South Osetia under attack

[Boroda]

Right now Georgian forces are bombing Tshinvali using BM-21 Grad. They officially announced hostilities against South Osetia. Russian peacekeeping forces are still not involved, but we'll see.

This is insane. I see a full-scale world crisis beginning.

[lasersailor184]

My first thought was, "Who's doing what to the Ostwinds now?"

[2bighorn]

I see a full-scale world crisis beginning.

Sorry, but that corner of the world is not that important to the rest.

[Chalenge]

No but Russia could force their union back into place which would be rather unsettling. My first thought when the wall came down was that Germany would reunite and then there would be another war to come.

[Boroda]

Sorry, but that corner of the world is not that important to the rest.

It's quite important to the US, because it provides military aid to Georgia, and even pays salary to Georgian government...

Caucasus is one of  the most vital geopolitical spots. It's again about oil and gas.

Yesterday Georgians promised they will not return fire, 2 hours ago they started hostilities themselves, and now they officially asked Osetins to "cease fire and meet for negotiations", at the same time taking two Osetin villages and using heavy artillery on their capital city...

[Elfie]

Which countries exactly have recognized the independence of South Osetia from Georgia?

The United Nations, European Union, OSCE, Council of the European Union, NATO and most of the countries around the world recognize South Ossetia as part of Georgia. However, the de facto independent republic governed by the secessionist government held a second independence referendum[6] on November 12, 2006, after its first referendum in 1992 was not recognized by the international community as valid.[7] According to the Tskhinvali election authorities, the referendum turned out a majority for independence from Georgia where 99% of South Ossetian voters supported independence and the turnout for the vote was 95%[8] and the referendum was monitored by a team of 34 international observers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden and other countries at 78 polling stations[9]. However, it was not recognized internationally by the UN, European Union, OSCE, NATO and the Russian Federation, given the lack of ethnic Georgian participation and the legality of such referendum without recognition from the central government in Tbilisi.[10] The European Union, OSCE and NATO condemned the referendum. Parallel to the secessionist held referendum and elections, the Ossetian opposition movement (The Salvation Union of South Ossetia) to Kokoity, organised their own elections in which both Georgian and some Ossetian inhabitants of the region voted in favour of Dmitri Sanakoev as the alternative President of South Ossetia.[11] The alternative elections of Sanakoev claimed full support of the ethnic Georgian population. In 2007, Dmitri Sanakoev became the head of the Provisional Administration of South Ossetia.

On July 13, 2007, Georgia set up a state commission, chaired by the Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, to develop South Ossetia's autonomous status within the Georgian state. According to the Georgian officials, the status will be elaborated within the framework of "an all-inclusive dialogue" with all the forces and communities within the Ossetian society

[Slamfire]

It's quite important to the US, because it provides military aid to Georgia, and even pays salary to Georgian government...

Caucasus is one of  the most vital geopolitical spots. It's again about oil and gas.

Yesterday Georgians promised they will not return fire, 2 hours ago they started hostilities themselves, and now they officially asked Osetins to "cease fire and meet for negotiations", at the same time taking two Osetin villages and using heavy artillery on their capital city...

Agreed - that region (Caucasus) is of extreme importance...  Look at all the trouble that spawned out of there only a few years ago: The Chechnya Wars... Global Jihad... Moscow Theater Seige... Belsan Massacre... Moscow Apt Bombings and on and on and on...  I might be mistaken, but I am under the impression that the Caucasus provides the oil for most of Europe...

I thought things were relatively stable there since Shamil Basayev was killed... last thing we need is more trouble out of that region.

[Elfie]

Yesterday Georgians promised they will not return fire, 2 hours ago they started hostilities themselves,

Apparently that is debatable.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/08/200887205352812361.html

"Despite our call for peace and a unilateral ceasefire separatists continued the shelling of Georgian villages," he said.

Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's president, had earlier offered an immediate halt to heavy fighting, which had injured at least 21 people on Thursday, and said he had ordered his forces not to return fire if attacked.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/07/europe/EU-Georgia-South-Ossetia.php

The South Ossetian separatist government said Tskhinvali and nearby areas came under heavy artillery and mortar shelling from Georgian-controlled territory early Thursday, wounding 18 people. But Georgian authorities said they were forced to retaliate when South Ossetian separatist forces started firing on Georgian troops in the area.

[mg1942]

check out the fireworks

[Boroda]

check out the fireworks

Is it a video of Georgian Grads (BM-21 rocket launchers) fireing at Tskhinval?

Fireworks my ass! This kind of weapons usually leaves nothing but burnt soil...

Do you see the gun elevation at that video? It means they are shooting literally point blank.

Georgian shturmoviks attacked a humanitarian aid convoy from North Osetia. They also bombed distant Osetian villages where women and children were evacuated from the front-line. Russian peace-keeping batallion quarters are under fire, some servicemen wounded and killed. Peacekeepers don't have any heavy weapons according to their status... Our Defense ministry already said we'll support peace-keepers "by all possible means". Putin already said in China that Georgia has to expect retribution for this actions.

[Dowding]

I love the Russian response (paraphrased):

"They are bombing women and children and using artillery on civilian settlements."

De ja vu? Remember Grozny? It's funny to see the Russian government trying to take the moral high ground in the media.

[evenhaim]

I love the Russian response (paraphrased):

"They are bombing women and children and using artillery on civilian settlements."

De ja vu? Remember Grozny? It's funny to see the Russian government trying to take the moral high ground in the media.

From what I just read, Russian jets are bombing Goergian cities and towns.

[Boroda]

From what I just read, Russian jets are bombing Goergian cities and towns.

The already "shot down" one Russian plane. LOL! 

[Boroda]

I love the Russian response (paraphrased):

"They are bombing women and children and using artillery on civilian settlements."

De ja vu? Remember Grozny? It's funny to see the Russian government trying to take the moral high ground in the media.

Dowding, again the money for the fish.

Grozniy was not a city populated by civilians, your Chehen friends had two weeks for all the non-combatants to leave the city. C'mon teach Russians how to take fortified cities.

I expect Russian reaction on mass-killing of Russian citizens in Osetia to be like this: immediately cutting off electricity, oil and gas supplies to Georgia, bombing Georgian armed forces bases and other military objects, especially SAM sites and airfields, all the things NATO did in Yugoslavia, except bombing civilian industrial objects and schools/hospitals. We also should send Osetin volunteers, supplied with all possible weapons, across the border tunnel to Southern part of Osetia.

Abkhazian army is also deploying it's troops and heavy armament to the DMZ border. I am 100% sure - Georgians can't withstand a war with two opponents.

[mora]

WTFG Georgia!