- Feb 8, 2001
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Although not front page news, there is a gathering tension between U.S. ally Georgia, Russsia and Russian client state of South Ossetia. Intermittent exchanges of RPGs and gunfire underscore regional tensions, but more worrisome is the recent significant buildup of Russian forces in the area and the re-arming of Georgia by the Ukraine and other neighbors.
This is likely the next European war. The question that I have is, "Will Obama do anything different than Bush and the EU did last time around?"
Russia says raises readiness of troops in S.Ossetia
Russia says raises readiness of troops in S.Ossetia
By Amie Ferris-Rotman
Reuters 8/4/2009
MOSCOW (Reuters) ? A year after fighting a war with Georgia, Russia strengthened the combat readiness of its troops in the rebel region of South Ossetia on Tuesday and warned the United States against rearming Georgia.
"Provocations from the Georgian side... are not stopping," Andrei Nesterenko, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement. "In connection with this, we have stepped up the combat readiness of Russian troops and border guards."
Tension has been rising in South Ossetia ahead of the August 7 anniversary of the war, which began when Georgian forces launched an assault on the Moscow-backed rebel enclave.
Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev discussed the situation in Georgia with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday. The Kremlin said they discussed the lessons of last year's war by telephone but gave no further details on what was said about Georgia.
The European Union has called on all sides to show restraint but in recent days the rebels and Georgia have accused each other of firing across the de facto border.
"The Russian occupiers and proxy regimes still continue to pursue their efforts aimed at further raising tension," the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Tbilisi said late on Monday that three rocket-propelled grenades were fired from the rebel region at a Georgian village near the boundary. No one was hurt. South Ossetia has accused Georgian forces of firing mortars, a charge Tbilisi denied.
The rebel region's leader ordered the closure of the last segment of the border through which ethnic Georgians living in the Georgian-populated Akhalgori region had previously been given permission to cross.
"To avoid any kind of provocation from the Georgian side, from 12 o'clock tonight the state border with the republic of South Ossetia will be closed," the enclave's leader, Eduard Kokoity, a 44-year-old ex-wrestler, said on the rebel website www.cominf.org.
The only official way into the pine-covered region is through the Rocky Tunnel from Russia's North Ossetia region.
MOSCOW RAPS UNITED STATES
Underscoring the tension, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin warned the United States and Ukraine against rearming Georgia.
"It is highly regrettable that the Americans are going to further pump up (Georgian President) Mikheil Saakashvili's military machine," Karasin told Interfax news agency.
"Washington is playing the key role in rearming the Georgian war machine."
He said Moscow "would not stand aloof, watching an unpredictable regime being again openly armed right at our borders in the Caucasus."
Ukraine -- which wants to join NATO -- is "unfriendly" to Russia by being one of the "most active" arms suppliers to Georgia, Karasin said, adding that Russia would "deliberately thwart" supplies of arms to Tbilisi.
After months of escalating tension, Russia last year crushed Georgia's assault on South Ossetia and sent tanks deep into Georgia proper, provoking condemnation from the European Union and the United States.
After an EU-brokered ceasefire ended the five-day war, Russia recognized South Ossetia and another rebel region, Abkhazia, as independent states, though the rest of the world still considers them part of Georgia.
Russian Troop On High Readiness in South Ossetia
Russian troops on high readiness in South Ossetia
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer 8/4/2009
AP writer Mansur Mirovalev contributed from Tskhinvali, Georgia
MOSCOW ? Russian troops in the breakaway province of South Ossetia have been put on increased combat readiness amid rising tensions on the de facto border with Georgia, officials said Tuesday.
Andrei Nesterenko, the spokesman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, said the move was a response to Georgian "provocations" and meant to prevent more violence.
"The most important thing now is to prevent escalation and not to allow skirmishes to grow into bigger clashes," Nesterenko said.
The situation near South Ossetia has become increasingly tense as the first anniversary of the Russian-Georgian war approaches Friday, with Georgia and Russia blaming each other for provocations and intentions to resume fighting.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev discussed the "lessons of last year's Georgian crisis" in a telephone conversation late Tuesday, the Kremlin said in a statement. There was no elaboration.
Obama said during a recent summit in Moscow that Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected.
The August 2008 conflict erupted after escalating exchanges of fire between Georgia and Moscow-backed South Ossetian forces.
South Ossetia's separatists and Georgian authorities have accused each other of firing guns and mortar rounds on several occasions over the past few days.
The separatist leader, Eduard Kokoity, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that "there is a danger that August 2008 will be repeated."
"Today, Georgia's military is more combat-ready and has a stronger potential" than during the run-up to last year's conflict, Kokoity said.
In the latest incident, Monday night, South Ossetia's separatist authorities said three mortar rounds were fired into South Ossetia from Georgian-controlled territory. Georgian authorities denied the claim and accused separatists of firing rocket-propelled grenades at a Georgian checkpoint near South Ossetia. No one was hurt.
The European Union said it was concerned about mutual accusations of shelling and other incidents, but added that EU monitors in Georgia had seen no evidence confirming them so far.
"The EU urges all sides to refrain from any statement or action that may lead to increased tensions at this particularly sensitive time," the international organization said in a statement late Monday.
EU monitors are the only international ones remaining in Georgia, but they are blocked from traveling inside South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A EU-brokered truce ended the five-day August war between Georgia and Russia. Russia sent in thousands of troops and tanks that routed the Georgian military and drove deep into Georgia.
Georgian authorities claimed they had to launch the artillery barrage on Tskhinvali, the provincial capital, because Russian troops had moved into South Ossetia hours earlier. Russian officials denied this, and claimed the country acted to protect its peacekeepers and civilians there.
After the war, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another separatist region in Georgia, as independent nations and permanently deployed thousands of troops there.
The only other country to recognize the regions' independence is Nicaragua.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said in an interview with France's RTL radio broadcast Tuesday that there is a risk of a new conflict because Russia was putting constant pressure on Georgia. He said Georgia would not engage in conflict with Russia but would defend itself if necessary.
Meanwhile, a senior Russian diplomat voiced concern about what he said were U.S. plans to provide military assistance to Georgia.
"Washington is playing the key role in rearming the Georgian military machine," Grigory Karasin, a deputy foreign minister, said in comments reported Tuesday by the Interfax agency. "It would be in the interests of Georgian democracy ... to refuse to arm this country at all."
South Ossetia's Kokoity echoed Karasin's sentiments, saying countries that arm Georgia "are responsible for any further (military) developments."
The U.S. is discussing a Georgian request for $16 million in military aid this year, with most of the money intended for training and technical assistance. But Washington reacted coolly after Saakashvili told The Washington Post that Georgia was interested in acquiring heavy weapons for defensive purposes.
This is likely the next European war. The question that I have is, "Will Obama do anything different than Bush and the EU did last time around?"
Russia says raises readiness of troops in S.Ossetia
Russia says raises readiness of troops in S.Ossetia
By Amie Ferris-Rotman
Reuters 8/4/2009
MOSCOW (Reuters) ? A year after fighting a war with Georgia, Russia strengthened the combat readiness of its troops in the rebel region of South Ossetia on Tuesday and warned the United States against rearming Georgia.
"Provocations from the Georgian side... are not stopping," Andrei Nesterenko, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement. "In connection with this, we have stepped up the combat readiness of Russian troops and border guards."
Tension has been rising in South Ossetia ahead of the August 7 anniversary of the war, which began when Georgian forces launched an assault on the Moscow-backed rebel enclave.
Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev discussed the situation in Georgia with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday. The Kremlin said they discussed the lessons of last year's war by telephone but gave no further details on what was said about Georgia.
The European Union has called on all sides to show restraint but in recent days the rebels and Georgia have accused each other of firing across the de facto border.
"The Russian occupiers and proxy regimes still continue to pursue their efforts aimed at further raising tension," the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Tbilisi said late on Monday that three rocket-propelled grenades were fired from the rebel region at a Georgian village near the boundary. No one was hurt. South Ossetia has accused Georgian forces of firing mortars, a charge Tbilisi denied.
The rebel region's leader ordered the closure of the last segment of the border through which ethnic Georgians living in the Georgian-populated Akhalgori region had previously been given permission to cross.
"To avoid any kind of provocation from the Georgian side, from 12 o'clock tonight the state border with the republic of South Ossetia will be closed," the enclave's leader, Eduard Kokoity, a 44-year-old ex-wrestler, said on the rebel website www.cominf.org.
The only official way into the pine-covered region is through the Rocky Tunnel from Russia's North Ossetia region.
MOSCOW RAPS UNITED STATES
Underscoring the tension, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin warned the United States and Ukraine against rearming Georgia.
"It is highly regrettable that the Americans are going to further pump up (Georgian President) Mikheil Saakashvili's military machine," Karasin told Interfax news agency.
"Washington is playing the key role in rearming the Georgian war machine."
He said Moscow "would not stand aloof, watching an unpredictable regime being again openly armed right at our borders in the Caucasus."
Ukraine -- which wants to join NATO -- is "unfriendly" to Russia by being one of the "most active" arms suppliers to Georgia, Karasin said, adding that Russia would "deliberately thwart" supplies of arms to Tbilisi.
After months of escalating tension, Russia last year crushed Georgia's assault on South Ossetia and sent tanks deep into Georgia proper, provoking condemnation from the European Union and the United States.
After an EU-brokered ceasefire ended the five-day war, Russia recognized South Ossetia and another rebel region, Abkhazia, as independent states, though the rest of the world still considers them part of Georgia.
Russian Troop On High Readiness in South Ossetia
Russian troops on high readiness in South Ossetia
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer 8/4/2009
AP writer Mansur Mirovalev contributed from Tskhinvali, Georgia
MOSCOW ? Russian troops in the breakaway province of South Ossetia have been put on increased combat readiness amid rising tensions on the de facto border with Georgia, officials said Tuesday.
Andrei Nesterenko, the spokesman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, said the move was a response to Georgian "provocations" and meant to prevent more violence.
"The most important thing now is to prevent escalation and not to allow skirmishes to grow into bigger clashes," Nesterenko said.
The situation near South Ossetia has become increasingly tense as the first anniversary of the Russian-Georgian war approaches Friday, with Georgia and Russia blaming each other for provocations and intentions to resume fighting.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev discussed the "lessons of last year's Georgian crisis" in a telephone conversation late Tuesday, the Kremlin said in a statement. There was no elaboration.
Obama said during a recent summit in Moscow that Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected.
The August 2008 conflict erupted after escalating exchanges of fire between Georgia and Moscow-backed South Ossetian forces.
South Ossetia's separatists and Georgian authorities have accused each other of firing guns and mortar rounds on several occasions over the past few days.
The separatist leader, Eduard Kokoity, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that "there is a danger that August 2008 will be repeated."
"Today, Georgia's military is more combat-ready and has a stronger potential" than during the run-up to last year's conflict, Kokoity said.
In the latest incident, Monday night, South Ossetia's separatist authorities said three mortar rounds were fired into South Ossetia from Georgian-controlled territory. Georgian authorities denied the claim and accused separatists of firing rocket-propelled grenades at a Georgian checkpoint near South Ossetia. No one was hurt.
The European Union said it was concerned about mutual accusations of shelling and other incidents, but added that EU monitors in Georgia had seen no evidence confirming them so far.
"The EU urges all sides to refrain from any statement or action that may lead to increased tensions at this particularly sensitive time," the international organization said in a statement late Monday.
EU monitors are the only international ones remaining in Georgia, but they are blocked from traveling inside South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A EU-brokered truce ended the five-day August war between Georgia and Russia. Russia sent in thousands of troops and tanks that routed the Georgian military and drove deep into Georgia.
Georgian authorities claimed they had to launch the artillery barrage on Tskhinvali, the provincial capital, because Russian troops had moved into South Ossetia hours earlier. Russian officials denied this, and claimed the country acted to protect its peacekeepers and civilians there.
After the war, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another separatist region in Georgia, as independent nations and permanently deployed thousands of troops there.
The only other country to recognize the regions' independence is Nicaragua.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said in an interview with France's RTL radio broadcast Tuesday that there is a risk of a new conflict because Russia was putting constant pressure on Georgia. He said Georgia would not engage in conflict with Russia but would defend itself if necessary.
Meanwhile, a senior Russian diplomat voiced concern about what he said were U.S. plans to provide military assistance to Georgia.
"Washington is playing the key role in rearming the Georgian military machine," Grigory Karasin, a deputy foreign minister, said in comments reported Tuesday by the Interfax agency. "It would be in the interests of Georgian democracy ... to refuse to arm this country at all."
South Ossetia's Kokoity echoed Karasin's sentiments, saying countries that arm Georgia "are responsible for any further (military) developments."
The U.S. is discussing a Georgian request for $16 million in military aid this year, with most of the money intended for training and technical assistance. But Washington reacted coolly after Saakashvili told The Washington Post that Georgia was interested in acquiring heavy weapons for defensive purposes.
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