Georgia starts major attack on South Ossetia - Russia starts upping the ante

Опубликовано обращение народа Южной Осетии к правительствам и народам Мира!
На сайте Цхинвал.ru опубликовано обращение народа Южной Осетии к правительствам и народам Мира!

Which translates as "The appeal of the people of South Osetia to governments and peoples of peace is published! On the site Of [tskhinval].ru is published the appeal of the people of South Osetia to governments and peoples of peace!

This is the latest urgent plea on the website of the Press Information of the Republic of South Ossetia http://comnf.org/ - English version (behind in news) is http://comnf.org/english/

The town / village of Tskhinval (see Wikipedia) is under seige and their appeal is ...

8.08.2008 - 20:23 (GMT + 3)
Appeal to the Governments and peoples of the world!
Please, help us stop genocide of the small people of the South Ossetia! The small country, which has been constantly destroying for 19 years by Georgian fascists.

And the world community conceal all the atrocities of Georgia for the sake of geopolitical interest of the USA. Conflict resolution is completely in international law.

However, the Georgian side skillfully uses methods of historical falsifications, political insinuations. Georgia enjoys the patronage of a criminal government of the USA, and presents events in the world misrepresented.At the moment the most part of South Ossetia is erased by the Georgian aggressors.

There continue to die elderly, women, children.The death toll is unknown, because of the Georgian side fired them all who tried to help the wounded. Children are among them.

Not comparable with anything Georgian cruelty let know even in 91-92 years. When Georgians at point-blank range shot civilians of South Ossetia, as the example of the bus which was driving with people on bypass road, Zar.

No one will forget it!Georgian fascists made all people go out, from the bus and fired them. They also fired point-blank women and children and kids .

They fired even the little three-year-old boy, who hid away under the body of his mother.

What else can we say of Georgia? They buried people alive, burnt them and tortured them in different methods. After all that the world community is silent and Georgians continue to kill. Saakashvili doesn’t feel sorry for anybody, even for his Georgians.

For him, the notion of "people" and "meat" is not much different and probably, he prefers more the second.There is only one way for peace - it is declaration of the independence by the world community. We call on all decent people of the world not to remain indifferent to the fate of the Ossetian people.

We have been following events in breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia (here) for some years and the latest Friday, July 04, 2008 Russian backed breakaway South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali shelled from Georgia , which covered the shelling of Tskhinval resulting in several deaths.

This is a long and convoluted struggle now inflamed because (partly) Russia will not recognise the US manufactured statelet, gangster hinterland and site of huge US base called Kosovo carved out of Serbia. (See KLA is CIA Lab / Bondsteel camp - Byzantine Blog)

So the Russkis are helping the Abkhazians ( a major smuggling route) and South Ossetians (total pop = 70,00)with their special Gazprom gas supply so if the Georgian gas is cut off they remain warm in winter at least. It is also related to the BTC pipeline Baku / Tblisi / Ceyhan and US moves to get Georgia and the Ukraine within the NATO family threatening Russias southern flank.

From midnight tonight Russia ceases air traffic to Georgia Россия с полуночи прекращает воздушное сообщение с ГрузиейРоссия с 9 августа прекращает воздушное сообщение с Грузией, сообщил в пятницу представитель пресс-службы Минтранса РФ.

It is also reported that The Russian President RF Dmitriy Medvedev, said on opening of the special conference of the Russian Security Council, that Russia will not allow the unpunished loss of its compatriots in the Caucasus. " In accordance with the constitution and the federal legislation as the President RF, I am obliged to protect life and honour of Russian citizens, wherever they not were located. The logic of the steps undertaken by us now is dictated by these circumstances. We will not allow the unpunished loss of our compatriots. The guilty will carry deserved punishment [nakazanie]".

Президент РФ Дмитрий Медведев, заявил на открытии экстренного совещания российского Совбеза, что Россия не допустит безнаказанной гибели своих соотечественников на Кавказе.Цитируем: "В соответствии с Конституцией и федеральным законодательством, как президент РФ, я обязан защитить жизнь и достоинство российских граждан, где бы они ни находились. Логика предпринимаемых нами сейчас шагов продиктована этими обстоятельствами. Мы не допустим безнаказанной гибели наших соотечественников. Виновные понесут заслуженное наказание".

Sky News is good, BBC news is but they quaintly refer to the Ossetians as "separatists". CNN has good coverage - they say Georgian forces have shot down two and four Russian aircraft in the same story .

"I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings, in cars," Lyudmila Ostayeva, a resident of the South Ossetia capital, Tskhinvali, told The Associated Press.

"It's impossible to count them now. There is hardly a single building left undamaged," she said after fleeing to a village near the Russian border, AP reported.

One U.S. State Department official called the conflict a "very dangerous situation" and said diplomatic moves are afoot around the globe to stop it - having of course done a great deal to stoke it up already.

For more readily accessible information on recent developments Wikipedia War in South Ossetia (2008) Pic above from BBC -Georgians bomb separatists

Daily Telegraph "Over 1,300 people are reported dead after Russian forces responded to a Georgian attack on rebels in the breakaway province of South Ossetia by mounting a full scale invasion. "
Guradian"Georgia and Russia were today on the brink of full-scale war after Russian tanks rolled across the border to back separatists in the breakaway South Ossetia region." Good bcaground piece here Independent - South Ossettia leader says 1,400 killed in conflict
Times - Russia turns might of its war machine on rebel neighbour Georgia
New York Times -Rusian Troops Enter Rebel Enclave Georgian Forces Push Into South Ossetia’s Capital
Novosti Over 1,000 civilians have been killed as the result of an attack by Georgia on the capital of its breakaway republic of South Ossetia, the North Ossetian nationalities minister said Friday.

"According to the South Ossetian information and press committee, the number of fatalities is estimated, according to preliminary information, at over 1,000," Teimuraz Kasayev said.

North Ossetia is part of Russia. Many reports talk of Georgians involved in "ethnic cleansing"

Der Spiegel - Russia Marches into South Ossetia Photo Gallery

BBC World News at midnight BST report that Russian bombs have fallen on cities and ports , military targets in S Georgia.

Now see later post Saturday, August 09, 2008 Georgian attacks on South Ossetia intensify as civilians flee under bombardment and shelling

Diplomatic moves as Georgians sieze control of South Ossetia and refugees flee

Someone is doing a splendid job of keeping up to date on news reports on Wikipedia on a page called 2008 War in South Ossetia. Also (in Russian)

“The entire city of Tskhinvali is currently controlled by units of South Ossetia’s defence forces”, Irina Gagloyeva, a spokeswoman for the South Ossetian authorities, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

But shortly before that statement came, in a televised address, Georgian president ( said that his forces controlled almost all of the territory.

“Georgian forces are controlling the entire territory of South Ossetia except Java … We are fully in control of Tskhinvali”, he said.

Georgian positions around the city had been destroyed by Russian tank and artillery units, a spokesman for Vladimir Boldyrev, Russia’s army chief, was quoted as saying.

“The positions from which Georgian troops were firing… have been destroyed by fire from artillery and tank units of the 58th army”, Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman, said.

In the fighting, 1 400 South Ossetians had been killed, Eduard Kokoity, is quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency. (this seems an extravagant claim) more

In other developments : (2.00 am BST)
The UN Security Council was holding its 2nd emergency meeting on Friday in a bid to end the crisis, after failing to agree earlier on the wording of a Russian-drafted statement

The European security organisation, the OSCE, warned that the fighting in South Ossetia could escalate into a full-scale war (NYT)

The US and the EU were reported to be sending a joint delegation to the region to seek a ceasefire and Nato said it was seriously concerned.

Wall Street Journal Morning Brief - By JOSEPH SCHUMAN Moscow, Washington And South Ossetia

According to Italian agency AGI spokesman Dmitry Peskov for Vladimir Putin, said that Putin said to President George Bush at the Olympic opening ceremony in Peking ..."in South Ossetia, a real war has broken out" Bush, according to the same source replied: "no one wants war".The White House, have not reported any details on the meeting. Putin explained to Bush that "in Russia many volunteers intend to go there (in South Ossetia to fight) and undoubtedly, it is very difficult to maintain peace in the region".

Good Yahoo news report here.

The London Daily Mirror report that Katie Melua 24, - Nine Million Bicycles singer , who is on tour in Germany, telephoned her mother Tamari in Tblisi who she is due to visit in 2 weeks. Her uncle may be conscripted into the Georgian army men over the age of 18 are to go to Ossetia, but her kid bro. Zurab, 16, is too young to fight.

Katie lived in Georgia until she was eight and is now based in Croydon, South London

Katie said today she hoped the conflict ended soon.

"Whoever settled anything with war? At the moment it seems to be a lot of posturing and the two 'sides' showing each other how big their 'guns' are," she said.

"But I hope that the violence can end before any more people are killed."

Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles

There are nine million bicycles in Beijing

That's a fact,

It's a thing we can't deny

Like the fact that I will love you till I die.



We are twelve billion light years from the edge,

That's a guess,

No-one can ever say it's true

But I know that I will always be with you.



I'm warmed by the fire of your love everyday

So don't call me a liar,

Just believe everything that I say



There are six BILLION people in the world

More or less

and it makes me feel quite small

But you're the one I love the most of all



[INTERLUDE]

We're high on the wire

With the world in our sight

And I'll never tire,

Of the love that you give me every night



There are nine million bicycles in Beijing

That's a Fact,

it's a thing we can't deny

Like the fact that I will love you till I die



And there are nine million bicycles in Beijing

And you know that I will love you till I die!

South Ossetia, barren , cold, unreconstructed led by gangsters - so much for Russian protection

Four months have passed since the Russians repulsed the mad incursion on South Ossetia by Preisdent Sakashvilli, goaded by his Israeli military advisors and US cheerleaders.

Four months in which comment, ad information about events have dried up as Ossetia, recognised only by Russia (on August 26th) and Nicaragua (also Abkhazia led Sergei Bagapsh) struggles to cope with the post conflict problems and the forthcoming winter. (Belarus expected to recognise them has said nothing on the subject publicly)

President Ortega, who led a Soviet-backed government who fought the corrupt U.S.-supported Contra rebels in the late 1980s, criticized the West when announcing recognition on September 8th 2008, for attempting to surround Russia and investing millions of dollars through NATO to "build a military fence against Russia."

It was of interest that South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity (Эдуард Джабеевич Кокойты )on September 11th, said his republic planned to merge with the neighboring Russian province of North Ossetia, and become part of Russia, but had later to withdraw his statement after Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi"We are not considering the issue of South Ossetia joining the Russian Federation." and added "We have no desire or reason to encroach on the sovereignty of former Soviet republics,"

Whilst the struggles for this tiny mountainous statelet with only 70,000 citizens became a surrogate in the struggle between Russia and the West the agenda of the self important politicians has moved on to larding the corpses of banks and finance houses with tax payers funds and gawping whilst Gaza burns.

Foreign journalists are only permitted entry or travel accompanied by officials from the foreign ministry in Moscow. Even the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union, cannot gain access.

However stories are constantly appearing in Russian media that the tiny republic teeters on the brink of social unrest and breakdown. As winter draws on there are tales (entirely believable) the government has allegedly embezzled Russian reconstruction aid funds. South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity fled leaving his citizenry (although he was Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of South Ossetia) without his leadership and and that millions of rubles deposited in the safes at the national bank in Tskhinvali had gone missing with him.

His presence also is a major determinant in dissuading any oligarch investing a single rouble in South Ossetia while its gangster leadership remains.

Kokoity, is a former freestyle wrestler and says the criticism is purely Georgian spin to "discredit South Ossetia and its leadership in the eyes of the Russians." Yes, says Kokoity explaining the lack of gas supplies, it is cold now in Tskhinvali, but "we are occasionally warmed by the joy of victory and independence.

He sits isolated in his grim concrete bunker well eqipped with Turkish thermopane tinted , installed after the war helped by key backing from Albert "Dik" Tedeyev and his brother Jambulat, a champion wrestler, of the powerful Tedeyev clan who organised and financed Kokoity's election campaign in 2001 with whom he fell out once before but they seem to be back in favour.

There has been some urgent reconstruction , 10 schools, kindergartens and the hospital have been rebuilt. That's where ti stops, houses sport blue plastic tarps and windows stopped up with blankets. Compounded by the lystery of where all the glass for reconstruction went acording to Russian Disaster Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Where the money and materials have vanished to remains unknown but critics point to President Kokoity who has declared the budget, filled almost exclusively with Russian funds after the war, a state secret.

Spiegel reports that a former security advisor accuses Kokoity of having surrounded himself with confidants from the Russian regions of Samara and Ulyanovsk and of conducting money-laundering operations with dubious companies.

Yuri Morosov, the former prime minister who resigned after the war -- supposedly of his own free will -- voices similar complaints. According to Morosov, 100 million rubles or about €2.7 million ($3.8 million) in salary payments for public servants were embezzled shortly before the conflict. Most of the money was intended for South Ossetia's armed militias.

Russia is faced with Georgian war victims receiving largesse mainly from €3.4 billion (US$4.8 billion) in aid money, mainly from the EU and the United States.

Russia needs to provide some concrete evidence of benefits, and a proper reconstruction of South Ossetia otherwise Russia's much vaunted claims in presenting itself as a protective power to the people of the Caucasus and the world is going to look somehwat tarnished and furthermore, unbelievable.

There has however been the necessity of renaming streest and public places and on 12th December, Kokoity renamed the two main drags in the republic's capital of Tskhinvali in honor of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (formerly Stalin Street - which continued to represent the "crimes of Stalin") and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Commenting in Rossiiskaya Gazeta the government daily paper , Kokoity said "this is a symbol of our belief in Russia. We can be independent and at the same time loyal to Russia. I do not see any contradictions." he added. ( A stret was renamed in Groszny the capital of Chechnya
in honor of Putin on October 5, 2008)

This was 2 days after Kokoity told Komsomolskaya Pravda: "Saakashvili tried to buy me off. In January 2003 he sent 3 of his bureaucrats over, who offered me $20 million, and asked in exchange that I either stand down as president or re-orientate my people away from Russia, and towards Georgia."

"I, of course, firmly refused.(Ho.Ho.Ho.) And later I found out from reliable sources that Saakashvili had sent me not $20 million, but $50 million. But his thieving emissaries evidently divided up the difference between them on the way over to Tskhinvali - $10 million for each brother."

For more information go here

US / NATO / EU left to ponder over the consequences of Saakashvilli's blunder - the Russian Bear carries his gun and his hands on the gas + oil taps

It is extremely difficult to construct a coherent picture of events in the Caucasus and even harder to forecast the consequences both on the ground but on commodity pries, especially oil and gas.

The Russkis are calling for President Saakashvillis head. His short lived, and ineffectual attack on the tiny town of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, reveals he truth of Tallleyrand's dictum: it was worse than a crime, it was a blunder.

1. It appears that 3 days after the deliberate "invasion" of Georgian forces into South Ossetia (which is by any international legal standards Georgian territory) there has been a declared withdrawal and ceasefire from 5 am local time, (EST +8 hrs)and something like a 90% ceasfire - ie Georgians are still shelling in Abkhazia and into Ossetia - firing at aircaft. TV coverage is very confusing as the location / date / forces are not identified.

2. The Russians are relentlessly pursuing military action on the ground and from the air. It seems (BBC) that a military airport near Tibiklis has been bombed and some reports talk of the International airport being bombed.

The Russians have sunk at least one missile coastal patrol boat , they say it ignored shots across it's bows - there are also credible reports of widespread damage at Poti and maybe the BT oil terminal at Supsa - it would be like shooting fish in a barrel as they have overwhelming air superiority.

There are reports , most likely exagerated of 7/8 Russian planes shot down. At least one Georgian plane has been shot down in Ossetia.

3. Some 20-25 thousand Ossetians who have been given Russian passports have fled north to Russia and many Georgians in ossetia have fled south - there have also been smaller scale movements in Abkhazia.

4. It seems most Western Embassies have told nationals to leave , there has been no information about flights out -- passengers reaching London etc.,Poland, a major US ally who are already members of NATO have called for an EU stabilisation force to be sent in.

5. There are no reports of consequential armed events in Nagorno Karabak, Armenia etc.,

6. There are no reports of damage to the BTC pipeline although Georgia has cklaimed it was bombed but missed. The Russians must surely know precisely where the pipeline lies - pumping stations etc. It s probably safe to assume that 1% of the world's oil supply has been held up for at least 4-6 weeks and maybe for 6 months.

7. Geneva conventions apply as this is an international conflict - looking after civilians etc., and Georgia is a member of the ICC. This is aproblem for lawyers way down the road. It is evident in Gori that civilian targets were hit

8. There is much talk but little evidence of any result of EU intervention , diplomacy. Zalmay Khalilzad (a Pushto speaking Afghani-American) the US representative at the UN has tabled a motion about Ruissia's "inappropriate behaviour" which in their diplomatic doublespeak isn't even a rap over the knuckles. Silence reins on the surface but anxious phone calls will be made and nails chewed in Downing Street. Quote is ""We have made it clear to the Russians that if the disproportionate and dangerous escalation on the Russian side continues, that this will have a significant long-term impact on US -Russian relations."

The Russian response has been dismissive ..Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin branded "completely unacceptable" US claims that the Russian military in Georgia has waged a campaign of "terror." "This is completely unacceptable, especially from the lips of a representative of a country whose action we are aware of in Iraq, Afghanistan and Serbia." (Trans. Kosovo)

The Russian Press talks of Georgian "genocide".

The timing for Putin et al is perfect, Bush wants no more adentures and the contenders don't want to, and haven't even mentioned Georgia.

Somebody in Sarkozy's office (everyone in France is on Vacances) said they should all stop fighting.

NATO's secretary general Jaap de Hoop repeated his call for an immediate cease-fire, he also expressed his concerns about the disproportionate use of force and lack of respect for the territorial integrity of Georgia."

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that the country reserved the right to forbid vessels of the Russian Black Sea Navy to return to their base in Ukraine’s Sevastopol.

A "Ukrainian official" said that Ukraine was not willing to become involved in the conflict. They also have had their gas cut off.

9. It can only mean markets will open lower and oil / gas prices will move up at least US$5 and maybe more for near month contracts.

10. Casualties / deaths are impossible to assess. Visually there a few dead and few injured but bad civilian residential damage. Much of the shelling / missile strikes / bombing seems haphazard.

The Russkis are calling for Saakashvillis head. His short lived, and ineffectual attack on the tiny town of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia reveals he truth of Tallleyrand's dictum: it was worse than a crime, it was a blunder.

Not an ideal man to unify the Georgians - but can Uncle Sam have his glove puppet changed or removed ?

Where will Georgia get their gas from this year ? - it was turned off before in December '06 afterwhich they agreed on doubling the price with Gazprom.

Monday papers
Daily Telegraph - Georgia: America admits it has few options for dealing with Russia-Georgia war
Independent Georgia bows to might of Russia
Times Retreat and terror in face of Russian Army (Exclusive ! ?)
Guradian Russia rejects ceasefire calls as Georgia withdraws
Daily Mail Russia tanks 'turned back' at Georgian border as refugees flee in panic byline "A Daily Mail reporter - shy war correspondent?

As we go to bed Oil is holding steady with no major movement at all.

Thanks to aangirfan for link to excellent backgrounder in Sunday Herald 'This is no longer about the future of a tiny far-away country but about the nature of the world order in the 21st century - Rob Parsons, former BBC Moscow correspondent

On Thursday night, Georgian forces launched a lightning attack that brushed aside Ossetian resistance within hours. By Friday afternoon, they had taken control of the Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.

The Georgians have modernised and restructured their armed forces to bring them into line with Nato standards, and their special forces now serve regularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are well-trained and battle-hardened. But the Georgians miscalculated. They thought that if they moved quickly before the Russians could act, the international community would then act to ensure the conflict was contained.

The Russians were indeed caught off balance. Moscow had a tough choice: face the humiliation of accepting a fait accompli or incur the anger of the international community by effectively going to war against a Western ally.

With Putin at the helm, there was never really any question what the Russians would do - at least not once Russian peacekeepers died. The ferocity of the Russian response, though, has caught the West by surprise.

The ferocity of the Russian response, though, has caught the West by surprise....Why ? on't we have mebassies . military attaches, surveillance , intelligence - or is everyone on holiday ?

We must not forget 2 things - the recent exercises with US troops and the bombing / damage / cutting off of the BTC pipeline in Turkey.

Again the oil price remains fairly unmoved by all this. Latest 1230 EST US$116.31
Up US$ 1.11 Up 0.96%

Russian backed breakaway South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali shelled from Georgia

Georgian forces started shelling South Ossetia overnight starting at 11 pm , with a reported 3 dead and 11 injured - following an attack by Georgians at a checkpoint in the village of Ubiat.

Tass report 2 killed and 2 seriously injured. Shelling (Tass describe it as "heavy) was directed at the "capital" of the breakaway region , Tskhinvali, and nearby villages overnight - breaching a recent ceasefire (one of many) agreed by the two sides.

The Russian backed South Ossetian government ordered a full mobilisation in response, say AFP. The South Ossetian Interior Ministry have claimed that Georgia has been moving reinforcements to the conflict zone.

Georgian authorities say they were forced to return fire after separatist militiamen had attacked Georgian-controlled territory in the region.

On Thursday they accused the separatists of staging a roadside bomb attack on the Georgian government's representative in South Ossetia, while the separatists accused the Georgians of killing a local police chief.

Moscow has kept a peacekeeping force in both provinces under an agreement made following the wars of the 1990s, when they broke away from Tbilisi.

There are around 2,000 Russians posted in Abkhazia, and about 1,000 in South Ossetia.

There are "peacekeepers" from a Joint Control Commission in the area but the contingent's commander, Marat Kulakhmetov, says they are keeping out of the immediate area of conflict.

Reuters report that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who is in Turkmenistan said ,"We call for a halt to any provocations, any actions that may trigger further aggravation of the conflict."

In a recent incident 1 man was killed and 4 people injured in Tskhinvali as a result of an overnight shootout on June 14-15 between Georgian and South Ossetian forces. This was just prior to a visit by some EU observers with Murat Jioev, the foreign minister of breakaway South Ossetia, and Boris Chochiev, the chief South Ossetian negotiator, in Tskhinvali.

They also met Dimitri Sanakoev, the head of the provisional administration, in the Georgian-controlled village of Kurta, where the Tbilisi-sponsored South Ossetian provisional administration is headquartered.

Republic of South Ossetia website


Click to enlarge says Gemma

Russia attacks the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and destroys port of Poti - is set on ethnically cleansing South Ossetia - Uncle Sam silently watches

Georgian Minister of Economic Development , Yekaterina Sharashidze is reported saying that Russian aircraft were targeting strategic assets, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the South Caucasus gas pipeline.

She said these attacks failed and the pipelines are undamaged for the present. “This means Russian Federation attacks strategic objects on an international scale, not only Georgian infrastructure".

If this is true it represent a major step change in the conflict which cannot be ignored amongst NATO allies - and should rapidly impact on the price of oil and gas.

This report is also carried on Reuters but they could not obtain "independent verification". The Turkish Hurryet also carries it.

Reuters Alertnet also reports that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in the Russian city of Vladikavkaz (pop. 315,000 in 2002 = 2.5% Georgian) the capital of North Ossetia on Saturday to, " discuss the influx of refugees from the conflict in the adjacent Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia" , news agencies said.

Russian aircraft bombing Tbilisi took off from Armenia-report

Azerbajani news agency ANSI report that Russian military aircrafts bombed Vaziani base near Tbilisi at 15.10 local time on Friday . Two bombs were reportedly dropped on the military base. No casualties are reported in the base.

Gruziya Online website reports that the aircraft that bombed Vaziani base had taken off from the territory of Armenia. The agency mentions that there is an air regiment in Russian army’s 102nd base in Gumru, Armenia. According to the agreement signed between Georgia and Armenia, Armenia can not allow any other state to attack Georgia from its territory.

Therefore officially Yerevan has "violated international laws as well as agreement with Georgia".

Georgian Black Sea port of Poti destroyed

The Georgian Foreign Ministry reported that Russian aircrafts have completely destroyed the harbor of Poti on the Black Sea coast (see map) , in the immediate vicinity of Supsa, a vital oil terminal. It is the HQ of the Georgian Navy.

Supsa is vital for Europe, especially since the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (the only alternative route to the Russian oil and gas pipelines) was bombed / accidentally bust (?) on the night of August 5th in Turkey by the Kurdish militia PKK (?). Since then, oil transported from Baku has been rerouted from Tbilisi to Supsa and then onwards through the Bosphorous.

UPDATE : Dozens of people have been killed as a result of overnight air strike by the Russian warplanes on port of Poti and a military base in Senaki, the Georgian media sources reported.The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Georgian Service reported that in Poti military boats of the Georgian armed forces were bombed, which led to death of at least two dozens of people.

It also reported that infrastructure damage was also serious as a result of the air strikes.Imedi radio station reported that at least 12 servicemen were killed as a result of air strike on the military base in Senaki.

Four men from the Senaki base are in severe conditions and were taken to the Zugdidi hospital.
Nobody died as a result of bombing of Khoni and Kopitnari. (Trend News Azerbaijan)

One of the reasons for the BTC pipeline was to cut traffic in the Bosphorous which is getting congested.

CNN have just reported "Russian bombers were targeting Georgia's economic infrastructure, Georgian National Security Council secretary Alexander Lomaia said, including the country's largest Black Sea port, Poti, and the main road connecting the southern part of Georgia with the east and the airport."

Alexander Lomaia held secret talks in Sweden in June with Abkhazia - Lomaia said four Georgian officials took part on June 15th-17th. 2008 , including himself and State Minister for Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili, while the Abkhaz side was represented by Abkhazia's de facto foreign minister, Sergei Shamba and two other officials.

UPDATE : Martial law planned in Georgia - Alexander Lomaia Eurasia Net report See Associated Press report 1900 BST

Russian soldiers killed

ANSI also report that Georgia’s president and Uncle Sam's glove puppet , Mikhail Saakashvili claimed to a meeting with members of Parliament that Georgian Armed Forces have killed 60 special squad soldiers of Main Intelligence Administration (GRU) of Russia. The action took place in the Tiakani heights around the town of Tskhinvali which is the capital of South Ossetia. (pop. approx 70,000)

Roundup

Some of these reports need confirming ;

1. Bottom line is that the BTC pipeline being discharged at either Turkish port of Ceyhan or Georgian Black Sea port of Poti will not be delivering oil for some time.

It seems curious that this suggests co-ordinated action between PKK and Russia and further suggests that the explosion / damage in the week may have had different authors.

The ramifications of an attack across international borders on energy sources of the Western allies by Russia are impossible, but awful to contemplate.

2. The Georgian Government ( watched passively by Uncle Sam) is evidently imposing by concerted and major military action a dramatic and violent policy of ethnic cleansing of the Ossetians from South Ossetia.

This is of course what happened when Bosnia evicted 200,000 Serbians from the Krajina enclave for which General Ante Gotovina is up before the beaks in the Hague currently. The American civilian / military forces, UAV and satellite surveillance and intelligence supplied by the US authorities, military or civil have not been indicted ...yet.

This action evidently initiated by Georgia immediately follows the recent NATO - US Army Exercise Immediate Response 2008 exercises completed July 31st to train Georgian forces

3. Any military response involves attacking main Russian territory. NATO have been challenged, it's current and potential members (as well as Mr Putin who is in the thick of it in Vladikavkaz protected no doubt by the huge and symbolic Mother Russia - see snap Lord Patel took on his hols).

Who will blink first ? The Boy David and Gordy are going to have their holidays interrupted.

Keep your eyes on the UK Embassy website in Georgia for when they start shipping families out.

4. Al Quaeda has not (yet!) been claimed to be responsible.

Click tags for more

Georgian attacks on South Ossetia intensify as civilians flee under bombardment and shelling

Handy map to help understand geography from Lord Patel's Cartographic sectionS ee also a handy bit o history 24/11/03 Georgia, Velvet Underground in Overdrive ."This was followed by another high powered US delegation -- including John Shalikashvili (in Georgianჯონ მალხაზ შალიკაშვილი ), the former chairman of the US military’s joint chiefs of staff, along with Strobe Talbott (Rhodes cholar at Oxford with Mr Clintonan), a former deputy secretary of state during the Clinton administration and head of the Brookings Policy Research Institute to monitor developments after Baker’s plan and attempt to defuse the confrontational mood then enveloping domestic politics. Even Republican Arizonan Senator John McCain turned up to put the heat on the most famous Georgian after Stalin – but with no success."


US educated US puppet, Saakashvilli addressses the nation



It appears the Georgians have called up reservists.

For United Nations response see AFP report midnight BST UN Security Council resume bid for South Ossetia ceasefire

Part time pianist and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Russia to halt aircraft and missile attacks and withdraw combat forces from Georgian territory. Rice said in a statement the United States wants Russia to respect Georgian sovereignty and agree to international mediation.

The leader of South Ossetia's rebel government, Eduard Kokoity, said about 1,400 people were killed in the onslaught, the Interfax news agency reported. The toll could not be independently confirmed. From AP report - Georgia to let civilians flee South Ossetia - International Herald Tribune

Georgia - the dress rehearsal for Ukraine ..already suffering from once ina century floods and a very nasty gas bill shock due at New Year....

Elisabeth Byrs of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that “The situation on the ground (in Georgia) is deteriorating, sparking a significant movement of population”. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that more than 2,000 people have died in the first week of fighting and nearly 100,000 have been uprooted from their homes.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has been operating for the last 8 years in South Ossetia region, implementing health projects from its local office in Tskhinvali.

They report that according to UN estimates there approximately 56,000 displaced persons inside Georgia, of which more than 40,000 are from Gori. An additional 12,000 residents of South Ossetia have been left homeless inside Georgia, while 30,000 others have crossed into Russia’s North Ossetia region.

The UN also reports that 1,000 ethnic Georgians from the upper Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia, a region by the Black Sea that borders Russia, have become displaced following violence there.

Because many areas under conflict remain inaccessible, the number of (Internally Displaced Persons) IDPs is expected to rise. Food, water, shelter, and medical supplies are becoming difficult to find, intensifying an already difficult situation for local residents.

In Tbilisi, there has been a rapid influx of displaced persons fleeing the fighting , which has strained the city’s food supply, medical, and shelter capacities, ADRA plans to provide medical assistance to those affected.

A major disaster - the worst floods for a century in Ukraine

All the while this is going on in Georgia there has been virtally no reporting of the flooding and subsequent destruction in prospective NATO ally Ukraine, when between July 23 to July 26, massive storms hit western Ukraine, forcing thousands from their homes, and submerging hundreds of towns and villages. Nearly 40 people have been listed as either dead or missing since the onset of the storms, which government officials say are the worst storm to hit Ukraine in a century.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency, more than 422 miles (679 km) of highway and motor roads and more than 900 bridges were destroyed in the storms. This has left more than 300 towns and villages without electricity, downing communication lines, and blocking food access routes throughout five regions of western Ukraine.

The floods , mainly from the Prut, Dniestr (15 metres above its normal level) and Seret rivers have submerged 40,600 homes and over 84,000 acres, (34,000 hectares) of farmland in western areas - some reports claim over 100,000 acres.

The regions of Ukraine most affected are Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Transkarpatsky, Ternopil and L’viv. In Ivano-Frankivsk alone, 50,000 are suffering from the impact of the floodwaters. Heavy floods have also hit neighbouring riparian areas of the Dniester River in Romania and Moldova. In the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, three people were found dead after being swept away by floodwaters, an Interior Ministry official said. Two drowned when they became trapped under cars while trying to cross a flooded road. Another was found under a bridge.

The authorities in Romania said that four people had died and more than 11,000 been evacuated.

The flooding has hit the Ukraine local farming economy and (OCHA) report that flooding in the Ivano-Frankivsk region has destroyed as much as 75 % of planted crops causing an estimated US$80 Mn. loss according to Deputy Agriculture Minister Serhiy Melnyk.

President Viktor Yushchenko on July 30th declared a 3 month state of emergency in western Ukraine.

The Ukraine Government are watching events in Georgia very closely and at a ceremony today granting 72 housing orders to the military in the Novohrad-Volynskyi garrison ,Defense Minister Yurii Yekhanurov said,"149,000 servicemen are enough to guarantee sovereignty and security of our country." Hmmm.

On the 31st July , the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) - which is a NATO body, received an urgent request for assistance in coping with flooding from Ukraine.

Their latest SitRep is dated August 7th and they confirm 36 people, including 8 children died, 2 are missing and about 500 people have been injured. They list the EAPC (EU basically) countries who have contributed to an appeal for equipment - Austria, Czeck republic, Greece,Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Belgium, Estonia, Spain and Switzerland - something been overlooked here by Messrs, Brown, Benn and Milliband ?

If the UK Government want to help they can contact The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre can be reached in the following ways:
Telephone: +32-2-707.2670
Fax : +32-2-707.2677
Mobile Phone: +32-475-829.071
e-mail: Eadrcc@hq.nato.int
or they could have a look at them on the Internet website thingy here - http://www.nato.int/eadrcc/home.htm or perhaps have quick look at the manual "NATO’s Role in Disaster Assistance"

" ....the capabilities to protect our populations against the effects of war could also be used to protect them against the effects of disasters. As early as 1953, following disastrous North Sea floods, NATO had an agreed disaster assistance scheme. By 1958, the North Atlantic Council had established procedures for NATO coordination of assistance between member countries in case of disasters."

Given the circumstances in Georgia you might have thought that even those not on holiday in Whitehall might lend a hand to Ukraine if only in solidarity to NATO. If only to get some practice in when the Russian Bear decides to cut up rough in East Ukraine.

Just a thought.

PS : See Friday, August 15, 2008 Could Ukraine Become Russia's Next Target? @ Kiev Ukraine News Blog. "Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko prohibited ships from the Russian Black Sea Fleet that are engaged off the Georgian coast from returning to port on Ukraine's Crimean peninsula without Kiev's official permission.....Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which leases naval facilities in Sevastopol in Crimea, will likely steam back to port in defiance of a Ukrainian presidential order that it must first ask for Ukrainian permission."If Russia openly challenges Ukrainian sovereignty, I think that Ukraine will then turn to the West and say, 'you know guys, they're challenging our sovereignty with their fleet."

And this will happen without any kind of use of arms, or anything made in anger.

PPS : January 2009 Ukraine is committed to begin paying Russia’s Gazprom in the range of US$400 per 1,000 cubic meters for natural gas or US$22 billion per year. Presently the country pays US$179 per 1,000 cubic meters, or US $9.9 billion per year.

Viktor Yanukovych, is the leader of the opposition pro-Russian Party of the Regions - who have kept quiet about the price increase - Gazprom and the Kremlin might be tempted to play the “gas card” in order to see Yanukovych elected and to gain control—if not direct ownership—of the Ukrainian trunk gas pipeline, a long-time objective of Russian policy meant to give Gazprom the ultimate say over the largest supply route of Russian gas to Europe.

With a possible debt of over US$10 billion by late 2009, the new Ukrainian government could be forced to sell the pipeline to Gazprom by writing off most of the accumulated debt — as well as a substantial part of its industrial base, maintain the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and renounce its intention to join NATO.

... if it is cold in December ...

I you see Sid (or Gordon or Hilary of the Boy David )..tell 'em.



PPS - want to know more about Pridnestrovyaian Moldova Republic and their contacts with South Ossetia ? See Volunteers from Pridnestrovya leave for South Ossetia 8th August 2008 2008

Israel's part in arming Georgia, and the risky game of Russian Roulette they have been playing

The Jerusalem Post had a fascinating little piece about Israel's trade with Georgia.

As ever it concerns arms sales - this time from Israel to Georgia which had been investigated by the downmarket newspaper Ma'ariv.

1. At an unstated date and source the Russians sent a letter to Foreign Minister and wannabe Prime Minister, ex Mossad , daughter of leading post war terrorists Tzipi Livni, asking Israel to refrain from selling state-of-the-art weaponry to Georgia, and stating that Moscow had acceded to similar requests by Jerusalem in the past. Israel has repeatedly asked Russia not to sell top-line weapons systems to Syria and Iran.

The NYT has Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov saying ,"Those who have been supplying arms to Georgia, they should feel part of the blame for the loss of life," (including US and Ukraine) and that , "foreign leaders "who have been appeasing Mr Saakashvili's intentions, and helped create the feeling of impunity inside the Georgian , should think twice about whether this is right." (Impunity os the diplospeak street cred phrase these days - it means throwing your weight about)

The situation in South Ossetia is widely believed to be one of the topics of discussion (not the ladies gymnastics team event) over the weekend in Beijing between President Shimon Peres and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

2. Former government minister (2001) and Tel Aviv mayor (93-08) Roni Milo was heavily involved in arms sales to Georgia, as a representative of Elbit and the Israeli Military Industries, and that Brig.-Gen (res.) Gal Hirsch, one of the senior officers who left the IDF after coming under blistering criticism following the Second Lebanon War, was heavily involved in Georgia in providing training for infantry and elite units.The former division commander has lately turned to private enterprise, after writing a book defending his actions.

The "official" line is that now only sells defensive weapons to Georgia. Israeli companies had sold some $300 million worth of military equipment to Georgia according to Ma'ariv.

3. Israeli defense officials were embarrassed (?) in April when an Israeli-manufactured drone was shot down by the Russians, and again in May when another drone, and a state-of-the-art Israeli rocket system called Lynx, were on display at a Georgian military parade. (pic)

The BBC had a nice story with a video of a Russian MiG-29 shooting down the unarmed Georgian drone over Abkhazia , this was supplied to the BBC as a feed from the drone which Georgia supplied, and ends with the drone exploding.

Fragments of the drone were put on display in public in Sukhumi, the Abkhaz capital. Garry Kupalba, deputy defence minister of the unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia (except Russia) , told reporters the drone had been shot down by an "L-39 aircraft of the Abkhaz Air Force". He also identified the drone as an Israeli-made Hermes 450.

This is from the same stable as the ones the UK has bought from Israel for use in Afghanistan now they cannot re-fuel Nimrod's for surveillance.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was apparently conveing a meeting of senior ministry officials yesterday to deal with the Russian-Georgian flare-up, amid concern that Israeli arms sales to Georgia could harm relations with Russia - and lead to them selling arms to Syria / Iran.

Coincidentally, Israel's new envoy to Georgia, Yitzhak Gerberg, was scheduled to leave for his new post on Saturday. Despite the situation on the ground, he left as scheduled.

No doubt this will put a stop to all those youthful "trekkers" spending their holidays in the Georgian mountians, watchingbirds and collecting butterflies.

Today (Monday) the JP reports that Israeli diplomatic officials were in contact throughout Sunday with their firendly Russian counterparts. They deny any talk of crisis in Israeli-Russian relations as a result of the Russian-Georgian conflagration and past sales of Israeli arms to Tbilisi. Of course.

Israel has sold an estimated $300 million to $500m. worth of weaponry and military training to Georgia over the last decade.

It appears that Tzipi's Sunday get together has resulted in her Foreign Ministry instituting a complete ban on sales to the region, concerned they would infuriate the Russians and spur Moscow into selling more advanced weapons to Iran and Syria.

It is worth noting a story Azerbaijan buys Israel-made military hardware and technique dated August 7th -Israel-made 5.56mm Tavor TAR-21 submachine gun has been bought for some units of the Azerbaijani Army.

Azerbaijan has also bought military supplies and rockets from various military firms in Israel. Azerbaijan’s armory includes 120mm and 160mm Lynx rocket plane produced by TAAS company (assembled at the base of KamAZ 63502), as well as 300mm EXTRA rockets, pilotless vehicles Orbiter and Aerostar produced by Aeronautics company.

A part of these arms and supplies was demonstrated during the military parade on June 26.

Israel’s Soltam company is holding talks on export of 122mm Semser self-propelled artillery and Naiza rockets to Azerbaijan. Also reported “Voennie vestnik Izrailya"

Arms. Somebody somewhere is making 'em, selling 'em, using 'em.

UPDATE & PS : Ex Diplomat Craig Murray on his website does a why oh why which is worth looking at for his perspective views on on EU energy (in)security but betrays the diplospeak mind ..2 August 10, 2008 There Are No Good Guys, But We Must Be Most Wary of Russia
"An immediate ceasefire is required now and a de facto Russian annexation of South Ossetia must not be permitted ..." and having framed that policy, what exactly do we do to persuade that nice Mr Putin with his hands on the gas and oil taps ? Talking nicely to him ?

A, " de facto Russian annexation of South Ossetia " seems to have happened. In less than 3 days ditto Abkhazia. Which are effectively the direct and fairly predictable consequences of installing Russian "peacekeepers" there after the 1992 fun and games.

Ex-envoy: Georgia modelled its army after IDF ynet

"Georgian government officials used to tell me that they wanted to model their army after the IDF," former Israeli ambassador to Georgia Shabtai Zur told Ynet Sunday evening amid the country's bloody feud with Russia over the separatist region of South Ossetia.

Travel Advisory Issued for Georgia, Jews Being Evacuated
Yeshiva world News 10th August 2008

Assisting in closing defense packages with Israel is Georgia’s Defense Minister, Davit Kezerashvili, a fluent Hebrew-speaker and former Israeli.

Deals were made for items including anti-aircraft and communications systems, as well as turrets for armored vehicles and communications systems. One of the people who profited from such arrangements is Roni Milo, a former Public Security Minister who represented Elbit.

Gal Hirsch, a former IDF brigadier-general, one of the senior officers compelled to step down following the Second Lebanon War, also provided tactical training, working with Georgian military officials to establish commando units mimicking Israel’s Sayeret Matkal.

He is a partner in a firm called Defensive Shield.

There is also 61-year-old former IDF Major-General Yisrael Ziv, who heads a security consulting firm.
2 Israeli firms say they left Georgia before fighting Haaretz Tuesday 12th August 2008

Two Israeli security companies, Defensive Shield and Global CST, announced yesterday that they had completed their projects in Georgia before fighting between that country and Russia broke out on Friday. The two are among several Israeli companies advising Georgia on security
matters, training its army and occasionally supplying it with weapons.

Defensive Shield, owned by Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, said all its employees, including its subcontractors, are no longer in Georgia. It said it completed the work it had been contracted to do, and that all its contracts with Georgia had been approved by Israel's Defense Ministry. Security systems services company Global CST, managed by Maj. Gen. (res.) Israel Ziv, said it finished its work in Georgia at the end of July.

A retired senior Israeli officer who recently trained troops in Georgia said yesterday he was surprised that the Georgians faced off against Russia, since they have a much smaller army. "They got into an adventure that I wouldn't have chosen to get into, based on the level of professionalism I saw in my visits to the Georgian army," the officer said. "Who knows where this will end." "This is an army that was in the process of disintegrating over 15 or 16 years," the officer added. "This process required reconstruction, and that's where the Israelis entered the picture, along with companies from other countries.

verything was very, very basic. We dealt mainly with basic training for the units. It will take a long time until the military forces there will advance to a high professional level.

The Georgian army cannot under any circumstances be a serious rival to the Russians at present." The officer also stressed the difference in military might: "Georgia is a small country, with barely 4.5 million people," he said. "They have a small army - to be honest, not much different from that of a Third World country.

" The Georgians began reorganizing their army in 2002, with American assistance. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the Georgian army has primarily been comprised of remnants of Red Army units.

Bullets and Boney M used in attacks on Abkhazian and Ossetian separatists

The current situation demonstrates that the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not simply in deadlock. They have gradually transformed into crime zones that nobody is able to fully control—not the Government of Georgia, the Abkhaz and South Ossetian governments, or the international community.

Organized Crime and Smuggling Through Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Alexander Kukhianidze,

In a post on September 30th Abkhazia - Upper and Lower, countries that are far away and of which we know little attention was drawn to the attack on Russian forces in Kodori Valley in the Russian supported breakaway "State" of Upper Abkhazia.

Naturally, the UN mission to Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone was asked to investigate the incident. The 2 page report was released yesterday, on October 11.

The Chief Military Observer ordered the UNOMIG Fact Finding Team (FFT) to conduct an independent enquiry into the incident and unsurprisingly he reports that ,"The two sides provided different versions of the incident."

The bald facts appear to be that "Georgian forces attacked a training camp established in 2006 on Abkhaz-controlled territory at the foot of Mt Bokhundjara .... Seven Abkhaz personnel were apprehended by the Georgian side, several were wounded and two former Russian officers reportedly on contract with the Abkhaz de facto border guards were killed. "

The Fact Finding team attended the autopsy of the 2 dead Russians at the Republican Hospital morgue in Sukhumi, Abkhaz. The German Government agreed to provide a DNA analysis of blood samples collected both from the men killed in the incident as well as from the Bokhundjara area.

Then these indefatigable and earnest investigators provided a conclusion ..

Examination by UNOMIG forensic experts of the bodies of the two former Russian officers suggests that both were killed by gunshot wounds caused by automatic weapons fired at short and point-blank range. For the time being, however, the FFT is not in a position to ascertain the exact circumstances of their death.

Meanwhile in South Ossetia the Georgian forces have brought in the services of Boney M (although confusingly, several musical groups circulate in the area bearing the name) to seduce the factious Ossetians of the decadent benefits of the Georgian lifestyle at a wild weekend concert in the village of Tamarasheni.

The BBC helpfully report a Georgian official explaining that , peaceful life resumes when people sing songs. They add that 70's "disco icons" Boney M have a loyal following in Russia. Their songs are among the few approved under Communist rule. ......

Perhaps the Lyrics of their "hit", Rasputin offers clue ?

There lived a certain man in Russia long ago
He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow
Most people looked at him with terror and with fear
But to moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear

He could preach the Bible like a preacher
Full of ecstacy and fire
But he also was the kind of teacher
Women would desire

Ra ra rasputin
Lover of the russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
Ra ra rasputin
Russias greatest love machine

Unfamiliar with the history of Boney M ? ... see here, discover the curious origin of the group's name.

What is happening now in Georgia .. Ossetian gangsters attack celebrated journalist Margarita Akhvlediani

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has issued a continuous stream of statements about the position in Georgia these can be read here.

Alternatively they have been provided as a single document here up to 14th August here.

The notes of the Press Conference on August 14th with Dr Rice the part time piano player and friend of Dubya whose holidays have been interrupted are well worth reading. They bring back memories of Ms Golspie having a chat with that nice Mr Saddam Hussein so many years ago - Lord Patel has a feeling in his gut that this quote will last for a long time as a reflection of the way the US dministration were caught on the hop.

"This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten its neighbors, occupy a capital, overthrow a government, and get away with it. Things have changed."

QUESTION: You just said that this is not 1968, where Russia can do this and get away with it, and you’ve talked of consequences, but we have yet to really see any. When – at what point – how far – how much further can Russia continue to go before we actually see the United States do something?

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, you say that – again, that this is not 1968, but you’ve been – for several months, have been noticing Russia’s actions towards Georgia. Officials in the building (State department)have been very concerned not just about South Ossetia, but also about intentions towards – towards Georgia. And in – and since these attacks, officials have said that it seems to be premeditated, pre-planned, and that the swiftness with which Russian forces moved into Georgia show that it wasn’t necessarily only about South Ossetia, but something larger.

How did the U.S. miss the signals that this was some kind of large-scale invasion of Georgia? And are you concerned that the Russians feel that it is 1968 and they’re trying to invade other – are you concerned that they might invade other countries, such as Ukraine or other areas, where they have so-called citizens that they’re concerned –

QUESTION: Yes. You’ve mentioned several times that Russia could have done what it said it wanted to do and stopped and that they’ve overreached. As, among other things, an analyst of Russians and, before that, the Soviets, what do you think this is about? In that case, since they’ve still continued, what do you think it’s about? And how long do you think it will take for them to reach what they’re trying to reach?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, they told the French President that their military operations had ended.

There are 4 statements issued by the MFA up to date for August 15th ;

15-08-2008 22:30 - Timeline by 15th of August 22:00
15-08-2008 19:00 - Timeline by 15th of August 19:00
15-08-2008 16:30 - Timeline by 15th of August 16:30
15-08-2008 10:00 - Timeline by 15th of August by 10:00

Timeline by 15th of August 22:00 - an example

15 August

21:50 Russian troops continued movement from Khashuri and are in Surami close to Khashuri on central highway.

21:00 Russian troops entered Khashuri about 100kms west from Tbilisi and opened checkpoint. About 10 Tanks are in the city. Eyewitnesses report that they behave very cynically and terrorize civilians pointing guns to them or Tank guns to their cars and houses.

20:00 Russian troops began preparing tranches for armored vehicles and soldiers near the entrance of Senaki.

18:30 9 armored vehicles of Russian Army accompanied by 3 Mi-24 helicopters moved towards Tbilisi. They stopped and opened check point near village Igoeti 20 kms from Tbilisi, Kaspi district

10:30 Near village Sagolasheni, Gori district, vehicle of freelance journalist Margarita Akhvlediani *** was stopped by South Ossetian separatists. Vehicle was shot. Journalist was robbed of her car, camera and other belongings. (Read her Despatch from Georgia in the The Nation - timeline 11th August here.) see also Times report today.

Human Rights Watch researchers have uncovered evidence that Russian aircraft dropped cluster bombs (banned by 107 nations) in populated areas in Georgia during the air attacks from 6th of August, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens, Human Rights Watch said today.

Russian Navy continues controlling Georgian Territorial Waters.
***Margarita Akhvlediani was born in Bishkek, Kyrgystan, but has lived most of her life in the Republic of Georgia and earned her bachelor's degree in journalism at the State University of Georgia. She worked as a reporter, editor and producer at Georgian newspapers, radio and TV stations throughout the civil war and social breakdown of the country in the early 1990s. She helped found the pioneering news agency Black Sea Press and was Georgian correspondent for the legendary Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy. She joined the London based Institute for War and Peace Reporting in 2002, editing the Caucasus Reporting Service and training journalists throughout the Caucasus. In 2006, she won a Knight Fellowship for Professional Journalism and spent a year at Stanford University. In summer 2007, she won a Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship in Journalism and Trauma.

She manages 150 journalists from the Caucasus regions, editing articles for the world weekly bulletin of IWPR Caucasus Reporting Service (http://www.iwpr.net/). She also conducts trainings for local journalists in the post-Soviet Republics of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and the North Caucasian regions of Russia including Chechnya to teach them international standards of journalism.

The latest report on iwpr is this ;

Gori: Russian Allies Triumphant as City Burns
An IWPR journalist, allowed into Gori on a Russian tank, witnesses exultant pro-Moscow fighters rampaging through the blazing city.
By Idrak Abbasov in Gori (CRS No. 454, 14-Aug-08)“The Georgians have to understand that we’re not afraid of [United States President] Bush….threatening us with his marines and paratroopers,” insisted the Russian soldier who called himself a commander, tank captain and a member of what he says are Russia’s peacekeeping troops. His tank was standing outside the Georgian town of Gori.

Tamerlane takes a tumble

There is a first rate analysis and authoritative account of events in Georgia / South Ossetia / Abkhazia over the last few days at Moon of Alabam - War Nerdism also try War Nerd for a slightly more jocular approach to genocide.

2 fascinating items - see pic.

U.S. to fly supplies into war-torn Georgia
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writerPosted : Tuesday Aug 12, 2008 18:50:29 EDT Air Force Times

Air Force officials are putting plans together to fly supplies into Georgia (?) following Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s order to end all military operations in the former Soviet state.

Air Force C-17s flew all of Georgia’s 2,000 troops deployed in Iraq to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on Sunday and Monday after the Georgian government recalled the troops and asked the U.S. to do so.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticized the U.S. for flying Georgia’s troops home from Iraq while Russia’s troops advanced into the country after fighting broke out over the disputed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

“It’s a pity that some of our partners, instead of helping, are in fact trying to get in the way,” said Putin at a Russian Cabinet meeting. “I mean, among other things, the United States airlifting Georgia’s military contingent from Iraq effectively into the conflict zone.”

Which, like the Israeli military advice / supplies and recent NATO exercises somehow seems to have eluded the newsdesks in the UK Press / TV. Tamurlane ?

Click to enlarge ..

Airstrip No 3

UPDATE : Lord Patel’s Kyrgyzstan correspondent counted no less than 14 large US Air Force C-17's at Manas International Airport two days ago, but was prevented from taking pics by the presence of several burly police officers. No evident activity , and no US soldiers to be seen on the streets of Bishkek.