Posted on 08/12/2008 3:03:09 AM PDT by Schnucki
Russian warplanes bombed the Georgian city of Gori overnight, hitting a media centre and killing a Dutch television journalist who was in the city to cover the invasion.
At least four other people were killed in the bombardment, which began as the Georgian army and most of the city's remaining inhabitants fled Gori in disarray believing that Russian troops were about to take the town.
Meanwhile, Georgian authorities said that Russian fighter jets had once again attempted to bomb a strategic oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, which carries fuel from the Caspian Sea to Europe via Georgia.
Georgia fears that the Russian army is now preparing to march on the Georgian capital Tbilisi and topple the government of President Mikhail Saakashvili. An explosion was heard in Tbilisi this morning, heightening fears that Russian MiG fighter jets were about to bomb the city.
Russia dismisses this, saying that the thousands of troops, tanks and artillery that it has poured into Georgia's two breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the last few days, and the incursions that they have made into Georgian sovereign territory around them, are merely intended to prevent Georgia from attacking South Ossetia again.
This morning Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian President, appeared to have ordered a halt to the military operation.
Mr Medvedev said that Russia's military had punished Georgia enough for its attack last week on South Ossetia. “The security of our peacekeepers and civilians has been restored,” Mr Medvedev said. “The aggressor has been punished and suffered very significant losses. Its military has been disorganised.”
The Russian President said that he had, however, ordered the Russian military to continue to defend itself, and to quell any signs of Georgian resistance.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Russia annexes half of a sovereign country and wants to topple the democratically elected government in favor of puppets, so they can defacto also rule the other half of the country.
Well, I suspect that most of all knew this would end.
In short, a bridge too far (on all sides).
Has it been established that the Georgians started it without pretext? Or were they “drawn offsides”?
We have no treaty or obligation to send in troops. When an Allie does something wrong, we are not obligated to help them. What are we supposed to do .. invade and start killing Russians? Does anyone think we should throw ourselves on that sword? Allies work both way. When they do something wrong and get themselves into trouble, it's not up to us to bail them out.
Did they really think they could escalate the situation, with no immediate need, and that Russia would do nothing in response? Did they think that Russia was a Paper Tiger?
Russia wanted an excuse to invade and Georgia provided one.
Pretty much like you (and many others) want an excuse for inaction and provided one.
The Georgians were provoked, but it’s been going on for a long time and I don’t know exactly why they decided to respond now. I read yesterday that we have a military presence in Georgia (we had been conducting some sort of wargames there a couple of weeks ago) and they had warned the Georgians not to take the bait if the Ossetians became more aggressive. Everybody knew that would give Russia the pretext that it needed.
Again, I don’t know all the circumstances. Maybe the Ossetian attacks became more severe or threatened Georgia beyond its border regions, or maybe it was simply a poor decision by somebody. Even if the latter is the case, it would have happened sooner or later anyway, and perhaps it’s good to get it over while it’s still slightly controllable.
I think that, ultimately, this won’t work to Russia’s favor and will result in having the lines simply drawn more clearly.
They probably figured they might damage Obamas chances. Fellow travelers you know.
It’s obvious that you have no knowledge of events before August 7.
Are you kidding? Russia said it happened that way, it must have!
I asked that same question you just did yesterday and got a few links so I could see “the truth”. The links were to Russian News. Uh, ok?
Meanwhile Putin has said this, "Russia has played a positive, stabilising role in the Caucasus for centuries, a guarantor of security, cooperation and progress," the Russian prime minister said at the weekend. "This is how it was in the past and this is how it is going to be in future. Let there be no doubt about this." ...and I expect everybody from Kiev to Baku is going to get that message.
At what point do you not stand up though?
I keep hearing how stupid Georgia was for defending it’s land, but do you not stand up to a bully who is smacking you around on the schoolyard? Is it then your fault when you defend yourself and they beat the crap out of you? Granted, you must make that decision and suffer the consequences regardless, but it still does not make it your fault.
That is the same mentality given to rapists of women who wear short skirts, or wife beaters whose wives “made them angry”.
At what point do you not stand up though?
I keep hearing how stupid Georgia was for defending it’s land, but do you not stand up to a bully who is smacking you around on the schoolyard? Is it then your fault when you defend yourself and they beat the crap out of you? Granted, you must make that decision and suffer the consequences regardless, but it still does not make it your fault.
That is the same mentality given to rapists of women who wear short skirts, or wife beaters whose wives “made them angry”.
Oops, I hit post twice. Sorry.
Does anyone here remember the old game of Red Light Green Light One two three?
Now they've done it. The EU will issue a firm statement demanding talks.
“Russia has played a positive, stabilising role in the Caucasus for centuries, a guarantor of security, cooperation and progress,” the Russian prime minister said at the weekend. “This is how it was in the past and this is how it is going to be in future. Let there be no doubt about this.”
Wow. We were lulled with the break up of the Soviet Union. But for anyone with any doubts, that’s all you need to hear to understand exactly where Putin and Russia stand.
We can’t trust Putin’s Russia one bit when they do things like this:
“
RUSSIA COMPLETES SAM DELIVERY TO IRAN
menewsline ^ | 1 - 23 - 07
RUSSIA COMPLETES SAM DELIVERY TO IRAN
MOSCOW [MENL] — Russia has confirmed the completion of anti-aircraft deliveries to Iran.
A senior Russian official asserted that Moscow delivered all 29 TOR-M1 mobile, short-range surface-to-air missile systems to Iran in late December 2006. The official confirmed a previous statement by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, who reported that the deliveries to Iran had been completed.
“Russia has fulfilled its contract obligations and fully completed deliveries of TOR-M1 air defense systems to Iran,” Sergei Chemezov, the director of the state arms export agency Rosoboronexport, said on Tuesday. “The systems were delivered in late December of last year.”
Chemezov confirmed the completion of the TOR-M1 deliveries during a visit to India. The Rosoboronexport chief was accompanying Ivanov in a tour of Bangalore, where Russia has offered India advanced MiG-35 fighter-jets as well as satellite cooperation.
A senior Russian official asserted that Moscow delivered all 29 TOR-M1 mobile, short-range surface-to-air missile systems to Iran in late December 2006. The official confirmed a previous statement by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, who reported that the deliveries to Iran had been completed.”
excerpt http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2007/january/01_24_2.html
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