Russia considers recognising Georgian separatists

This is a good article with a comparison of forces. I think it exaggerates Russian troop strength.

Russian Forces in the Georgian War: Preliminary Assessment and Recommendations

 

In South Ossetia and in Abhazia yesterday was day of celebration. lol.

 

Nice article. I'm still waiting to hear the "sanctions" they are going to impose on Russia... More talk to please the masses...



Cheers...

 

What sanctions?

No happy birthday greetings for Putin, No Russian referees for soccer games? and cutting off the Gas and Oil supply to themselves?

Regards
Kruska

 

That was what I meant We hear Condoleza saying there will be serious reprecussions and Angela Merkel right behind her. My point was, what will they do? If Angela misbehaves in the near future the Russians might decide to cut gas and oil supply to Europe more likelly. That's the "talk to please the masses" bit.



Cheers...

 

Well now it looks like not only the US,Nato and other Western countries are speaking out but others too.

Asian alliance rebuffs Russian plea for support
By OLGA TUTUBALINA and PETER LEONARD, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 6 minutes ago


DUSHANBE, Tajikistan - China and several Central Asian nations rebuffed Russia's hopes of international support for its actions in Georgia, issuing a statement Thursday denouncing the use of force and calling for the respect of every country's territorial integrity. A joint declaration from the six-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization also offered some support for Russia's "active role in promoting peace" following a cease-fire, but overall it appeared to increase Moscow's international isolation.
Russia's search for support in Asia had raised fears that the alliance would turn the furor over Georgia into a broader confrontation between East and West, pitting the U.S. and Europe against their two main Cold War foes.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had appealed to the Asian alliance, which is made up of China, Russia and four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations, for unanimous support of Moscow's response to Georgia's "aggression."
But the alliance, which was created in 2001 to improve regional coordination on terrorism and border security, opted to take a neutral position and urged all sides to resolve the conflict through "peaceful dialogue."
"The participants ... underscore the need for respect of the historical and cultural traditions of each country and each people, and for efforts aimed at preserving the unity of the state and its territorial integrity," the alliance's statement said.
None of the other alliance members joined Russia in recognizing the independence claims of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in an interview with CNN, accused the U.S. of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia to provide a talking point in the American presidential campaign. The White House press secretary Dana Perino called the claims "patently false."
Russia's decision to recognize Georgia's separatist regions Tuesday sparked another storm of criticism from the West because both provinces make up roughly 20 percent of Georgia's territory. The West had already criticized Russia for what it calls a disproportionate use of force in fighting this month with Georgia, its small southern neighbor that wants to join NATO.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood expressed satisfaction about the Asian group's statement, saying "it wasn't what I would call an endorsement of Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."
China has traditionally been wary of endorsing separatists abroad, mindful of its own problems with Tibet and Muslims in the western territory of Xinjiang. The joint statement, which was unanimously endorsed, made a point of stressing the sanctity of borders — two days after Russia sought to redraw Georgia's territory.
The Asian alliance's statement offered some praise of Moscow's actions, at least in the context of the peace deal signed five days after the war began Aug. 7. The alliance said it supports "the active role of Russia in promoting peace and cooperation in the given region."
The four Central Asian members of the group — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — all seemed reluctant to damage their relations with Europe and the U.S.
Kazakhstan enjoys significant Western investment in its rich hydrocarbon sector, and impoverished Kyrgyzstan earns $150 million in aid and rent for hosting a U.S. air base that supports military operations in Afghanistan.
The alliance conducts joint military exercises and aspires to become a counterweight to NATO. In 2005, its members called for a timetable for U.S. forces to leave Central Asian bases the U.S. uses to support operations in Afghanistan.
Despite continuing Western protests and a visit by U.S. warships to Georgia's Black Sea coast, Russian troops remain at checkpoints inside areas controlled by Georgia prior to the recent conflict.
While a cease-fire agreement calls for both sides to withdraw to their previous positions, the Kremlin says the agreement allows Russian forces to occupy "security zones" outside the rebel regions.

In a rare gesture of conciliation, Russian forces turned over 12 Georgian soldiers on the border of Abkhazia. The Georgians were seized Aug. 18 and paraded — blindfolded and hands tied behind their backs_ on top of Russian armored vehicles.
The soldiers appeared unharmed Thursday, and some were smiling.
But there was also new conflict in the region. South Ossetia claimed to have shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane that was scouting the skies over the republic. Georgia denied the report and its parliament later urged the country's leadership to break off diplomatic relations with Russia, calling it an "aggressor country."
Russia responded to Georgia's military offensive on South Ossetia by sending hundreds of tanks rolling into the rebel region, pushing Georgian troops out of South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, before driving deep into Georgia proper.
The West accuses Russia of excessive force in response to the Georgian offensive, of failing to meet its troop withdrawal commitments under an EU-brokered cease-fire and of violating international law in recognizing the two separatist regions. In Vienna, Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili said Russian forces and their armed allies have driven all Georgians out of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and were now ethnically cleansing villages in other areas of Georgia. Russia denied the charge.

Asian alliance rebuffs Russian plea for support - Yahoo! News

 

RIA Novosti - World - Belarus says to recognize Abkhazia, S. Ossetia by weekend

No surprise there really....

 

"Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in an interview with CNN, accused the U.S. of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia to provide a talking point in the American presidential campaign. The White House press secretary Dana Perino called the claims "patently false."

LOL I had to laugh at this. You know if he had even one scrap of proof he would have been screaming about this to high heaven!! And the US people could probably really not care less about Georgia when it comes to the election. We have bigger things to worry and talk about then Georgia when comes to who to elect.

 

I was just going to say the samething you posted. I heard this last night and almost did this but instead, did this :lol: and this

""Uncle"" poooootin, is an ""Uncle"" stalin wannabe.

 

VOA News - Human Rights Activists Paint Complex Picture in South Ossetia

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
11 September 2008

On September 8, the independent Russian human rights organization "Memorial," and the Moscow Branch of Human Rights Watch concluded a six-day visit to Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, and number of Ossetian, Georgian, and mixed villages in the breakaway region of Georgia.

The activists note a discrepancy between some official Russian and South Ossetian claims of 2,000 war dead and a figure of 137 fatalities provided by Investigative Committee in the Russian Prosecutor's office. They say attempts to confirm a number was impossible, as one government committee referred them to another committee, which referred them back to the first. There was also no evidence of thousands dead based on visits to local hospitals and graveyards.

The human rights activists say they could not find any evidence in South Ossetian villages of torture, massacres, or other crimes against women, children and the elderly by Georgian forces. However, Cherkasov says residents of Georgian enclaves were advised to leave by local pro-Georgian authorities before the outbreak of hostilities. This, according to the activist, indicates the attack by Georgia was not spontaneous.

The deputy director of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch, Tatiana Lokshina, says there were few if any casualties in South Ossetia among people who found shelter in basements. Most who died, however, were men who left safe areas in search of water and food. She says others perished after acting on a rumor that a humanitarian corridor would be opened to allow Tskhinvali residents to safely leave town. Instead, they drove into intense fighting and died.

Lokshina gives credit to Russian troops for preventing arson and looting in some of South Ossetia's Georgian enclaves, as well as for saving the lives of more than 100 Georgian civilians in mid-August.

At the same time, Lokshina says South Ossetian authorities are not defending the security or property of civilians left in those villages. She says the villages she visited with Alexander Cherkasov have been burned to the ground.

 

BBC NEWS | Europe | South Ossetia's abandoned villages

"Georgians are cruel and evil people," one says. "They want our land. They want to take this place away from us, to destroy our entire nation."

Though the woman's anger is perhaps understandable, South Ossetian and Russian claims that Georgia was planning a genocide now seem wildly exaggerated.

Even Russia has now backed down on its initial claim that 2,000 Ossetians died in the Georgian assault.

The biggest losers from this war appear to be the Georgian villagers who have lost everything and now have little prospect of ever returning home.

 

Yes sadly it is always the civilian population that suffers most

Regards
Kruska