Posted on 08/14/2008 2:46:11 AM PDT by maquiladora
Russia said today it will soon pull out from Gori, a town 60km east of the capital Tbilisi, just outside South Ossetia and which contols the key road between eastern and western Georgia.
Definitely, a must-watch.
from interfax -
10:36 Yushchenko decree on Black Sea Fleet ships reflects political crisis inUkraine - Lavrov
10:43 Russian peacekeepers to stay on alert in S. Ossetia - Medvedev
10:53 Russia to insist on signing binding deal on settling S. Ossetia,Abkhazia conflicts - Medvedev
10:57 Russia ready to discuss expansion of intl observer mission in conflictarea
10:58 Intl partners will help bring peace to S. Ossetia, Abkhazia - Medvedev
11:20 Lavrov denies Russian tanks were poised to reach Tbilisi
11:59 Lavrov accuses Western media of biased coverage of Georgia war
[link to www.interfax.com]
Russia: ‘Forget’ About Georgian Territorial Integrity; Explosions in Gori
Thursday, August 14, 2008
GORI, Georgia — Explosions were heard near Gori on Thursday as a Russian troop withdrawal from the strategic city seemed to collapse. A fragile cease-fire appeared even more shaky as Russia’s foreign minister declared that the world “can forget about any talk about Georgia’s territorial integrity.”
The declaration from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came simultaneously with the announcement that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was meeting in the Kremlin with the leaders of Georgia’s two separatist provinces.
“One can forget about any talk about Georgia’s territorial integrity because, I believe, it is impossible to persuade South Ossetia and Abkhazia to agree with the logic that they can be forced back into the Georgian state,” Lavrov told reporters.
At least five explosions were heard near Gori. It could not immediately be determined if the blasts were a renewal of fighting between Georgian and Russian forces, but they sounded similar to mortar shells and occurred after a tense confrontation between Russian and Georgian troops on the edge of the city.
More,
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403462,00.html
Georgia might want to consider blowing some bridges out west.
--Napoleon Bonaparte
Just coming across the wires -
Russian armour massed near Zugdidi-Reuters witness
14 Aug 2008 12:23:39 GMT
Source: Reuters
</SPAN> ZUGDIDI, Georgia, Aug 14 (Reuters) - More than 100 Russian armoured vehicles were massed two km (1.5 miles) from the centre of Zugdidi, a major town in western Georgia, a Reuters witness said.
“I counted 104 Russian army vehicles, including 40 armoured vehicles, most of which are tanks,” Reuters staff photographer Umit Bektas said by telephone from the city.
Bektas said their purpose was unclear.
He said the convoy included weapons such as rocket propelled grenades and was carrying Russian flags. (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Melissa Akin)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LE695362.htm
Amen. Too many in the West, and even on FR, project motives of democratic politicians and leaders onto those of totaliarian thug states like Russia and China, thinking they are only after profits and “respect,” rather than conquest.
Seems like they are still moving around and destorying whatever is left of the Georgian military infastructure in the areas they are occupying.
bump
From what I understand though, Georgia was able to avoid large scale confrontation with the Russian armor (except for the engagement around the rebel capital in the first few days of the war) and pulled back in and around Tblisi.
If Russia is really going to put a dent in the Georgian military (at least the hardware) they would have to confront them down in and around Tblisi. They can go around blowing up empty barracks, cratering runways and setting off ammo storage dumps, but it sounds like if they want to get at the Georgian military itself, it’s got to go down to Tblisi
Star Wars’ Emperor Palpatine, without the hood. (shudder)
I’m sure they’d love to hit the remaining Georgian armor. From what I’ve heard there is a long line of it on the road from Tblisi to Gori waiting for the Russians to leave Gori so they can go back and secure the city.
I think Russia is destorying whatever it can in the area that it is limited to. Radar stations, roads, buildings, boats etc.
and it sounds like no one is going to do much to stop them . . . Georgia is going to have its hands full rebuilding and regaining the trust of its populace
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