and Georgia starting the heavy offence. Interesting to see that Europe is using rather strong language already, calling the acts of Russia revisionism and irredentism – as Georgia is a sovereign nation.Oh well, I've to sleep now. I just wonder the timing, when all the leaders are supposed to be in the Olympics...   ;Quote:Original post by Naurava kulkuriThe conflict isn't as clear as could be thought because of the different treaties between Georgia and Russia and Georgia starting the heavy offence. Interesting to see that Europe is using rather strong language already, calling the acts of Russia revisionism and irredentism – as Georgia is a sovereign nation.Oh well, I've to sleep now. I just wonder the timing, when all the leaders are supposed to be in the Olympics...PM Vladimir Putin *was* in Beijing when it happened. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Georgian intention to use the Olympics as a sort of distraction from their plans.   ;  I wonder if America will supply the Georgians like the Russians are supplying Iran?   