Shitloads of Fighting Between Georgia and Russia

I don't know if anyone saw this, but a huge amount of fighting has broken out between Georgia and Russia.

http://www.cnn.com/2...etia/index.html

Not the state:p

after i wake n baked, i checked out CNN and saw that and immediately thought, wtf my state is being invaded?

then i read a little further on and realized..

sad though.

what are they fighting about?

If i remember right, it's a territory dispute from the split of the soviet union.

I might be thinking of tension between ukraine and russia though.

From Wikipedia

The 2008 War in South Ossetia started in August 2008 after days of heavy fighting in the region. On 7 August, Georgian troops launched an operation to take the town of Tskhinvali, the capital of the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia (internationally considered a region of Georgia).<sup id="cite_ref-france24_8-0" class="reference">[9]</sup> On 8 August, Russia responded by moving its troops across the border, reportedly bringing tanks and artillery into Tskhinvali, according to the President of Russia to "defend its civilians", most of whom hold Russian citizenship.<sup id="cite_ref-bbctanks_7-1" class="reference">[8]</sup> The president of Georgia now alleges his country is defending itself from "Russian aggression" and that Russian forces are bombing its civilian population.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference">

The region broke away from Georgia in the 1991–1992 war. A peacekeeping force with 500 troops each from Russia, North Ossetia-Alania (part of Russia) and Georgia monitors a 1992 truce. Today, most of the residents of South Ossetia hold Russian passports.<sup id="cite_ref-surrounds_10-0" class="reference">[11]</sup>

Timeline


1 August – 7 August: "Sniper war"

Six people were reportedly killed and 21 injured as a result of one of the most intensive shootouts in years in the South Ossetian conflict zone late on 1 August and overnight on 2 August. Both sides have accused each other of opening fire first.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference">[12]</sup> On 3 August, the Russian government allowed South Ossetians to begin evacuation into Russia. On the first day, 20 bus-loads of refugees left the region.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference">[13]</sup>
Sporadic fighting continued every day since that event. On 6 August, shootouts increased and Georgia acknowledged it lost an armoured personnel carrier during the clashes.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference">[14]</sup> After a night of gunfire in which four people died, the shelling resumed at daybreak on Thursday 7 August. Residents were on the move, evacuating vulnerable areas of the South Ossetian capital.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference">[15]</sup> Georgia was reportedly moving tanks, artillery and troops to the border with South Ossetia.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference">[16]</sup>
However, by the close of Thursday, Mikhail Saakashvili had ordered a unilateral ceasefire. “A sniper war is ongoing against residents of the villages in the South Ossetian conflict zone and as I speak now intensive fire is ongoing from artillery, from tanks, from self-propelled artillery systems – which have been brought in the conflict zone illegally – and from other types of weaponry, including mortars and grenade launchers,” Saakashvili said in a live televised address made at 7:10 p.m. local time on 7 August.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference">[17]</sup> Up to 10 Georgian soldiers died in clashes on 7 August, the Georgian interior ministry reported.<sup id="cite_ref-heavy_fighting_17-0" class="reference">[18]</sup>

7 August – 8 August: Georgian operation begins

The ceasefire was broken hours later. Georgia said it was beginning an operation to "restore constitutional order in the whole region."<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference">[19]</sup> Interfax quoted South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity as saying his forces were confronting Georgians in the outskirts of the regional capital, Tskhinvali. "Fierce fighting is under way," he said.<sup id="cite_ref-france24_8-1" class="reference">[9]</sup> Georgian commander Mamuka Kurashvili, on the other hand, was quoted to have said, "Despite our call for peace and a unilateral cease-fire, separatists continued shelling Georgian villages. We are forced to restore constitutional order in the whole region." He did not specify the action Georgia planned to take but Tbilisi does not recognize the South Ossetian government and has pledged to restore its control over the province.<sup id="cite_ref-france24_8-2" class="reference">[9]</sup> On 7 August, hundreds of South Ossetian refugees crossed the border into Russia.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference">[20]</sup> At 00:53 on 8 August, Georgian forces began bombing the route along which refugees were being moved.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference">[21]</sup> At 02:47, Abkhazian leader Sergei Bagapsh said that volunteers are on the way to help the South Ossetians.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference">[22]</sup>
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session in New York City and released a statement] to express "serious concerns at the escalation of violence."<sup id="cite_ref-UNstatement_22-0" class="reference">[23]</sup> The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported 1,100 refugees arrived in North Ossetia by bus to escape the violence.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference">[24]</sup>
At 4:02 GMT, Russian media reports said Georgia had launched a tank-led attack on the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali, with at least 15 civilians killed by the shelling.<sup id="cite_ref-heavy_fighting_17-1" class="reference">[18]</sup> At 04:45, Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili announced that Tskhinvali was nearly surrounded, and that Georgia controlled two-thirds of South Ossetia's territory.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference">[25]</sup> At 04:53, it was announced that an unspecified number of Abkhazian army units had advanced to the border of the arms limitation zone between Abkhazia and Georgia.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference">[26]</sup>
According to the North Ossetian president Taimuraz Mamsurov, a number of Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft of the Georgian Air Force attacked what he described to be a humanitarian aid convoy en route from Vladikavkaz.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference">[27]</sup> Mamsurov, who had accompanied the convoy and witnessed the attack, was unharmed. Earlier, he told the Interfax news agency that hundreds of armed volunteers from North Ossetia were heading to the Tskhinvali area.<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference">[28]</sup>

8 August – present: Russia becomes involved
On the morning of August 8, Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, who was in Beijing attending the 2008 Summer Olympics, condemned the "aggressive actions" by Georgia and said that Russia would be compelled to retaliate.<sup id="cite_ref-putinvows_28-0" class="reference">[29]</sup> By 09:30, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev convened an emergency session of government officials to consider Russia’s options regarding the conflict.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference">[30]</sup>
A half hour later, Georgian sources reported that the three Russian Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft flew into the Georgian airspace and dropped two bombs close to a police station near the town of Kareli, which borders South Ossetia.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference">[31]</sup> The source also reported that the nearby city of Gori suffered a brief Russian air strike, with no casualties.<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference">[32]</sup> Russian authorities rejected these reports, and they have not been independently confirmed.<sup id="cite_ref-surrounds_10-1" class="reference">[11]</sup>
By 11:40, Saakashvili mobilized the Georgian reserve troops amid what he referred to as "a large-scale military aggression" by Russia and called for Russia to stop "bombardment of the Georgian towns".<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference">[33]</sup> Contending a Georgian report, the Russian Ministry of Defence denied that a Russian fighter plane had been shot down above Georgian territory, calling it "informational provocation".<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference">[34]</sup> A spokesman for the Russian forces in South Ossetia said that Georgian shells directly hit barracks in Tskhinvali, killing several Russian soldiers.<sup id="cite_ref-surrounds_10-2" class="reference">[11]</sup>
Georgia reported that they offered a three-hour ceasefire starting 15:00 local time (11:00 UTC), to let civilians leave the besieged capital of Tskhinvali.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference">[35]</sup> However, at 10:29 UTC, Marat Kulakhmetov, commander of the Russian forces in the region, said that "these are further lies from the Georgian side. No corridor for civilians has been opened."<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference">[36]</sup>
A column of Russian tanks from the 58th Army began moving to Tskhinvali to help support Russian forces in the area.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference">[37]</sup> Saakasvili said that the Russian column consisted of 150 tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other equipment.<sup id="cite_ref-bbctanks_7-2" class="reference">[8]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference">[38]</sup>
Russian media reported that the Georgian army was falling back from Tskhinvali.<sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference">[39]</sup> According to Georgian TV channel Rustavy-2, Russian Su-24 bombers and Su-27 fighters are attacking Georgian army forces on territory of South Ossetia and that the airspace above Tskhinvali was entirely controlled by Russian planes <sup id="cite_ref-airplanes_39-0" class="reference">[40]</sup> Kulakhmetov said that as a result of heavy bombardment, Tskhinvali is almost totally destroyed. Gas pipes, a hospital, and other objects of infrastructure were hit. According to France Press, at 12:00 UTC the National Security Council of Georgia (through a statement of Council Secretary Alexander Lomaia) declared that if messages about Russian tanks in South Ossetia will be confirmed, Georgia will declare war on Russia.<sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference">[41]</sup>
At 12:14 UTC Russian tanks entered Tskhinvali, reported first by Russian media<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference">[42]</sup> and later by CNN.<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference">[43]</sup>
The Georgian Interior Ministry said that a Russian fighter dropped two bombs on a military base in Vaziani (near Tbilisi).<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference">[44]</sup> According to Lenta.ru there are US military instructors there.<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference">[45]</sup> At 16:55 UTC, Russian fighters bombed a military airfield in Marneuli, near Tbilisi.<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference">[46]</sup> At least four Georgian soldiers were reported to have been killed in and another five wounded in the air strike in Marneuli.<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference">[47]</sup>
Mikheil Saakashvili said that Georgia was pulling its 2,000-strong troops from Iraq.<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference">[48]</sup>
At 12:24 UTC, Viktor Vodolatskiy, the Cossack ataman of the Don Republic, said that a "voluntary 429th Cossack division" will be created to help the fight in South Ossetia and that 450 people were already signed up.<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference">[49]</sup>
About 13:30 UTC Eduard Kokoity, the President of South Ossetia, told the Interfax news agency in a phone interview, that the South Ossetian forces, together with volunteers, had recaptured parts of Tskhinvali and that the Georgians had suffered heavy casualties.<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference">[50]</sup> However, Saakashvili has assured that Georgia is still in complete control of the city.<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference">[51]</sup>
About 13:45 UTC Russian Ministry of Defence reported that Georgians had killed 10 Russian soldiers and wounded 30.<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference">[52]</sup>
At 14:27 UTC Eduard Kokoity said that there are "hundreds of civilians killed in Tskhinvali" and called Saakashvili "a murderer." He also said that resistance was "mounting" in Tskhinvali and that four Georgian tanks had been hit in the railway station square.<sup id="cite_ref-hundreds_6-1" class="reference">[7]</sup>
At 14:53 UTC, South Ossetian Information and Press Committee reported that Russian armored vehicles had entered the northern suburb of Tskhinvali.<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference">[53]</sup>
At 15:11 UTC, Georgian spokesman Shota Utiashvili said that "Russian armed forces are bombarding Tskhinvali" and that "We have lost control over some parts of the city".<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference">[54]</sup> South Ossetian forces have begun to retake the city, with four Georgian tanks blown up in the city, the leader of South Ossetia's unrecognised government Eduard Kokoity said in a statement on the pro-South Ossetian website.
At 15:41 UTC, Georgia's Foreign Ministry claimed Russia has bombed Georgian military airfield Marneuli, damaging the runway, destroying several aircraft and wounding several airfield workers, as well as bombed the Bolnisi military airfield. <sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference">[55]</sup> <sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference">[56]

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Edited by bkadoctaj, 08 August 2008 - 06:38 PM.

This is short and to the point for those that may not want to read all that from wikipedia xD

http://www.associate...th_ossetia.html

On the day the Olympic Games begin to promote unity and healthy competition between nations, Russia and the breakaway state of Georgia have made more brutal and disastrous headlines. It appears that Russia has invaded Georgia after a series of violent exchanges. Before Russia invaded Georgia, Georgia sent troops to the region of South Ossetia, a region that has been demanding independence from Georgia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. After Georgia's attack on South Ossetia, Russia sent troops to strike back at Georgia, putting the two on the brink of war.

Russia's invasion of Georgia is the latest climax of a conflict going back to the end of the Soviet Union. Georgia won it's independence as a result, but South Ossetia wanted it's independence from Georgia. South Ossetia has officially been labeled as a Georgia province, but they have sought to break away from the state.

Russia and Georgia have long conflicted over not only South Ossetia, but over Georgia's desire to be part of NATO. Russia has long opposed these efforts, and has also given support to South Ossetia's separatist forces that are fighting Georgia.

Recently, Georgia sent troops into South Ossetia to quell the latest round of rebellion. However, many of the separatist forces attacked have Russian passports or are backed by Moscow. At least 3 Russian peacekeepers and 15 civilians were reported to be killed in this attack.

In response, Russia sent 150 tanks into South Ossetia itself and also bombed a military airbase outside the Georgia capital of Tbilisi. No one was reported to have been killed, but two Russian warplanes were shot down during the assault, according to Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Since South Ossetia is still labeled as part of Georgia, this is officially labeled as a Russian invasion of Georgia. There is now fear that it may be Russia's intent to retake over Georgia itself, and not just to free South Ossetia. The former Soviet state of Kazakhstan may also eventually support Russia in any future conflicts to come with Georgia.


Edit: BBC reports that according to Russian Foreign Minister, Georgia is "ethnically cleansing" villages in South Ossetia.

http://news.bbc.co.u...ope/7548715.stm

Edited by ynotle, 08 August 2008 - 06:38 PM.

so...whos side is america on?

so...whos side is america on?

You divisive thinker you.

Georgia's side..
Russia just didn't want Georgia to join NATO..

Haha I was hoping it was Georgia, US vs. Russia.

of course were on georgias side, lol. those poor weak georgians need big brothers help!

docta j: well someones got to be.

Haha I was hoping it was Georgia, US vs. Russia.

Georgia is basically on our side. (But not really vise versa).

Should the USA intervene? Peace with power?
Or should we mind our own business, and let them fight it out, but risk innocent deaths?

whos risking innocent deaths? in what way does america have something to do with the deaths in georgia?

are you the kind of guy thatll be walking down the street, sees two guys duking it out and tries to break it up, or would you choose a side?
in my opinion...keep on walking.

whos risking innocent deaths? in what way does america have something to do with the deaths in georgia?

are you the kind of guy thatll be walking down the street, sees two guys duking it out and tries to break it up, or would you choose a side?
in my opinion...keep on walking.

Couldn't have said it better myself. We need more people who think like this.

whos risking innocent deaths? in what way does america have something to do with the deaths in georgia?

are you the kind of guy thatll be walking down the street, sees two guys duking it out and tries to break it up, or would you choose a side?
in my opinion...keep on walking.

I personally am the kind of guy where the opportunity has not come up in actual experience.

Let's hope Amerisrael has the sense to stay out of this one. I wouldn't count on it, though.

whos risking innocent deaths? in what way does america have something to do with the deaths in georgia?

are you the kind of guy thatll be walking down the street, sees two guys duking it out and tries to break it up, or would you choose a side?
in my opinion...keep on walking.

Well let's put it in this analogy.
2 People are fighting on the side of the street, but they also start hitting and kicking random bystanders, who can be women or children.
What would you do then?

ah, thats a different story, but war in itself, innocent people who have nothing to do with the matter directly will die. if innocent people in a neighboring country start getting killed then obviously they will get mad and intervene.

analogically speaking, if i felt i had the power to help the bystanders, sure.

Well let's put it in this analogy.
2 People are fighting on the side of the street, but they also start hitting and kicking random bystanders, who can be women or children.
What would you do then?

so the two people are the US and Iraq and then we start killing like a million bystanders, right? i would tell those two people to get the fuck back