Russia is now an invasion force, occupying the town of Gori, about 60 kilometers from Tbilisi, the capitol of Georgia. In the western part of the country, Russia crossed the border out of Abkhazia and into the Georgian town of Zugdidi. Russian troops have also taken Senaki, Georgia’s most modern military base. Although he Zugdidi and Gori occupations couldn’t be confirmed independently, it appears that Russia has effectively cut the country in half. President Bush pressed Moscow to accept an immediate cease-fire and pull back its troops and conceded that this appears to be an attempt to unseat Georgia’s president, Mikhail Saakashvili.
Appealing for help from the West, Saakasvilli said, “We are in the process of the invasion, occupation and annihilation of an independent, democratic country” and that Russia’s ultimate goal is regime change. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin confirmed a desire for regime change in a statement, earlier today:
“To quote Ronald Reagan: Somoza [Nicaragua's former U.S.-backed president, Anastasio Somoza] is a scoundrel, but he’s our scoundrel, and we’ll protect him” … “The world has changed since the Cold War” and the U.S. won’t be able to protect its new “scoundrel”, Saakasvilli.
Well, you can’t get any plainer than that! Is the West going to sit idle while Russia erases a democracy?
MORE: Hot Air; Right Wing Nuthouse; RedState; Flopping Aces
Tags: Abkhazia, Georgia, Gori, invasion, Putin, Saakashvili, Tbilisi, Zugdidi
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September 7, 2008 at 2:15 am
mike
If you actually read past the US headlines and completed reading the articles underneth, or if you bother to read the international news, you would find that Russia did not invade Georgia. Georgan troops invaded Ossetia and killed Russian troops who were there at the request of the Ossetians.
During the Georgan invation of Ossetia, Georgan troops also killed between 2000 and 5000 ossetian citizens. The Russians responded to the attack by the Georgans and forced them out of Ossetia.
As a twist, among the dead Georgan troops, US Blackwater troops were also found. Both the US and Isreal had been training the Georgians for several years and supplying them with weapons.
Mike,
Your assertions are nothing more than parroting Russian propaganda. True, Georgia did move first on South Ossetia, but the breakaway region is actually a part of Georgia, as is Abkhazia, facts recognized by the Russians who back the Ossetia separatist leaders. However ill-advised Georgia’s action, Russia’s continued incursion into Georgia after the ceasefire amounted to an invasion.
As for Russia stationing troops in South Ossetia at their “request”, Moscow was clearly manipulating the situation. After all, the Russian’s have maintained a “peacekeeper” presence in South Ossetia since the early 1990s when they “helped” the province breakaway from Georgia. Moscow claimed it was protecting Russian citizens, but Russia’s deliberate passport campaign in the region was aimed specifically at weakening Georgia’s sovereignty. In fact many South Ossetians claimed they were forced to accept Russian passports or their “safety could not be certain.” I believe that Russia was acting opportunistically in this crisis and attempted to achieve a quick, decisive victory over Georgia before the West could react.
Finally, yes there were Marines in country helping train Georgian forces, but I can find no credible evidence they weren’t involved in the fighting, nor can I find credible evidence that Blackwater contractors were there. Again, you’re citing unsubstantiated Russian claims.
- JOS