Reply With Quote
"I looked into his eyes and saw his soul"
Georgia moves federal troops into a Moscow-supported seperatist region of Georgia. Two Russian warplanes have been shot down by Georgian forces (confirmed by Georgian president in interview I saw this morning)
Georgia is a Western-friendly, NATO aspirant. Moscow doesn't like this one bit.
I expect Putin to order a full out invasion of Georgia within a week.
What NATO/Western Europe/US does next could drag us into a war with a belligerant, oil/natural gas exporting Russia.--RG
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080808/..._south_ossetia
----------------------------------------------------------------
TSKHINVALI, Georgia - A Cabinet minister says Georgian troops control the capital of the breakaway province of South Ossetia.
Georgian troops launched a major military offensive earlier Friday to regain control of South Ossetia, prompting a furious response from Russia.
Russia has sent tanks into the region and the convoy is expected to reach the provincial capital by evening.
The fighting is the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won de-facto independence in a war that ended in 1992 — raising fears that war could once again erupt.
A Russian military officer says that 10 Russian peacekeepers have been killed and another 30 wounded in South Ossetia.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
TSKHINVALI, Georgia (AP) — Georgian troops launched a major military offensive Friday to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia, prompting a furious response from Russia — which vowed retaliation and sent a column of tanks into the region.
The fighting was the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won de-facto independence in a war that ended in 1992 — raising fears that war could once again erupt.
Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said a convoy of Russian tanks had crossed into South Ossetia from the neighboring Russian province of North Ossetia and was moving toward the regional capital of Tskhinvali.
Russia's Channel 1 television earlier showed Russian tanks that it said had entered South Ossetia. The report said the convoy was expected to reach the provincial capital within a few hours.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned that the Georgian attack will draw retaliation and the Defense Ministry pledged to protect South Ossetians, most of whom have Russian citizenship.
Georgian forces also shot down two Russian combat planes, according to Georgia's Interior Ministry spokesman, Shota Utiashvili. He said the planes were downed while they were raiding Georgian territory, but wouldn't give their type or any further details.
Russia's Defense Ministry denied an earlier Georgian report about one Russian plane downed. It had no immediate comment on the latest claim.
An Associated Press reporter saw tanks and other heavy weapons concentrating on the Russian side of the border with South Ossetia. Some villagers were fleeing into Russia.
"I saw them (the Georgians) s ing my village," said Maria, who gave only her first name. She said she and other villagers spent the night in a field and then fled toward the Russian border as the fighting escalated.
Separatist officials in South Ossetia said 15 civilians had been killed in fighting overnight. Georgian officials said seven civilians were wounded in bombing raids by Russia.
Putin, in Beijing to attend the Olympic opening ceremony, also said an unspecified number of the peacekeepers have been wounded.
Georgia declared a three-hour cease-fire to allow civilians to leave Tskhinvali. Georgia's Interior Ministry spokesman said troops were observing the cease-fire, which began at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. EDT).
A spokesman for President Bush said Russia and Georgia should cease hostilities and hold talks to end the conflict. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he is seriously concerned about the fighting and that the alliance is closely following the situation.
Georgia, which borders the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the breakup of the Soviet Union. The country has angered Russia by seeking NATO membership — a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili long has pledged to restore Tbilisi's rule over South Ossetia and another breakaway province, Abkhazia. Both regions have run their own affairs without international recognition since splitting from Georgia in the early 1990s and built up ties with Moscow.
Relations between Georgia and Russia worsened notably this year as Georgia pushed to join NATO and Russia dispatched additional peacekeeper forces to Abkhazia.
South Ossetia officials said Georgia attacked with aircraft, armor and heavy artillery. Georgian troops fired missiles at Tskhinvali, an official said, and many buildings were on fire. The city's main hospital was among the buildings hit by Georgian s ing, the Russian news agency Interfax said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it is seeking to open a humanitarian corridor to guarantee safe access to Tskhinvali. Maia Kardova, ICRC spokeswoman in Tbilisi, said military vehicles are being given priority on the main road leading to the South Ossetia capital and this is making it difficult for rescue vehicles to get through.
Georgia's President said Russian aircraft bombed several Georgian villages and other civilian facilities.
"A full-scale aggression has been launched against Georgia," Saakashvili said in a televised statement.
He also announced a full military mobilization with reservists being called into action.
Seven civilians were wounded when three Russian Su-24 jet bombers flew into Georgia and bombed the town of Gori and the villages of Kareli and Variani, Deputy Interior Minister Eka Sguladze said at a briefing.
She said that four Russian jets later bombed Gori, the hometown of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, but that raid didn't cause any casualties.
Saakashvili urged Russia to immediately stop bombing Georgian territory. "Georgia will not yield its territory or renounce its freedom," he said.
A senior Russian diplomat in charge of the South Ossetian conflict, Yuri Popov, dismissed the Georgian claims of Russian bombings as misinformation, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported.
Russia's Defense Ministry denounced the Georgian attack as a "dirty adventure." "Blood shed in South Ossetia will weigh on their conscience," the ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site.
"We will protect our peacekeepers and Russian citizens," it said without elaboration.
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev later chaired a session of his Security Council in the Kremlin, vowing that Moscow will protect Russian citizens.
"In accordance with the cons ution and federal law, I, as president of Russia, am obliged to protect lives and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are located," Medvedev said, according to Russian news reports. "We won't allow the death of our compatriots go unpunished."
"I looked into his eyes and saw his soul"
Aw man, you had to go there..."I looked into his eyes and saw his soul"
I am so tired of being embarassed of my president.
We can only hope that he breaks his pattern of incompetance and somehow manages to defuse this situation. I am hopeful, but not confident in that happening.
Let's just stay out of it and see what happens.
no. w needs to take "dreamy eyes" away on a nice, discreet weekend getaway. moonlight, wine, maybe a little "toot", and some serious spooning.
I thought we were supposed to protect freedom everywhere. That's the rhetoric you've been espousing lately, right?
georgia attacked because russia has weapons of mass destruction.
we have to go all in! besides, peace is for pussies!
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea.../20010618.html
"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul"
We are witnessing the rebirth of the Soviet Union. Bush's policy of aggressively encircling Russia with anti-missile systems really pissed off Putin and Russian nationalists (never mind that the systems can easily be made ineffective so we did not get much out of it either). That coupled with sitting on our hands as democratic elements were suppressed is about to come bite us on our butts.
It is a terrible shame that our country has such ineffective (read dumb) leadership at such a critical junction in our history.
Imperialistic Russia, this time floating on oil and gas dollars, exposing itself again as it always has been.
Georgia will be crushed, doesn't have a chance.
It's only a matter of time before they move west and attack Alabama!!!11
Is not Soviet Union being reborn. Is Holy Orthodox Tsarist Mother Russia. Only matter of time before Putin have Patriarch crown him One True Christian Emperor. Why you not bend knee to him? Is outrage!
Price of oil go up because Russia allow church to rebuild. Bishop go to oil field and give oil field blessing. Price go up. Make Mother Russia rich again. Now Georgians rebel against authority like iconoclast Protestants. This is fruit of Western thinking. Is rubbish. Mother Russia make Georgians submit like before.
Why does the USA always get involved in ?
Why is everybody assuming the U.S. is involved? Because RG made wild speculation? The U.S. will offer up nothing more than a stern rebuke to Russia.
Rice called Russian hierarchy and urged them to stop. Maybe we're not sending planes over yet but to me that's getting involved. Why can't they shut up and let NATO do it's thing?
OMG an American diplomat made a phone call! Oh the meddling! Horror!!!
P.S. Your contention that the U.S. should butt out and let NATO do its thing should win post of the week.
it will be a NATO issue.. kind of like Bosnia, IF anything really happens.. besides Obama has the Europeans in his pocket they will wait for orders from the messiah..
...anyways.... my questions remains. Why do we get involved?
I wonder how many people here, if asked to find Georgia on a map, would point somewhere in the Balkans?
Stop being an ignorant Arkie and look at a map of what part of the world that is. Answer your own question.
"I looked into his eyes and saw his soul"
No problem, I want to see what Congress looks into and see's. They live in a vacuum I know, most cant even remember intel briefings on Iraq. But I am sure they will, in their wisdom, lead us into the perfect solution. And help solve this "little" problem between friends (?).
My real answer: We wont do anything. Russian has a free hand to do whatever they want.
Aside from the personal attacks, that explains why the US gets involved with everyone over every conflict?
Approves
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
