Russian jets bomb Georgian airbase - Tbilisi

Reuters ^ | 08 Aug 2008 | Reporting by Matt Robinson, editing by Tim Pearce

[Grzegorz 246]

TBILISI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Russian jets bombed the Vaziani military airbase outside the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Friday, a senior Georgian security official told Reuters.

"No one was wounded but some buildings have been destroyed," said Kakha Lamaia. The airbase is some 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Tbilisi.

"They have declared war against us," said Lamaia.

[Grzegorz 246]

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[contemplator]

"They have declared war against us," said Lamaia.

They would have to recognize their sovereignty to declare war. As it stands, Russia views them more as a prodigal child.

[ken21]

what did they expect?

the russians were looking for the slightest excuse to get involved.

[1rudeboy]

Ever notice how the Russians always seem to go ape during the Olympics?

[Ukiapah Heep]

This is bad. It is no time for Kum-Bi-Yah.

[musicman]

The Russians must think nobody's gonna notice, since we are ALL surely glued to our TV's watching the Olympics and or anxiously awaiting the next word out of the Obammassiah's mouth....

[Slapshot68]

Just the beginning. I fear the Soviet Union is looking to be reborn.

[Moose4]

They've taken the mantle of some sort of "protector" of the South Ossetians on themselves and reacted to Georgia's move. Or should I say perhaps "overreacted", because while Georgia moved troops into their own sovereign territory to reclaim it from separatists, Russia just bombed the soil of another nation. That's a straight-up casus belli right there, except Georgia's in no position to declare war on Russia.

This has the potential to get hella ugly.

}:-)4

[Slapshot68]

Medvedev made a statement that Russia will protect it’s citizens wherever they are located.

That sounds a little open ended to me. Russian citizens are everywhere in the former eastern bloc.

This move is troubling.

[Soliton]

The russian mafia needs a conflict to stabelize oil prices. Oil became an official bear market today (no pun intended)

[LowTaxesEqualProsperity]

If Kosovo can be independent from Serbia, South Ossetia can be independent from Georgia.

[Psalm 73]

Since then, Georgia has shot down 4 Russian military aircraft, and Russia has retaliated by sending a column of 150+ tanks into Georgia.
We have a military presence in Georgia, and they are an ally.
This could get real ugly, real fast.

[RaceBannon]

look for the Islamic southern states to cecede en mass

While they are already separrate, there will be a cultural secession soon

[Moose4]

Medvedev made a statement that Russia will protect it’s citizens wherever they are located.

Sounds a little too much like Hitler saying that the Reich was concerned about the affairs of Germans everywhere...y'know, like the Sudetenland and the rest of Czechoslovakia. I don't think Putin and his sockpuppet Medvedev would go that far, but obviously they're willing to use force beyond what anybody was expecting. Building up tanks on the Ossetian border was one thing. Bombing an airbase outside Tblisi, that's a whole other level of escalation.

}:-)4

[sidewinder009]

OMG!!Somebody contact the UN !!Hurry!!

[agere_contra]

If Kosovo can be independent from Serbia, South Ossetia can be independent from Georgia.

This is true - Russia has the moral edge here: we bombed the cr*p out of Serbia for doing exactly what Georgia is doing.

Of course we were wrong then, and Russia is wrong now. Serbia/Georgia is a sovereign state and has the right to deal with internal revolt. But we will need to acknowledge how badly we screwed over Serbia when Russia points out the parallels - as they surely will.

[Scythian]

The Russians are poorly trained, have crappy equipment, low morale ... Go Georgia !!

[MARKUSPRIME]

Russian,chinese,iranian alliance vs the free western world is coming. Choose sides.

[SJackson]

We not only have military personel in Georgia, we have had personel at the Vaziani training center since 2002. They may well have come under fire today. From last month

Marines and Georgians move to the Field

VAZIANI TRAINING BASE, Georgia-Hungry Marines and Georgians finally arrive at the end of the chow line giving them their first hot meal of the day and allowing them to continue their conversations over dinner.