http://www.navoine.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?p=551
Check out the 90 or so pics at this Russian link. Not for the weak stomached: many gory war casualties.
Note especially the prevalent Chechyn units. Most Russian armor is spray-painted with the unit names, including “Chechyn Vostok.” The Russians are sending Chechyn muslims into Georgia, to do the dirty work.
Thanks for the link. The journalist Arkady Babchenko (who shot all that pictures) has an article in Novaya gazeta (New Newspaper). They do have English edition, but its a few days behind and anyway does not include all materials translated. Hopefully, his reportage from the war will be there in a few days. From what he writes, the most bloodthirsty are Ossetians, not Chechens. And he shows the reason - city of Tzvinhali was shot at by Georgian artillery indiscriminately - residential areas, women, kids. Not pretty at all.
I think Georgian president was too cavalier about this attack. He talks nice and did well improving Georgia’s economy, fighting corruption, freeing press, etc. But I see too much of a demagogue in him as well. He overstepped mightily and set us up as well.
It does not make chances for Ossetia remaining a part of Georgia any better. Most likely it is irrevocably lost. There is an issue, of course, of villages of ethnic Georgians inside of the South Ossetia. How that enclaves to be incorporated into Georgia proper is a question. Assuming there will be people still living there. With blood-for-blood running thick, its a serious question.
Even with all that, Russian incursion into Georgia is a different game of chess. Putin shows off with that. His case of “defending weak Ossetia against strong Georgia” would have been much easier without venturing into Georgia. But he wanted to make a point, and just maybe overplayed his hand.