Fireworks over Georgia

[Arpa]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7548715.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7548716.stm

Russian tanks enter South Ossetia

 

Georgian jets attack separatists in South Ossetia

 

Russian tanks are moving towards the capital of Georgia's separatist region of South Ossetia, which has been under heavy bombardment from Georgian forces.

 

Georgian President Mikhail Saakasvili said 150 Russian tanks and other vehicles had entered South Ossetia.

 

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

 

Russia says it is sending reinforcements to support peacekeepers.

 

Reports from Georgia claim Russian jets have attacked an airport near Tbilisi.

 

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

 

At least 15 civilians are reported dead, as well as several Russian peacekeepers based in Tskhinvali.

 

 

I must protect the life and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are. We will not allow their deaths to go unpunished

Dmitry Medvedev

Russian President

 

 

Georgia's president 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".

 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has promised to defend Russian citizens in South Ossetia.

 

"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.

 

Russian troops

 

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

 

SOUTH OSSETIA TIMELINE

1991-92 S Ossetia fights war to break away from newly independent Georgia; Russia enforces truce

2004 Mikhail Saakashvili elected Georgian president, promising to recover lost territories

2006 S Ossetians vote for independence in unofficial referendum

April 2008 Russia steps up ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia

July 2008 Russia admits flying jets over S Ossetia; Russia and Georgia accuse each other of military build-up

7 August 2008 After escalating Georgian-Ossetian clashes, sides agree to ceasefire

8 August 2008 Heavy fighting erupts overnight, Georgian forces close on Tskhinvali

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7548715.stm

 

Published: 2008/08/08 13:08:47 GMT

 

© BBC MMVIII

Edited August 8, 2008 by Arpa

[Arpa]

One can only dream that ankara(Abkhazia) would be sucked into this mess

[hyethga]

Looks pretty serious. Apparently alot of dead soldiers and civilians.

[Anonymouse]

Looks like America got what it paid for with the Revolution of Roses.

[Arpa]

Երանի Ռուսիան չի կանքնի եւ մի ուղիղ ճանապարհ բացի Մոսկուայ ի եւ Երեւանի միջեւ: Ինչպէս 1917 ին, վախկոտ շան նման իրանց պոչը ամփոփեցին իրանց սրունքի մէջ եւ փախան, մես թողելով անտէր եւ անպաշտպան: Վերացնի այդ արուեստականօրեն վրաստան կոչեալ երկիրը, որք նոյնիսկ լեզու չունէին մինչեւ Մաշտոցը հնարեց եւ նուիրեց իրանց գիրը:

Այսինքն, Երեւանին շնորհէ ուղիղ ճանապարհ դէպի Սեւ Ծով

Միթէ, երբ պատումը կրկնի history repeats itself, երբ Ռուսները մի անգամ եւս նահանջեն, արդեօք մենք բաւական կանքուն ոտք ունենք կանքնելու?

Edited August 8, 2008 by Arpa

[hyethga]

The news coverage is unbelievable. More than half the newspapers and television stations are saying that the Russians are invading Gruzinskystan.

 

This why state controlled media is needed...

[MosJan]

SAAKASHVILI CALLED ON RUSSIA TO STOP BOMBING GEORGIA

 

*

 

article's photo

Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili urged Russia to stop bombing Georgian towns. "It's nothing but a classic international aggression," he said Friday, announcing general mobilization. "Georgia was subjected to a full armed aggression. But we will never cede our lands. Most of South Ossetian territory is under Georgian control. Battles are going on in the center of Tskhinvali. We must not fear. We defend our fatherland and we will win. Long live Georgia," Saakashvili said, Novosti Georgia reports.

[MosJan]

RUSSIAN FIGHTER JETS BOMB GEORGIAN TOWN OF GORI

 

 

On August 8 morning, four Russian fighter jets entered Georgian airspace and bombed the towns of Gori and Kareli near the breakaway region of South Ossetia, Rustavi -2 Georgian TV Channel reported. One of the jets was shot down, it said. Georgian Ministry of Interior said that three Su-24 crossed Georgian airspace and threw down two bombs. No information on victims is provided

[MosJan]

By MUSA SADULAYEV, Associated Press Writer 46 minutes ago

 

DZHAVA, Georgia - Russia sent columns of tanks and reportedly bombed Georgian air bases Friday after Georgia launched a military offensive to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia, threatening to ignite a broader conflict.

 

Hundreds of civilians were reported dead in the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won de facto independence in a war against Georgia that ended in 1992. Witnesses said the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali was devastated.

 

"I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings, in cars," said Lyudmila Ostayeva, 50, who fled with her family to Dzhava, a village near the border with Russia. "It's impossible to count them now. There is hardly a single building left undamaged."

 

The fighting broke out as much of the world's attention was focused on the start of the Olympic Games and many leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Bush, were in Beijing.

 

The timing suggests Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili may have been counting on surprise to fulfill his longtime pledge to wrest back control of South Ossetia — a key to his hold on power.

 

Saakashvili agreed the timing was not coincidental, but said Russia was the aggressor. "Most decision makers have gone for the holidays," he told CNN. "Brilliant moment to attack a small country."

 

Diplomats called for another emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, its second since early Friday morning seeking to prevent an all-out war.

 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Russia to halt aircraft and missile attacks and withdraw combat forces from Georgian territory. Rice said in a statement the United States wants Russia to respect Georgian sovereignty and agree to international mediation.

 

In Moscow, officials said Rice spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the matter.

 

Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, has about 2,000 troops in Iraq, making it the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain. Saakashvili told CNN the troops would be called home Saturday in the face of the South Ossetia fighting.

 

A senior U.S. defense official said Georgian authorities have asked the United States for help getting their troops out of Iraq. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions have been private, said no formal decision has been made on whether to support the departure, but said it is likely the U.S. will do so.

 

Also, Pentagon officials said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has reached out to his counterparts in Russia and Georgia, but has not yet connected with them.

 

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. Georgia has angered Russia by seeking NATO membership — a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence.

 

The U.N. refugee agency said Friday that hundreds were fleeing the fighting in South Ossetia and seeking safety elsewhere in Georgia or Russia.

 

The leader of South Ossetia's rebel government, Eduard Kokoity, said about 1,400 people were killed in the onslaught, the Interfax news agency reported. The toll could not be independently confirmed.

 

Ten Russian peacekeepers were killed and 30 wounded when their barracks were hit in Georgian shelling, Russian Ground Forces spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov said. Russia has soldiers in South Ossetia as peacekeeping forces but Georgia alleges they back the separatists.

 

Georgia's Foreign Ministry accused Russian aircraft of bombing two military air bases in Georgia, inflicting some casualties and destroying several aircraft. Rustavi 2 television said four people were killed and five wounded at the Marneuli air base.

 

Russia's Defense Ministry said it was sending reinforcements for its peacekeepers, and Russian state television and Georgian officials reported a convoy of tanks had crossed the border. The convoy was expected to reach the provincial capital sometime Friday evening, Channel One television said.

 

The International Committee of the Red Cross, citing local medical officials, said Tskhinvali's main hospital had closed after coming under artillery fire.

 

Water, electricity and telephone lines in the city have been cut, ICRC spokeswoman Maia Kardava said from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

 

Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temur Yakobashvili said government troops were in full control of Tskhinvali, but the RIA-Novosti news agency quoted Konashenkov as saying late Friday that Russian tanks were firing on Georgian positions in the city.

 

"We are facing Russian aggression," said Georgia's Security Council chief Kakha Lomaya. "They have sent in their troops and weapons and they are bombing our towns."

 

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.

 

Chairing a session of his Security Council in the Kremlin, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also vowed to protect Russian citizens.

 

"In accordance with the constitution 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."

 

On Friday, an AP reporter saw tanks and other heavy weapons concentrating on the Russian side of the border with South Ossetia — supporting the reports of an incursion. Some villagers were fleeing into Russia.

 

"I saw them (the Georgians) shelling 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.

 

Yakobashvili said Georgian forces had shot down four Russian combat planes over Georgian territory but gave no details. Russia's Defense Ministry denied an earlier Georgia report about one Russian plane downed and had no immediate comment on the latest claim.

 

Yakobashvili said that one Russian plane dropped a bomb on the Vaziani military base near the Georgian capital, but no one was hurt.

 

More than 1,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers were at the base last month to teach combat skills to Georgian troops.

 

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.

 

Georgia's president said Russian aircraft bombed several Georgian villages and other civilian facilities.

 

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.

 

Saakashvili long has pledged to restore Tbilisi's rule over South Ossetia and 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 this year as Georgia pushed to join NATO and Russia dispatched more peacekeepers to Abkhazia.

 

The Georgian attack came just hours after Saakashvili announced a unilateral cease-fire in a television broadcast late Thursday in which he also urged South Ossetian separatist leaders to enter talks on resolving the conflict.

 

Georgian officials later blamed South Ossetian separatists for thwarting the cease-fire by shelling Georgian villages in the area.

 

___

 

Associated Press writers Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili in Tbilisi, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Frank Jordans in Geneva, John Heilprin at the United Nations and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

 

 

[Nané]

Saakashvili seems pretty confident that Bush is going to come to his aid. That's scary.

[MosJan]

lav hot chi galis / achqis es amen inch @ tartsvelu a sur varaqich virusi n@man

[MosJan]

Russian tanks have entered South Ossetia. A correspondent of Russia’s Channel 1 TV company said that South Ossetian troops had launched a counteroffensive and unblocked the Zarskaya road, which connects the republic with Russia. A column of Russian tanks is traveling on the road, the correspondent said.

 

 

Interfax news agency reported with reference to eye-witnesses that a Russian military column had entered South Ossetia.

 

In photos: War breaks out between Georgia and South Ossetia

 

The Zarskaya road, which encircles S.Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, has been cleared of Georgian troops, ITAR-TASS reports.

 

Russia's Defense Ministry says it has sent troops to back up peacekeepers deployed to the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.

 

The ministry said in an official statement carried by Russian news wires that the troops will help protect Russian peacekeepers and local residents in South Ossetia. Most of South Ossetia's residents have Russian citizenship.

 

The ministry didn't say how many additional troops and weapons were sent.

 

Channel 1 television has shown a convoy of Russian tanks entering South Ossetia and says the tanks are expected to reach the provincial capital in a few hours.

 

Georgian officials have confirmed that the Russian convoy crossed the border and is advancing toward Tskhinvali.

 

An official spokesperson for the Russian Ground Troops said that the military command was awaiting politicians’ decision and therefore withheld comments. The official said that the Defense Ministry of Russia would release an official statement on the situation in South Ossetia within the next few hours.

 

In the meantime, Georgian troops continue to storm Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. Several infantry companies have already entered the city and occupied several districts in it, Georgia’ Rustavi 2 TV company says.

 

The building of the university of South Ossetia has been engulfed in flames. The building is located some 500 meters far from peacemaking headquarters.

[MosJan]

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated during his speech in Beijing that Russia would respond to Georgia’s aggression against South Ossetia.

 

“Tbilisi [Georgia’s capital] takes very aggressive steps against South Ossetia. This is very sad and very concerning. It will obviously lead to Russia’s actions in return. It is very sad that the military actions have already touched upon Russian peacemakers. We cannot leave these events out of our attention,” Putin said.

 

Russia has already suffered its losses in the conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia. A Georgian shell hit the headquarters of Russian peacemakers. Several Russian servicemen were killed, several others were wounded, news agencies report. The exact number of victims is not known yet, RBC reports.

 

Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev conducted an urgent meeting in connection with the situation in South Ossetia. The president has been fully informed about the military actions in South Ossetia and will continue to receive updated information. Medvedev discusses a complex of urgent measures to solve the situation in South Ossetia, defend Russia’s national interests and protect both local and Russian population of the unrecognized republic.

 

The situation, which is currently unfolding in South Ossetia, shows that the Georgian army follows a meticulously developed plan. However, it was not Georgia, but the Pentagon that schemed out the operation to conquer the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia 13 years ago. The Pentagon originally tested its plan on the Republic of Serbian Krajina which existed on Croatia’s territory from 1991 to 1995. Thousands of civilians were killed and numerous ethnic cleansings were held as a result of those operations. The Russian citizens residing on the territory of South Ossetia may face the same fate in the event Moscow does not interfere in the conflict.

 

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announced the nation-wide mobilization of reservists. Thousands of reservists have been mobilized, he said.

 

The Georgian troops have “liberated” the biggest part of South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, Saakashvili said. In addition, Mr. Saakashvili accused Russia of unleashing a large-scale military operation against Georgia.

 

Georgian troops launched a major military offensive Friday to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia and the president accused Russia, which has close ties to the separatists, of bombing Georgian territory.

 

A Russian official denied Georgia's accusation of aggression and Russian Premier Vladimir Putin said the attack on South Ossetia will draw retaliation, the AP says.

 

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.

 

The fighting in South Ossetia had raised fears of an all-out war that could draw in Russia, which has peacekeepers in the region.

 

South Ossetia officials said Georgia attacked with aircraft, armor and heavy artillery. Georgian troops fired missiles at the regional capital, Tskhinvali, an official said, and many buildings were on fire.

 

Agencies

 

AP photo

[MosJan]

 

 

08-06-2008

 

only days b4 all of this has started

 

 

After a mortar attack from Georgian forces, women and children were being evacuated from S. Ossetia. On the night of August 1, six persons were killed by shelling coming from the Georgian side. Seven more were wounded. Tbilisi claimed the shelling of South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, and a neighboring village had been “provoked” by the Republic of South Ossetia.

 

Eduard Kokoity, President of South Ossetia, states that the response of Tskhinvali to Tbilisi’s aggressive actions will be very strong. According to him, South Ossetia "Is forced to respond and protect itself. We reserve the right to attack Georgian towns and we have the facilities to reach them," stressed Kokoity.

 

Simultaneously, Georgia shut off the water to South Ossetia. In response, South Ossetia declared that "If the water supply to Tskhinvali is not restored by 16.00 on the same day, the government of South Ossetia will not block the actions of youth and public organizations which demand that all irrigation canals passing from Tskhinvali to Georgia should be closed."

 

There were 280 women and children evacuated. Initially it was estimated that there would be about 500 people. However, it became clear that many of the children have no relatives to look after them in North Ossetia over the Russian border.

 

Special ambassador Yuri Popov said Russia would defend its citizens living in the conflict zone.

 

It is reported that so far 300 volunteers from Russia have arrived in South Ossetia in order to fight should it be necessary to defend the country from Georgian aggression. South Ossetia’s President stated that as many as 2,000 volunteers are expected to arrive. But it’s getting serious as the following reports are coming in:

 

500 Islamic guerilla warriors from Kabardino-Balkaria are ready to go

 

2000 Cossacks are ready to go

 

50 Russian Afghan war veterans are ready to go (these will likely train the rest)

 

Abhazia has also offered to send some of their guerilla fighters and other North Caucasus republics have pledged assistance if war breaks out with Georgia.

 

President Kokoity referred to earlier Georgian provocations: “Georgia has declared a sniper war on the Republic South Ossetia and again undertook an attempt to unleash a large scale war. The Ukraine and the USA bear responsibility together with Georgia. The Ukraine transmitted to Georgia 40 units of sniper armament, 120 units were transmitted from the USA. Those countries bear responsibility together with Georgia in supporting the pseudo-democratic image of Georgia."

 

Georgia’s most recent actions have shown the real face of the puppet regime being groomed and incited by the USA Georgia has been getting bolder and bolder in their provocations against South Ossetia. Further past actions within Georgia have also shown the nature of the puppet regime. Opposition leaders are threatened and jailed, the opposition press is closed down or censored and there were many irregularities in the presidential election voting.

 

The Russian Federation has been undertaking efforts through diplomatic channels and under the auspices of the Joint Force for the Maintenance of the Peace in the zone of conflict to avoid the intensification of military confrontations. Russia is committed to taking steps to finding a mutually acceptable peaceful solution and has declared that the use of force would frustrate all hopes of a resolution of the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict.

 

Lisa KARPOVA

[MosJan]

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned of retaliation Friday after Georgia launched an attack to regain control of South Ossetia, and the president pledged to protect Russian citizens in the breakaway Georgian province.

 

Putin, on a trip to Beijing to attend the Olympics opening, did not specify the retaliatory action but criticized Georgia for the massive military offensive to retake South Ossetia.

 

South Ossetia has close ties with Russia, and the escalation of tensions has drawn fears that Russia may join the fighting. Most of the nation's residents have Russian passports.

 

Russian 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 constitution and the 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."

 

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 official Web site.

 

"We will protect our peacekeepers and Russian citizens," it said without elaboration.

 

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili accused Russia of aggression, saying that Russian jets bombed several Georgian villages, wounding seven civilians. A Russian diplomat denied that Russian aircraft had bombed Georgian territory.

[MosJan]

part #1

 

Georgia's Saakashvili commits war crimes against humanity

 

A surprise military offensive by Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia reportedly killed hundreds of people Friday, triggering a ferocious counterattack from Russia that threatened to plunge the region into full-scale war.

 

Moscow, which has close ties to South Ossetia, sent a column of tanks rolling into South Ossetia and reportedly attacked two Georgian air bases as it moved to assert itself as the dominant regional power.

 

As night fell, there were wildly conflicting claims as to who held the battlefield advantage.

 

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said "Georgian military forces completely control all the territory of South Ossetia" except for a northern section adjacent to Russia. But Russian news agencies cited a Russian military official as saying heavy fighting was under way on the outskirts of the regional capital.

 

Witnesses said the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, was devastated.

 

"We lost our city ... The Georgians are like Nazis, they are killing civilians, women and children with heavy artillery and rockets," said 28-year-old Sarmat Laliyev, a Tskhinvali resident who had fled to Dzhava, a village near the border with Russia.

 

The fighting broke out as much of the world's attention was focused on the start of the Olympic Games and many leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Bush, were in Beijing.

 

The timing suggests Saakashvili may have been counting on surprise to fulfill his longtime pledge to wrest back control of South Ossetia _ a key to his hold on power.

 

Saakashvili agreed the timing was not coincidental, but accused Russia of being the aggressor. "Most decision makers have gone for the holidays," he said in an interview with CNN. "Brilliant moment to attack a small country."

 

Diplomats issued a flurry of statements calling on both sides to halt the fighting, but with no immediate effect. It was unclear what might persuade either side to stop shooting. Both claim the battle started after the other side violated a cease-fire that had been declared just hours earlier after a week of sporadic clashes.

 

The United States was sending its top Caucasus envoy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza, to the region to try to end the bloodshed.

 

Russia, which has granted citizenship to most of the region's residents, appeared to lay much of the responsibility for ending the fighting on Washington.

[MosJan]

 

#2

 

In a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Georgia must be convinced to withdraw its forces, according to a ministry statement.

 

eorgia has about 2,000 troops in Iraq, making it the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain. But Saakashvili told CNN that the troops would be called home Saturday in the face of the South Ossetia fighting.

 

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. Georgia has angered Russia by seeking NATO membership _ a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region.

 

The leader of South Ossetia's rebel government, Eduard Kokoity, said about 1,400 people were killed in the onslaught, the Interfax news agency reported. The toll could not be independently confirmed.

 

Twelve Russian peacekeepers were killed and 30 wounded in the fighting, said Russian Ground Forces spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov. Russia has soldiers in South Ossetia as peacekeeping forces but Georgia alleges they back the unrecognized republic.

 

Georgia's Foreign Ministry accused Russian aircraft of bombing two military air bases inside Georgia, inflicting some casualties and destroying several military aircraft. Rustavi 2 television said four people were killed and five wounded at the Marneuli air base.

 

Russia's Defense Ministry said it was sending reinforcements for its peacekeepers, and Russian state television and Georgian officials reported a convoy of tanks had crossed the border. The convoy was expected to reach the provincial capital, Tskhinvali, by evening, Channel One television said.

 

"We are facing Russian aggression," said Georgia's Security Council chief Kakha Lomaya. "They have sent in their troops and weapons and they are bombing our towns."

 

Putin warned in the early stages of the conflict that the Georgian attack would draw retaliation and the Defense Ministry pledged to protect South Ossetians, most of whom have Russian citizenship.

 

Chairing a session of his Security Council in the Kremlin, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also vowed that Moscow will protect Russian citizens.

 

"In accordance with the constitution and federal law, I, as president of Russia, am obliged to protect lives and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are located," Medvedev said. "We won't allow the death of our compatriots go unpunished."

[MosJan]

#3

 

 

On Friday, an AP reporter saw tanks and other heavy weapons concentrating on the Russian side of the border with South Ossetia _ supporting the reports of an incursion. Some villagers were fleeing into Russia.

 

"I saw them (the Georgians) shelling 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.

 

Yakobashvili said Georgian forces had shot down four Russian combat planes over Georgian territory but gave no details. Russia's Defense Ministry denied an earlier Georgia report about one Russian plane downed and had no immediate comment on the latest claim.

 

Yakobashvili said that one Russian plane had dropped a bomb on the Vaziani military base near the Georgian capital, but no one was hurt.

 

More than 1,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers were at the base last month to teach combat skills to Georgian troops. Georgia has about 2,000 troops in Iraq, making it the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain.

 

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.

 

Georgia's president said Russian aircraft bombed several Georgian villages and other civilian facilities.

 

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.

 

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.

 

The Georgian attack came just hours after Saakashvili announced a unilateral cease-fire in a television broadcast late Thursday in which he also urged South Ossetian leaders to enter talks on resolving the conflict.

 

Georgian officials later blamed South Ossetia for thwarting the cease-fire by shelling Georgian villages in the area.

[Yervant1]

lav hot chi galis / achqis es amen inch @ tartsvelu a sur varaqich virusi n@man

Yete Georgia-n glukh yelle Russin het, vay e yekel Javakhi Hayerin.

[MosJan]

Yete Georgia-n glukh yelle Russin het, vay e yekel Javakhi Hayerin.

 

Astvats ognakan

 

 

hima kaseq eli es Hayer@ huysnerin Astsu vra dretsin - byats asem barekam sahat aveli lurj e qan menq patkeratsnum enq

 

sa shat heshtutyamb yev mets havakanutyamb skizbn e shat aveli mets yve aryunahegh mi paterazmi

 

yerevi petq er rusnnerin zbaghetsnel hima - minchev USA & muys lakotner@ parskastani hartser@ k@lutsen

 

 

menak te es nryunaheghutyun@ azerineri axorjakn el ch@batsy

[Yervant1]

Astvats ognakan

 

 

hima kaseq eli es Hayer@ huysnerin Astsu vra dretsin - byats asem barekam sahat aveli lurj e qan menq patkeratsnum enq

 

sa shat heshtutyamb yev mets havakanutyamb skizbn e shat aveli mets yve aryunahegh mi paterazmi

 

yerevi petq er rusnnerin zbaghetsnel hima - minchev USA & muys lakotner@ parskastani hartser@ k@lutsen

 

 

menak te es nryunaheghutyun@ azerineri axorjakn el ch@batsy

Shat jisht es Movses Jan, ays lurch oren patrasduats z@ragir e.

[ED]

im karciqov vracinere irents dzerov et lakot (saakashvili) oqnutyamb irants pos@ porin

 

another neo-con game, bush, soros, albright......he is noting but a tool and a lap dog for neo consses@

 

did you know saakashvili is one of the richest man in the world? 3 billion and counting

 

 

bayts Moves jishtes, et takanq aliyev@ es urish dzeva haskanalu, lav ban chem spasum

 

 

[MosJan]

de aliyevi mot el shutov @entrutyunnera, papular chi et sahan vordin, mi dzevov inq@ iren tuytsa talu shakali balen

 

 

isk russaastani het katak anel@ es varkyanin etqan el katak ban chi - yete sahakashvilin es mi koghmits "dabro" OK statsats ch@liner cher dimi et qaylin

 

bayts te l@riv parza russastani dirq@ - tiflisits 15 KL vra 2 hat batsa toghel nuyn en tegh@ vor USA er zinavrjutyun anum vratsyneri het, isk vratsakan banak@ tesar ?? bolor@ range rovernerov el parz chi ardyoq te drants mejqin ova kangnel

[MosJan]

Firing in Tskhinvali hushes, residents fear night assaults

08.08.2008 21:06 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian In Armenian

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Residents of Tskhinvali come out of the basement where they were hiding from Georgian shelling. Firings hushed. There is no electricity, water and gas. South Ossetian Defense Ministry officials say Georgian military abandoned the territory and people are searching for wounded.

 

"We should first of all do something to help those in the city hospital. It's still unclear what happened to the people. Many have lost their homes. People fear that the assault will be resumed at night. There is no panic but shock," a man said, Vesti reports.

 

On the eve on the Olympic Games in Beijing, Georgia launched an intrusion into South Ossetia. Civilians and Russian peacekeepers were killed and wounded.

 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called the assault "a grave violation of the international law" and said the deaths of the Russian citizens will not go unpunished.

 

Russian forces were sent to support peacekeepers. Staff headed by Russian army land forces commander Vladimir Boldyrev was established in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia.

 

[MosJan]

Saakashvili suffered heart attack, some sources say

09.08.2008 13:09 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian In Armenian

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to some unconfirmed data, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has suffered a heart attack and is a grave condition now. He last made an announcement at 6.40 p.m. and vanished from sight of journalists, who spread rumors that the President was hospitalized with cardiac insufficiency.

 

There is hearsay that the Georgian President can be transported to Turkey for an urgent operation.

 

Georgian Ministry of Health refused to comment on the rumors. To all appearance, the Saakashvili is still in Georgia, Geopolitika.ru reports.