Russian tanks enter South Ossetia , WAR

[GeaGea SkyWalkeR]

Russian tanks have entered the capital of Georgia's separatist region of South Ossetia, says Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Amid fierce fighting, Georgia has been trying to regain control of the breakaway province, which has had de facto independence since the 1990s.

Georgia is reported to have said any involvement of Russian forces in the conflict will result in a state of war.

Russia's president promised to defend Russian citizens in South Ossetia.

Moscow's defence ministry said more than 10 of its peacekeeping troops in South Ossetia had been killed and 30 wounded in the Georgian offensive. At least 15 civilians are also reported dead.

Russia said earlier it was sending reinforcements to support peacekeepers in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali.

Reports from Georgia claim Russian jets have attacked an airport near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

Nato, the US and the EU have all called for an immediate end to hostilities.



Bitterness turns to conflict

Georgia's president said 150 Russian tanks and other vehicles had entered South Ossetia.

He told CNN: "Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory."

Mr Saakashvili, who has called on reservists to sign up for duty, said: "This is a clear intrusion on another country's territory."

"We have Russian tanks on our territory, jets on our territory in broad daylight," Reuters new agency quoted him as saying.

"I must also tell you that Georgian forces have downed two Russian jet fighters over Georgia's territory."

Russia rejected claims its fighters had attacked Georgian targets and that any had been shot down.

The Russian defence ministry told Interfax news agency that reinforcements for Russian peacekeepers had been sent to South Ossetia "to help end bloodshed".

But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: "I must protect the life and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are," Interfax quoted him as saying. "We will not allow their deaths to go unpunished. Those responsible will receive a deserved punishment."

Residents of Tskhinvali were reported to have been sheltering in basements as massive explosions rocked the city. Georgian jets also targeted separatist positions. Both sides blamed each other for breaking an earlier ceasefire agreed on Thursday.

Georgian Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili told the BBC the present situation was calm as Georgian troops were observing a unilateral ceasefire which started at 1100GMT.

She said they wanted to ensure that any civilians who wanted to leave the conflict zone could do so safely.



An amnesty has also been extended to any separatist fighters willing to lay down their arms, she said.




On reports of Russian forces moving into South Ossetia, she said the Russian Federation's efforts to get involved militarily had to be stopped.

International Red Cross spokeswoman Anna Nelson said they had received reports that hospitals in Tskhinvali were having trouble coping with the influx of casualties and ambulances were having trouble reaching the injured.

Irina Gagloyeva, a South Ossetian official in Tskhinvali, described the scene in the besieged city overnight after the Georgian military action started.

"Virtually all the people of the city are in shelters, myself included. It started at midnight, and has barely stopped for a minute," she told the BBC. "Can you hear? That's rockets. All my windows have blown out. Thirty-five thousand residents of our capital have become the hostages of Georgian fascism."

A spokesman for the Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia told Interfax news agency that Georgian shells directly hit barracks in Tskhinvali, killing several peacekeepers.

Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze said Georgia had simply run out of patience with attacks by separatist militias in recent days and had had to move in to restore peace in South Ossetia.

"As soon as a durable peace takes hold we need to move forward with dialogue and peaceful negotiations," he told reporters.

Russian passports

Georgia accuses Russia of arming the separatists who have been trying to break away since the civil war in the 1990s. Moscow denies the claim.

Georgia and its breakaway regions

Russia called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to respond to the crisis, but members failed to agree on a Russian statement calling on both sides to renounce the use of force.

The BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow says Russia has always said it supports the territorial integrity of Georgia but also that it would defend its citizens. Many South Ossetians hold Russian passports.

Hundreds of fighters from Russia and Georgia's other breakaway region of Abkhazia are reportedly heading to aid the separatist troops.

China, where the Olympic Games opens on Friday, called for worldwide truce during the sporting event


__________________________________________________ ______________

This can turn full scale very quick,

The internationals community pretty much back's Georgia on this with staunched backing from the US,

This could be a catalyst for for some country's to strengthen the Chechnya resistance, I could not imagine Russia winning a war on 2 fronts,

Is this the start if the Olympic war's,

[proIsrael-nonIsraeli]

Russians are trying to tear off Pridnestrovie region from Moldova as well. At the moment it is quiet.

Russia is strong enough to fight on more than 2, 3, ... fronts. They are not as scrupulous as Israelis or American. When push will come to shove they'll just level everything and will be done with it. During second Chechen war, which actively lasted for somewhat a year, Russians killed 400,000 Chechens and everything went back to quiet. I fear the same might happen right now.

[Libnene Qu7]

The press is saying that the Geaorgians and South Ossetians are ethnically different. Can someone elaborate on that? Is this the reason why SO wants independence?

[proIsrael-nonIsraeli]

Originally Posted by Libnene Qu7

The press is saying that the Geaorgians and South Ossetians are ethnically different. Can someone elaborate on that? Is this the reason why SO wants independence?

Yes and no.

Main problem is not between Georgians and Ossetins.
Main problem is very much similar to all regions bordering Russia.
Being former Soviet territory a lot of those regions got populated by ethnic Russians through natural migration withing the country.
Some territories have rather big number of those people.
After collaps of SU being Russians they want to stay with Russia.
Russia being Russia wants to have everything back under its arm.
Rest can be extrapolated pretty easily.

[Kasparov]

Originally Posted by GeaGea SkyWalkeR

Russian tanks have entered the capital of Georgia's separatist region of South Ossetia, says Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Amid fierce fighting, Georgia has been trying to regain control of the breakaway province, which has had de facto independence since the 1990s.

Georgia is reported to have said any involvement of Russian forces in the conflict will result in a state of war.

Russia's president promised to defend Russian citizens in South Ossetia.

Moscow's defence ministry said more than 10 of its peacekeeping troops in South Ossetia had been killed and 30 wounded in the Georgian offensive. At least 15 civilians are also reported dead.

Russia said earlier it was sending reinforcements to support peacekeepers in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali.

Reports from Georgia claim Russian jets have attacked an airport near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

Nato, the US and the EU have all called for an immediate end to hostilities.



Bitterness turns to conflict

Georgia's president said 150 Russian tanks and other vehicles had entered South Ossetia.

He told CNN: "Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory."

Mr Saakashvili, who has called on reservists to sign up for duty, said: "This is a clear intrusion on another country's territory."

"We have Russian tanks on our territory, jets on our territory in broad daylight," Reuters new agency quoted him as saying.

"I must also tell you that Georgian forces have downed two Russian jet fighters over Georgia's territory."

Russia rejected claims its fighters had attacked Georgian targets and that any had been shot down.

The Russian defence ministry told Interfax news agency that reinforcements for Russian peacekeepers had been sent to South Ossetia "to help end bloodshed".

But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: "I must protect the life and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are," Interfax quoted him as saying. "We will not allow their deaths to go unpunished. Those responsible will receive a deserved punishment."

Residents of Tskhinvali were reported to have been sheltering in basements as massive explosions rocked the city. Georgian jets also targeted separatist positions. Both sides blamed each other for breaking an earlier ceasefire agreed on Thursday.

Georgian Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili told the BBC the present situation was calm as Georgian troops were observing a unilateral ceasefire which started at 1100GMT.

She said they wanted to ensure that any civilians who wanted to leave the conflict zone could do so safely.



An amnesty has also been extended to any separatist fighters willing to lay down their arms, she said.




On reports of Russian forces moving into South Ossetia, she said the Russian Federation's efforts to get involved militarily had to be stopped.

International Red Cross spokeswoman Anna Nelson said they had received reports that hospitals in Tskhinvali were having trouble coping with the influx of casualties and ambulances were having trouble reaching the injured.

Irina Gagloyeva, a South Ossetian official in Tskhinvali, described the scene in the besieged city overnight after the Georgian military action started.

"Virtually all the people of the city are in shelters, myself included. It started at midnight, and has barely stopped for a minute," she told the BBC. "Can you hear? That's rockets. All my windows have blown out. Thirty-five thousand residents of our capital have become the hostages of Georgian fascism."

A spokesman for the Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia told Interfax news agency that Georgian shells directly hit barracks in Tskhinvali, killing several peacekeepers.

Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze said Georgia had simply run out of patience with attacks by separatist militias in recent days and had had to move in to restore peace in South Ossetia.

"As soon as a durable peace takes hold we need to move forward with dialogue and peaceful negotiations," he told reporters.

Russian passports

Georgia accuses Russia of arming the separatists who have been trying to break away since the civil war in the 1990s. Moscow denies the claim.

Georgia and its breakaway regions

Russia called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to respond to the crisis, but members failed to agree on a Russian statement calling on both sides to renounce the use of force.

The BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow says Russia has always said it supports the territorial integrity of Georgia but also that it would defend its citizens. Many South Ossetians hold Russian passports.

Hundreds of fighters from Russia and Georgia's other breakaway region of Abkhazia are reportedly heading to aid the separatist troops.

China, where the Olympic Games opens on Friday, called for worldwide truce during the sporting event


__________________________________________________ ______________

This can turn full scale very quick,

The internationals community pretty much back's Georgia on this with staunched backing from the US,

This could be a catalyst for for some country's to strengthen the Chechnya resistance, I could not imagine Russia winning a war on 2 fronts,

Is this the start if the Olympic war's,

Russia can't fight on 2 fronts ? I bet you they can fight all the surrounding countries at the same time and win easily, Russian's don't know the word defeat .

[Raficoo]

ya they pretty much got all the Big Gunz they need to wipe out any surrounding Country quick, they got Size and power.

[Garabet B]

russia would take care once and for call of this corrupt zionist regime. the georgian regime is a terrorist one who oppresses all minorities.

[LebaneseARAB]

I think what Russia is doing is wrong but the Georgian gov't is full of ****.

They want to call what Russia is doing wrong and an occupation but they sent 2,000 troops to participate in the occupation of Iraq.

So Georgia how does it feel to be invaded and bombed, is it nice?

[proIsrael-nonIsraeli]

Originally Posted by Raficoo

ya they pretty much got all the Big Gunz they need to wipe out any surrounding Country quick, they got Size and power.

However true, Russians have one problem.
With all this hardware they have very limited number of professionals.
Rest are conscripts who cannot wait to get out of the army.
Dying for piece of non-Motherland (Abhazia, Ossetia, Pridnestrovie, Chechnya, ...) is just not in their plans.

PS. Russians already beginning to have small problems with Ukraine over Crimean peninsula. And if push will come to shove Ukraine is not that small either. And Chinese have their eyes set on certain areas of South-Eastern Siberia and Far East. Funny, when you are big your problems are big too.

[Abou Sandal]

Georgia wants to join Nato.The US will probably oblige quicker if Georgia gets "even closer" from the Russian border.(without the burden of that piece of land/incursion that could cut it in 2 halfs,in case of war)

Russia also needs a buffer zone.The bigger the better.Ossetia is in deep Sh*t.