Using Georgia to Target Russia

SAVE AS FAVORITE

VIEW FAVORITES

By Stephen Lendman (about the author) Page 2 of 6 page(s)

opednews.com Permalink

-- 16:46 GMT - thousands of S. Osettians fled the fighting;

-- 16:14 GMT - Russia's Air Force denied bombing a Georgian military base;

-- 14:23 GMT - reports from Tskhinvali indicated mass fires in the city;

-- 13:25 GMT - Russia's Defence Ministry accused Georgian troops of shooting peacekeepers and civilians and denying them medical help;

-- 13:16 GMT - Saakashvili accused Russia of waging war and asked for US support;

-- 12:55 GMT - Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov accused Georgia of ethnic cleansing Ossetian villages;

-- 12:04 GMT - Russia's Defence Ministry said it sent peacekeeping reinforcements to S. Ossetia;

-- 11:25 GMT - reports indicated that Tskhinvali was completely destroyed;

-- 10:33 GMT - Georgia announced a three-hour ceasefire to let civilians evacuate the conflict zone;

-- 9:36 GMT - Russia's Parliament cited Georgia's aggression as a "serious reason" to recognize S. Ossetian independence;

-- 8:18 GMT - firefights spread to Tskhinvali streets;

-- 6:51 GMT - the UN Security Council failed to approve a Russia-sponsored ceasefire call; fighting intensified;

-- 5:01 GMT - S. Ossetia sought Russian protection and help to stop the fighting; and

-- 4:13 GMT - Georgian troops resumed attacking Tskhinvali in a continued act of aggression; things remained unsettled; fighting continued and at times with ferocity.

On August 8, The New York Times reported that Georgia officials "accused Russia (on August 5) of violating the country's airspace and firing a guided missile...." Russia denied the charge, called it baseless, and said no Russian planes were in the area either August 4 or 5th. Georgia, on the other hand, said they were as a "provocation aimed only" to disrupt Georgia's peace and "change the political course of the country."

Earlier in March, Georgia accused Russia of launching missile attacks on Georgian villages in the volatile Kodori Gorge. Relations deteriorated markedly last year after Georgia arrested and deported four Russian Army officers, accusing them of spying. Moscow recalled its ambassador, cut air, sea and postal links, and deported several thousand Georgians in response. These events and others led up to the present conflict with considerable suspicions about what's behind them. The New York Times reported (August 10) that conflict had been brewing for years but suggested Russia is at fault:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

I am a 72 year old, retired, progressive small businessman concerned about all the major national and world issues, committed to speak out and write about them.

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

Contact Author

Contact Editor

View Authors' Articles

Book Recommendations for "Abkhazia Conflict Georgia Russia"

Countdown to War in Georgia, Russia's Foreign Policy and Media Coverage of the Conflict in South Ossetia and Abkhazia
by Ana K. Niedermaier

$79.95
Lowest New Price $70.82
Number of pages: 579
Publisher: East View Press

The Conflict in Abkhazia: Dilemmas in Russian 'Peacekeeping' Policy
by Dov Lynch

Number of pages: 59
Publisher: Royal Institute of International Affairs