Great. Russia Invades Gearogia

raminio05

National Team Player
#1
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html
TBLISI, Georgia (CNN) -- Georgia's president said Friday that his country is under attack by Russian tanks and warplanes, and he accused Russia of targeting civilians as tensions over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia appeared to boil over into full-blown conflict.
Russia's Channel 1 shows heavy tanks purported to be on their way to South Ossetia.




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"All day today, they've been bombing Georgia from numerous warplanes and specifically targeting (the) civilian population, and we have scores of wounded and dead among (the) civilian population all around the country," President Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN in an exclusive interview.
"This is the worst nightmare one can encounter," he said.
Hundres of people, possibly thousands, are fleeing South Ossetia to the Russian region of North Ossetia-Alania, the United Nations reported Friday, citing Russian officials. About 400 more are believed to have fled for other parts of Georgia, the United Nations said.
Asked whether Georgia and Russia were now at war, he said, "My country is in self-defense against Russian aggression. Russian troops invaded Georgia."
Watch the interview with Saakashvili »
About 150 Russian armored vehicles have entered South Ossetia, Saakashvili said, and Georgian forces had shot down two Russian aircraft.
Watch the Russian tanks moving into the area »
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meanwhile said Moscow had received reports that villages in South Ossetia were being ethnically cleansed, according to Reuters.com.
"We are receiving reports that a police of ethnic cleansing was being conducted in villages in South Ossetia, the number of refugees is climbing, the panic is growing, people are trying to save their lives," he was reported saying.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, quoted by the Russian news agency Interfax, said Russians had died because of Georgia's operations.
Russia "will not allow the deaths of our compatriots to go unpunished" and "those guilty will receive due punishment," he said. "My duty as Russian president is to safeguard the lives and dignity of Russian citizens, wherever they are. This is what is behind the logic of the steps we are undertaking now."
South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s, but it was not internationally recognized. Many ethnic Ossetians feel close to Russia and have Russian passports and use its currency. iReport.com: Are you there, share your photos, videos
Russia's Defense Ministry said it sent "reinforcements" to South Ossetia to help the Russian peacekeepers already stationed there.
Earlier Friday, Russian military aircraft dropped two bombs on Georgian territory, a Georgian official said, causing no casualties. Georgian officials also report four Russian aircraft shot down.
The U.S., NATO and European Union have all called for an end to the fighting. U.S. President George Bush and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed the conflict in Georgia, the White House confirmed.
In a letter addressed to his "fellow citizens" Friday, Saakashvili said he had mobilized tens of thousands of reserve officers and that the mobilization continued.
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"We must unite," Saakashvili wrote. "All of us, hundreds of thousands of Georgians here and abroad, should come together, unite, and fight to save Georgia. We are a freedom-loving people, and if our nation is united, no aggressor will be able to harm it."
Georgia declared a unilateral three-hour cease fire at 3 p.m. to enable civilians to escape from the conflict zone, which so far was focused inside South Ossetia but included aerial targets inside Georgia, Saakashvili said.
"Clearly they don't really have boundaries in their activities," said Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili, in an interview with CNN. She said Russian aircraft had bombed "several villages" in Georgia outside of the South Ossetian territory.
By early evening Friday, Georgian Cabinet minister said the country's forces have taken control of the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali. He spoke to Interfax news agency, which also quoted separtists denying the city was udner Georgian control.
Tkeshelashvili said Georgian authorities are still collecting information on casualties.
Georgia was appealing to the world for diplomatic intervention, she said, stressing that Georgia was not asking for military assistance.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it was sending an envoy to the region immediately.
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer issued a statement Friday saying he was seriously concerned about the recent events in the region, and he called on all sides to end armed clashes and begin direct talks.
Watch more about NATO's attempts to help Georgia »
Carmen Romero, a NATO spokeswoman speaking to CNN from Brussels, reiterated Scheffer's statement. She said NATO was in regular contact with Georgia's president and was talking to the Russian side.
Britain and the United States also urged all sides to bring an immediate end to the violence. Acting U.S. State Department spokesman Gonzo Gallegos said: "We support Georgia's territorial integrity and call for an immediate cease-fire. We urge all parties ... to de-escalate and avoid conflict
An emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Friday discussed the dramatic escalation of violence. The session ended Friday morning without a statement about the fighting.
Violence has been mounting in the region in recent days, with sporadic clashes between Georgian forces and South Ossetian separatists. Georgian troops launched new attacks in South Ossetia late Thursday after a top government official said a unilateral cease-fire offer was met with separatist artillery fire.
Alexander Lomaia, the secretary of Georgia's National Security Council, said Georgian troops were responding proportionately to separatist mortar and artillery attacks on two villages -- attacks he said followed the cease-fire and call for negotiations by Saakashvili.
Russia said a Georgian attack on a military barracks left a number of Russian peacekeepers dead.
"It's all very sad and alarming," Putin said earlier in the day. "And, of course, there will be a response."
"There are lots of volunteers being gathered in the region, and it's very hard to withhold them from taking part. A real war is going on," Putin said, according to his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.
Russian peacekeepers are in South Ossetia under a 1992 agreement by Russian, Georgian, and South Ossetian authorities to maintain what has been a fragile peace. The mixed peacekeeping force also includes Georgian and South Ossetian troops.
Saakashvili said the Russian invasion of South Ossetia was pre-planned.





"These troops that are in Georgia now -- they didn't come unexpectedly," the president told CNN. "They had been amassing at the border for the last few months. They claimed they were staging exercises there and as soon as a suitable pretext was found, they moved in."

Georgia, located on the Black Sea coast between Russia and Turkey, has been split by Russian-backed separatist movements in South Ossetia and another region, Abkhazia. E-mail to a friend



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-- Journalist Elene Gotsadze contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

ashtar

National Team Player
Aug 17, 2003
5,448
19
#3
Osse what?
Has this been an ongoing problem that the ever so informing FOX and the other US news organizations had not been preparing us for?
BTW, great timing to take away Chinese Olympic thunder from the headlines.
 

Bache Tehroon

Elite Member
Oct 16, 2002
39,533
1,513
DarvAze DoolAb
www.iransportspress.com
#4
Yes it's been an ongoing conflict but not with this magnitude. This is Russia showing its fist to the West. I have a feeling after this invasion Georgia will not see peace for years to come.

This will worry the Akhunds a lot. Their most powerful ally is using its resources and power for purposes other than BEYZEYE ESLAM. Not good.
 

raminio05

National Team Player
#5
Yes it's been an ongoing conflict but not with this magnitude. This is Russia showing its fist to the West. I have a feeling after this invasion Georgia will not see peace for years to come.

This will worry the Akhunds a lot. Their most powerful ally is using its resources and power for purposes other than BEYZEYE ESLAM. Not good.
yeah, i had the same impression. i think that this has a lot to do with the US's push to get that missle shield in europe.
 

ashtar

National Team Player
Aug 17, 2003
5,448
19
#6
According to AP it seems that Russia invaded only after Georgia attacked:
"DZHAVA, Georgia - Russia sent columns of tanks and reportedly bombed Georgian air bases Friday after Georgia launched a major military offensive Friday to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia, threatening to ignite a broader conflict."

This is indeed bad news for Iran since it's just another proof of how Iran is the greatest threat to world peace and security. Actually according to Shaul Mofaz "Iran is the root of all evil" in the world.
 

Bache Tehroon

Elite Member
Oct 16, 2002
39,533
1,513
DarvAze DoolAb
www.iransportspress.com
#7
Actually according to Shaul Mofaz "Iran is the root of all evil" in the world.
Depending on where one believes the current regime takes its roots from Shaul Mofaz's statement could be tagged as "correct". :)


On a serious note,

why hasn't this affected gas prices yet? I thought anytime someone farted anywhere in the world it would affect the price of oil?
 
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#9
What invasion?! Correct me if I'm wrong, but South Ossetia is a breakaway region of Georgia. Russia has been playing a peacekeeping role in the region for years. Russia sending tanks into S. Ossesia is like NATO having sent more troops to protect Kosovo from Serbian aggression. In this case, Georgia has been shelling regions in S. Ossetia for weeks. And a Russian airstrike on Georgian territory is not considered an invasion (much like Isreal's airstrike against Syria was not considered an invasion). This is definitely not good news for anyone in the region, but calling it an invasion 'cause the Georgian president says so, is a little one sided IMHO.
 
Feb 22, 2005
6,884
9
#10
One can never tell what the truth is. There is so much politics.

Ashtar, of course Iranian government is not a threat to the world. They are only threat to their own people.
 
Aug 27, 2005
8,688
0
Band e 209
#11
So a portion of the Russian Federation wants to become independent...then a portion of that portion (Ossetia) which wants independence wants independence to rejoin the Russian federation. Then the first independent portion (Georgia) doesn't want part of its portion to be independent and join the Federation so it invades it and kills bunch of federation soldiers. Federation feels humiliated takes the 2nd independent portion back and in the Olympic opening day and using Tanks assult and air raid federation invades the first independent portion.

Gota have my popcorn.
 
Feb 22, 2005
6,884
9
#12
It is hard to tell what really happend. Georgia says Russia was massing troops, etc.. for months and was planning an invasion. Russia says ... We know we cannot trust the Russians, but can we trust the Georgians anymore?

In a world, where the countries that have veto power in the UN, can invade other countries, sell any kind of weapons to whomever at anytime, etc.. Support genocide and mass killings and the rest of the world can just watch, can the big powers be trusted?
 

ashtar

National Team Player
Aug 17, 2003
5,448
19
#13
It is hard to tell what really happend. Georgia says Russia was massing troops, etc.. for months and was planning an invasion. Russia says ... We know we cannot trust the Russians, but can we trust the Georgians anymore?

In a world, where the countries that have veto power in the UN, can invade other countries, sell any kind of weapons to whomever at anytime, etc.. Support genocide and mass killings and the rest of the world can just watch, can the big powers be trusted?
AghA Lord, az oon harfA mizanihA.

movAzeb nabAshi, inghadar goosheh kenAyeh be "estekbAr e jahAni" mizani khodAy e nAkardeh momkeneh behet laghab e hezbollahi bedan (hattA agar doshman e khoonin e IR, khomeini va peyrovAnesh ham bAshi).

In this day and age your are either with the big 5 or you're against them. And if you're against them you must be a terrorist. And if you're a terrorist you must be a Muslim (even if you don't believe in it or practice it). And if you're a Muslim you must be a terrorist that is sponsored by Iran (regardless of whether you're Sunni, Shiite, or of some other religious belief). And if you're sponsored by Iran then you must be "hezbollahi". And if you're "hezbollahi" then ..., khodet bagheeyasho midooni digeh.
 
Feb 22, 2005
6,884
9
#14
Ashtar I don't disagree with you on this one. The big 5 would do whatever is to their advantage for their own economy at any cost. Even people who were on their side, find out later that they will chew them out the second they find a better offer.

But thus is the nature of the the human beings. It is the law of the jungle even if many try to play the Tarzan in it.

It is the law of push and pull. The one that plays that well can stay float and take advantage and look for ways to become one of the future 5. To me that entails taking advantage of every Iranian regardless of their race, religion, philosophy, religion, and ways of being, and give them an open environment where they can be creative and innovative.
 
Jun 7, 2004
3,196
0
#15
A messy situation. Georgians have on numerous occasions tried ethnic cleansing against the Ossets. Ossets have had a long history of fighting for independence.

Ossets are Iranian people speaking an Iranian language in case you did not know.
 

Flint

Legionnaire
Jan 28, 2006
7,016
0
United States
#16
In this day and age your are either with the big 5 or you're against them. And if you're against them you must be a terrorist.
What if you are?

And if you're a terrorist you must be a Muslim.
No. But virtually all terrorism today is done by misguided muslims. Deal with the consequences.

And if you're a Muslim you must be a terrorist that is sponsored by Iran (regardless of whether you're Sunni, Shiite, or of some other religious belief)
Not far from the truth. Iran's money and fingerprints are everywhere. They are actually proud of it. Are Hamas operatives being trained in Iran shiites?

And if you're sponsored by Iran then you must be "hezbollahi"
This is true by definition. Their biggest franchise in the world is Hezbollah in Lebanon. IR, to its credit, has single handedly created a brand name. They proudly wear it.
 
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ashtar

National Team Player
Aug 17, 2003
5,448
19
#17
A messy situation. Georgians have on numerous occasions tried ethnic cleansing against the Ossets. Ossets have had a long history of fighting for independence.

Ossets are Iranian people speaking an Iranian language in case you did not know.
And who do you think Georgians are? They can act European all they want and call their land Georgia in English all they want but they will always be GORGESTAN in Iran's book.
 

ashtar

National Team Player
Aug 17, 2003
5,448
19
#18
No. But virtually all terrorism today is done by misguided muslims. Deal with the consequences.
Only if you're definition of terrorism requires the act to be done by a Muslim or otherwise the act will simply not be referred to as terrorism. You've been watching too much FOX news my friend.

Do you really want examples?

"Man charged with threat to kill Obama"
Aug 08 6:49 AM
A man who authorities said was keeping weapons and military-style gear in his hotel room and car appeared in court Thursday on a charge of threatening to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

If he were Muslim the headline would read "suspected terrorist".

U.S. anthrax scientist commits suicide as FBI closes in
Bruce Ivins, 62, had not been publicly named as a suspect in the case of anthrax-laced letters sent to officials and high-profile journalists that sparked wide-spread fear in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

If Bruce's name was instead Muhammad you can be sure he would have been publicly named a suspect long time ago as a possible terrorist.

Police link US man's computer to India bomb e-mail
AHMADABAD, India - Police raided the home of an American citizen in Mumbai, India's financial capital, and seized a computer from which an e-mail claiming responsibility for bombings that killed 45 people in western India was believed to have been sent, officials said Monday.

Had this American citizen been Muslim you can bet your life that the headline and report would identify him as a terror suspect (at the very least)

"Georgia invades breakaway South Ossetia province"
"A terrorist group seeking an independent Muslim state in western China has ..."
 

Flint

Legionnaire
Jan 28, 2006
7,016
0
United States
#19
If Bruce's name was instead Muhammad you can be sure he would have been publicly named a suspect long time ago as a possible terrorist.
When 9 suicide bombers are named Muhammad, you bet the 10th innocent Muhammad who is stopped for speeding on his way to pray is going to be looked at differently. That is life. Deal with it. Or change your name to Gustav.