{{Short description|2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia}}{{For|the 1921 war|Red Army invasion of Georgia}}{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}{{Good article}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}

! colspan=“2” | Deployed units! Affiliation! Units| Ministry of Defence|| 1st Infantry Brigade|| 2nd Infantry Brigade|| 3rd Infantry Brigade|| 4th Infantry Brigade|| 5th Infantry Brigade|| Military Engineering Brigade|| Separate Light Infantry Battalion|| Separate Tank Battalion|| Naval Forces|| Air Forces|| Logistic Support Department of Army|| National Guard|| M/R Department, I Operative Division| Ministry of Internal Affairs| Special Tasks Main Division|| Regional Police units in the regions near the conflict areas|| Special Operations Department|| Constitutional Security Department|| Special Operations Centre

factoids

conflict

Russo-Georgian War| partof = the Abkhazia conflict, Georgianâ€“Ossetian conflict, and Post-Soviet conflicts| image = 2008 South Ossetia war en.svg| image_size = 300px| caption = Location of Georgia (including Abkhazia and South Ossetia) and Russian North Caucasus| date = 1â€“16 August 2008(16 days)

Georgia (country)>Georgia| territory = Georgia loses control of Kodori Valley in Abkhazia, as well as Akhalgori Municipality and parts of the Tskhinvali District in South Ossetia.| result = Russian, South Ossetian and Abkhaz victory

Recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by RussiaWEB,kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/26/1543_type82912_205752.shtml, Statement by President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, The Kremlin, 26 August 2008,www.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/26/1543_type82912_205752.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20080902001442www.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/26/1543_type82912_205752.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20080902001442www.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/26/1543_type82912_205752.shtml, 2 September 2008, dead,

Russian military bases established in Abkhazia and South Ossetia

Severance of Georgiaâ€“Russia relations| status = | combatants_header =

{{flag

{{flag|Abkhazia}}{{Abkhazia-note}}}}

Georgia}}

{{flagicon

Dmitry Medvedev>{{flagicon

Vladimir Putin>{{flagicon

Anatoliy Serdyukov>{{flagicon

Nikolay Yegorovich Makarov>Nikolay Makarov

Russia}} Vladimir Boldyrev

Russia}} Marat Kulakhmetov

Russia}} Vladimir Shamanov

Russia}} Vyacheslav Borisov

Russia}} Anatoly Khrulyov

{{WIA}}>{{flagicon

Eduard Kokoity>{{flagicon

Mikhail Mindzaev>{{flagicon

Vasily Lunev (general)

display=y}}

{{flagicon

Anatoly Barankevich

Abkhazia}} Sergei Bagapsh

Abkhazia}} Mirab Kishmaria

Abkhazia}} {{Interlanguage link

{{nowrap

Georgia}} Mikheil Saakashvili}}

Georgia}} Lado Gurgenidze

Georgia}} Davit Kezerashvili

Georgia}} Zaza Gogava

Georgia}} David Nairashvili

Georgia}} Mamuka Kurashvili

Georgia}} Vano Merabishvili

Georgia}} Alexandre Lomaia}}| units1 = | units2 = | strength1 = {{ubl

Banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (obverse).svg}} Russian Armed Forces{hide}ubl

|In South Ossetia:{{unordered list
| 58th Army(about 70,000 soldiers){{sfn|Donovan|2009|p=11{edih}
| Russian Airborne Troops
| 4th Air Force Command
| 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division
| Spetsnaz GRU{{unordered list
| Chechen Battalions “Vostok” and “Zapad”}}}}
|In Abkhazia:{{unordered list
| 7th Guards Airborne Division
| 76th Guards Air Assault Division
| Black Sea Fleet}}

Total in Abkhazia: 9,000 soldiersJOURNAL, Barabanov, Mikhail, The August War between Russia and Georgia, Moscow Defence Brief, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, 3, 13, 2009,mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2008/item3/article1/,www.mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2008/item3/article1/," title="web.archive.org/web/20090416225801www.mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2008/item3/article1/,">web.archive.org/web/20090416225801www.mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2008/item3/article1/, 16 April 2009, dead, }}

Flag of Don Cossacks.svg}} Don Cossacks: HundredsARMED COSSACKS POUR IN TO FIGHT GEORGIANS>URL=HTTPS://WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM/WORLD/2008/AUG/09/RUSSIA.GEORGIA1

WORK=THE GUARDIAN

ACCESS-DATE=6 NOVEMBER 2020,

Flag of Terek Cossacks.svg}} Terek Cossacks: Hundreds

South Ossetia}}: 3,000 regular soldiers

Abkhazia}}: 1,000 special troopsHTTPS://WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM/WORLD/2008/AUG/11/GEORGIA.RUSSIA >TITLE=ABKHAZIA: MOSCOW SENDS TROOPS INTO SECOND ENCLAVE

WORK=THE GUARDIAN

ACCESS-DATE=26 APRIL 2019

ARCHIVE-DATE=27 SEPTEMBER 2018, live, }}| strength2 = {{ubl

Flag of the Georgian Armed Forces.svg}} Georgian Armed Forces{hide}unordered list

|In South Ossetia:{{unordered list
| 10,000â€“11,000 soldiers (including MIA special forces){{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=214{edih}}}
|In Georgia proper (Gori):{{unordered list
| 10,000 reservists mobilised}}
|In Iraq:{{unordered list
| 2,000 soldiersNEWS,www.welt.de/english-news/article2288797/Georgia-fighting-continues-over-South-Ossetia.html, Full scale war: Georgia fighting continues over South Ossetia, Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili, Die Welt, 9 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20170304195042/https://www.welt.de/english-news/article2288797/Georgia-fighting-continues-over-South-Ossetia.html, 4 March 2017, live, }}}}

MIA of Georgia logo2.png

size=25px}} Ministry of Internal Affairs{hide}unordered list

| {{circa{edih} 5,000 MIA police officersWEB,www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/appendix_ru.pdf, Human Rights Watch â€“ Appendix, Human Rights Watch, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20171012014503/https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/appendix_ru.pdf, 12 October 2017, live, }}}}| casualties1 = {hide}ubl

{{flagu>Russia{edih}{hide}ubl

|Russian Armed Forces:{{unordered list
| Killed: 65â€“67{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=130â€“135{edih}
| Wounded: 283NEWS,uk.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUKTRE51K1B820090221, Russia lost 64 troops in Georgia war, 283 wounded, Reuters, 21 February 2009, 26 April 2019,uk.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUKTRE51K1B820090221," title="web.archive.org/web/20090225065103uk.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUKTRE51K1B820090221,">web.archive.org/web/20090225065103uk.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUKTRE51K1B820090221, 25 February 2009, live,
| MIA: 1{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=130â€“135}}
| POWs: 12{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=224}}}}}}
|North Ossetian and Cossack volunteers:{{unordered list
| Killed: 10â€“15{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=137}}
|{{flagu|South Ossetia}}
| POWs: 27}}
|Ministry of Defence:{{ubl
| Killed: 27{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=136â€“137}}
| Wounded: 69WEB,ugo-osetia.ru/9_35/9_35-6.html, ru:Ð®Ñ€Ð¸Ð¹ Ð¢ÐÐÐÐ•Ð’: “Ð“Ñ€ÑƒÐ·Ð¸Ð½ÑÐºÐ°Ñ ÑÑ‚Ð¾Ñ€Ð¾Ð½Ð° Ð¿Ð¾ Ð¼Ð¾Ñ€Ð°Ð»ÑŒÐ½Ð¾Ð¼Ñƒ Ð´ÑƒÑ…Ñƒ Ð¸ Ð±Ð¾ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¾Ð²Ð½Ð¾ÑÑ‚Ð¸ Ð½Ðµ Ð³Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¾Ð²Ð° Ðº Ð°ÐºÑ‚Ð¸Ð²Ð½Ñ‹Ð¼ Ð´ÐµÐ¹ÑÑ‚Ð²Ð¸ÑÐ¼”, 11 April 2009, Ð®Ð¶Ð½Ð°Ñ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸Ñ, ru,ugo-osetia.ru/9_35/9_35-6.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130728080133ugo-osetia.ru/9_35/9_35-6.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130728080133ugo-osetia.ru/9_35/9_35-6.html, 28 July 2013, }}
|Reservists and militiamen:{{unordered list
| Killed: {{circa}} 50{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=136â€“137}}}}
|Ministry of Internal Affairs:{{unordered list
| Killed: 10{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=136â€“137}}}}

{{flagu>Abkhazia}}{{unordered list

| Killed: 1NEWS,www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=f&o=346164&apc_state=henh, Abkhaz Open ‘Second Front’, Inal Khashig, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, 14 August 2008,www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=f&o=346164&apc_state=henh," title="web.archive.org/web/20080814234013www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=f&o=346164&apc_state=henh,">web.archive.org/web/20080814234013www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=f&o=346164&apc_state=henh, 14 August 2008, dead,
| Wounded: 2{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=137}}}}}}

Total: 163â€“170 killed, 354 wounded, 1 missing, 39 captured| casualties2 = {{ubl

{{flagu>Georgia}}{{ubl

|Georgian Armed Forces:{{unordered list
| Killed: 169WEB,mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=-10&Id=31&lang=1, List of Casualties among the Georgian Military Servicemen, Ministry of Defence of Georgia,www.mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=-10&Id=31&lang=1," title="web.archive.org/web/20120607052439www.mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=-10&Id=31&lang=1,">web.archive.org/web/20120607052439www.mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=-10&Id=31&lang=1, 7 June 2012,
| Wounded: 947WEB,www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=597, Basic Facts: Consequences of Russian Aggression in Georgia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia,mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=597," title="web.archive.org/web/20140802211733mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=597,">web.archive.org/web/20140802211733mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=597, 2 August 2014,
| MIA: 1
| POWs: 39}}
|Ministry of Internal Affairs:{{unordered list
| Killed: 11
| Wounded: 227
| MIA: 3
| POWs: 10}}}}}}

Total: 180 killed, 1,174 wounded, 4 missing, 49 captured| casualties3 = Civilian casualties:{{ubl

|South Ossetia: 162 civilians, according to Russia;WEB,interfax.ru/txt.asp?id=88497&sec=1476, ru:ÐœÑ‹ Ð¿Ð¾Ð»Ð°Ð³Ð°ÐµÐ¼, Ñ‡Ñ‚Ð¾ Ð¼Ñ‹ Ð² Ð¿Ð¾Ð»Ð½Ð¾Ð¹ Ð¼ÐµÑ€Ðµ Ð´Ð¾ÐºÐ°Ð·Ð°Ð»Ð¸ ÑÐ¾ÑÑ‚Ð°Ð² Ð¿Ñ€ÐµÑÑ‚ÑƒÐ¿Ð»ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ, Interfax, 3 July 2009, ru,interfax.ru/txt.asp?id=88497&sec=1476," title="web.archive.org/web/20110516082212interfax.ru/txt.asp?id=88497&sec=1476,">web.archive.org/web/20110516082212interfax.ru/txt.asp?id=88497&sec=1476, 16 May 2011, dead, 365 people killed in total, according to South Ossetia;WEB,www.ossetia-war.com/dvlist, Deceased victims list, Ossetia-war.com,www.ossetia-war.com/dvlist," title="web.archive.org/web/20090511232012www.ossetia-war.com/dvlist,">web.archive.org/web/20090511232012www.ossetia-war.com/dvlist, 11 May 2009, dead, WEB,osetinfo.ru/spisok, ru:Ð¡Ð¿Ð¸ÑÐ¾Ðº Ð¿Ð¾Ð³Ð¸Ð±ÑˆÐ¸Ñ… Ð³Ñ€Ð°Ð¶Ð´Ð°Ð½ Ð®Ð¶Ð½Ð¾Ð¹ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸Ð¸ Ð½Ð° 04.09.08, 4 September 2008, osetinfo.ru,osetinfo.ru/spisok," title="web.archive.org/web/20080905072252osetinfo.ru/spisok,">web.archive.org/web/20080905072252osetinfo.ru/spisok, 5 September 2008, ru, 255 wounded, according to Russia
|Georgia: 224 civilians killed and 15 missing, 547 injured according to Georgia
|Foreign journalist (Stan Storimans) killed and 3 woundedWEB,www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=597, A Summary of Russian Attack, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, PDF,mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=597," title="web.archive.org/web/20140802211733mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=597,">web.archive.org/web/20140802211733mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=597, 2 August 2014, }}

Refugees:{{ubl

| 192,000 civilians displaced (including 30,000 South Ossetians that moved to Russia; and 15,000 Georgians from South Ossetia per UNHCR that moved to Georgia proper)WEB,www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/48a57cd34.html, UNHCR secures safe passage for Georgians fearing further fighting, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 15 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20181215224752/https://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/48a57cd34.html, 15 December 2018, live,
| Estimate by Georgian official: at least 230,000NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7572736.stm, BBC News, Despair among Georgia’s displaced, 20 August 2008, Helen, Fawkes, 20 August 2008,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7572736.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080820212149news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7572736.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20080820212149news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7572736.stm, 20 August 2008, live, }}| notes = | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Russo-Georgian War}}

{{Campaignbox Post-Soviet Conflicts}}{{Campaignbox Georgianâ€“Ossetian conflicts}}{{Russo-Georgian War}}}}The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia against Georgia. The war took place in August following a diplomatic crisis between Russia and Georgia, both formerly constituent republics of the Soviet Union. The fighting took place in the strategically important South Caucasus region. It is regarded as the first European war of the 21st century.JOURNAL,aei.pitt.edu/9382/2/9382.pdf, Post-Mortem on Europe’s First War of the 21st Century, Michael Emerson, Centre for European Policy Studies, August 2008, 3 December 2014,aei.pitt.edu/9382/2/9382.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20141207214701aei.pitt.edu/9382/2/9382.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20141207214701aei.pitt.edu/9382/2/9382.pdf, 7 December 2014, live, dmy-all, The Republic of Georgia declared its independence in April 1991 following a referendum during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, fighting between Georgia and separatists left parts of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast under the de facto control of Russian-backed but internationally unrecognised separatists. In 1992, a joint peacekeeping force of Georgian, Russian, and Ossetian troops was stationed in the territory. A similar stalemate developed in the region of Abkhazia, where Abkhaz separatists had waged a war in 1992â€“1993. Following the election of Vladimir Putin in Russia in 2000 and a pro-Western change of power in Georgia in 2003, relations between Russia and Georgia began to deteriorate. Relations reached a full diplomatic crisis by April 2008, when NATO promised to consider Georgia’s bid for membership.On 1 August 2008, the Russian-backed South Ossetian forces started shelling Georgian villages, with a sporadic response from Georgian peacekeepers in the area.WEB,euobserver.com/foreign/132425, West told Ukraine to abandon Crimea, document says, Andrew Rettman, EUobserver, 24 February 2016, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180620232428/https://euobserver.com/foreign/132425, 20 June 2018, live, Intensifying artillery attacks by the South Ossetian separatists broke a 1992 ceasefire agreement.WEB,edition.cnn.com/2014/03/13/world/europe/2008-georgia-russia-conflict/, 2008 Georgia Russia Conflict Fast Facts, CNN,edition.cnn.com/2014/03/13/world/europe/2008-georgia-russia-conflict/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140528093856edition.cnn.com/2014/03/13/world/europe/2008-georgia-russia-conflict/,">web.archive.org/web/20140528093856edition.cnn.com/2014/03/13/world/europe/2008-georgia-russia-conflict/, 28 May 2014, dead, To put an end to these attacks, Georgian army units were sent into the South Ossetian conflict zone on 7 August and took control of most of Tskhinvali, a separatist stronghold, within hours. Some Russian troops had illicitly crossed the Georgiaâ€“Russia border through the Roki Tunnel and advanced into the South Ossetian conflict zone by 7 August before the Georgian military response.{{sfn|Chifu|2009|pp=53â€“54}}{{sfn|Dunlop|2012|pp=94, 96, 101}}{{sfn|Laaneots|2016|pp=56â€“57}}WEB,www.jhuapl.edu/ourwork/nsa/papers/ARIS_LittleGreenMen.pdf, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013â€“2014, The United States Army Special Operations Command, 2016, 14,www.jhuapl.edu/ourwork/nsa/papers/ARIS_LittleGreenMen.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20160417081259www.jhuapl.edu/ourwork/nsa/papers/ARIS_LittleGreenMen.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20160417081259www.jhuapl.edu/ourwork/nsa/papers/ARIS_LittleGreenMen.pdf, 17 April 2016, dead, 7 August 2018, Russia falsely accused Georgia of committing “genocide“WEB, Andrew Osborn, Jeanne Whalen,www.wsj.com/articles/SB121874784363742015, Evidence in Georgia Belies Russia’s Claims of ‘Genocide’, The Wall Street Journal, 15 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180807190021/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121874784363742015, 7 August 2018, live, {{sfn|Volume I|2009|pp=26-27}} and “aggression against South Ossetia“â€”and launched a full-scale land, air and sea invasion of Georgia, including its undisputed territory, on 8 August, referring to it as a “peace enforcement” operation. Russian and South Ossetian forces fought Georgian forces in and around South Ossetia for several days, until Georgian forces retreated. Russian and Abkhaz forces opened a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge held by Georgia. Russian naval forces blockaded part of the Georgian Black Sea coastline. The Russian air force attacked targets both within and beyond the conflict zone. This was the first war in history in which cyber warfare coincided with military action. An information war was also waged during and after the conflict. Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, personally negotiated a ceasefire agreement on 12 August.Russian forces temporarily occupied the Georgian cities of Zugdidi, Senaki, Poti and Gori, holding on to these areas beyond the ceasefire. The South Ossetians destroyed most ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia and were responsible for an ethnic cleansing of Georgians. Russia recognised the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia on 26 August and the Georgian government severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Russia mostly completed its withdrawal of troops from undisputed parts of Georgia on 8 October. Russian international relations were largely unharmed. The war displaced 192,000 people. While many returned to their homes after the war, 20,272 people, mostly ethnic Georgians, remained displaced as of 2014. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia maintained “direct control” over the separatist regions and was responsible for grave human rights abuses taking place there.Strasbourg court rules Russia has ‘direct control’ over Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Euractiv, 21 January 2021 Russia guilty of violations during 2008 war with Georgia, says Europe’s top court, Euronews, 26 January 2021 In 2022, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for three Russian nationals because of war crimes against ethnic Georgians during the conflict.Situation in Georgia: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber delivers three arrest warrants, International Criminal Court, 30 June 2022

Background

{{See also|Georgianâ€“Ossetian conflict|Georgiaâ€“Russia relations}}

History

File:Colton, G.W. Turkey In Asia And The Caucasian Provinces Of Russia. 1856 (BB).jpg|left|thumb|Fragment of the 1856 map by J. H. Colton, showing the territory of modern South Ossetia within Georgia and Imeria. Modern North Ossetia corresponds to “Ossia” (Ossetia) in the North Caucasus. Ossetia became part of the Mountain ASSR in 1921 and was renamed into North Ossetia only in 1924.]](File:Creation of South Ossetia in 1922.svg|left|thumb|Creation of the South Ossetian AO in the place of Georgian regions in 1922.)In the 10th century AD, Georgia for the first time emerged as an ethnic concept in the territories where the Georgian language was used to perform Christian rituals. After the Mongol invasions of the region, the Kingdom of Georgia eventually was split into several states. In the 19th century, the Russian Empire gradually took over the Georgian lands. In the aftermath of the Russian revolution, Georgia declared independence on 26 May 1918.{{sfn|Cornell|2001|pp=131â€“135}}The Ossetians are indigenous to North Ossetia, located in the North Caucasus.{{sfn|Cornell|2001|p=130}} Controversy surrounds the date of Ossetian arrival in Transcaucasia. According to one theory, they first migrated there during the 13th and 14th centuries AD,{{sfn|Julie|2009|pp=97â€“99}} and resided alongside the Georgians peacefully for hundreds of years.{{sfn|Julie|2009|p=105}} In 1918, conflict began between the landless Ossetian peasants living in Shida Kartli, who were affected by Bolshevism and demanded ownership of the lands they worked, and the Menshevik government backed ethnic Georgian nobility, who were legal owners. Although the Ossetians were initially discontented with the economic stance of Tbilisi authorities, the tension shortly transformed into ethnic conflict. Ossetian insurgents repelled the Georgian troops in 1918 and proceeded to occupy the town of Tskhinvali and assault the Georgian natives. During uprisings in 1919 and 1920, the Ossetians were covertly supported by Soviet Russia, but even so, were defeated.BOOK, Souleimanov, Emil, Understanding Ethnopolitical Conflict: Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia Wars Reconsidered,books.google.com/books?id=6fczAAAAQBAJ, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, 112â€“113, 978-1-137-28023-7, 12 October 2015,web.archive.org/web/20160514105123/https://books.google.com/books?id=6fczAAAAQBAJ, 14 May 2016, live, The independent Democratic Republic of Georgia was invaded by the Red Army in 1921 and a Soviet government was installed.{{sfn|Saparov|2014|p=74}} The government of Soviet Georgia created an autonomous administrative unit for Transcaucasian Ossetians in April 1922, called the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast.{{sfn|Saparov|2014|p=82}} Historians such as Stephen F. Jones, Emil Souleimanov and ArsÃ¨ne Saparov believe that the Bolsheviks awarded this autonomy to the Ossetians in exchange for their help against the Democratic Republic of Georgia,WEB,www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/stephen-f-jones/south-ossetia%E2%80%99s-unwanted-independence, South Ossetia’s unwanted independence, 10 June 2014, Stephen F. Jones, openDemocracy, 3 December 2014,web.archive.org/web/20141225011426/https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/stephen-f-jones/south-ossetia%e2%80%99s-unwanted-independence, 25 December 2014, live, {{sfn|Saparov|2014|p=148}} since this area had never been a separate entity prior to the Russian invasion.WEB, Library of Congress,www.loc.gov/law/help/legal-aspects-of-war/russian-georgia-war.php, Russian Federation: Legal Aspects of War in Georgia, Peter Roudik, 26 April 2019,www.loc.gov/law/help/legal-aspects-of-war/russian-georgia-war.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20190110140258www.loc.gov/law/help/legal-aspects-of-war/russian-georgia-war.php,">web.archive.org/web/20190110140258www.loc.gov/law/help/legal-aspects-of-war/russian-georgia-war.php, 10 January 2019, live, {{sfn|Saparov|2014|p=77}}JOURNAL,georgica.tsu.edu.ge/files/05-Security/Jones-2008.pdf, Clash in the Caucasus: Georgia, Russia, and the Fate of South Ossetia, Stephen Jones, Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, 2, 2, November 2008, 26 April 2019,georgica.tsu.edu.ge/files/05-Security/Jones-2008.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20181006202026georgica.tsu.edu.ge/files/05-Security/Jones-2008.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20181006202026georgica.tsu.edu.ge/files/05-Security/Jones-2008.pdf, 6 October 2018, live, Nationalism in Soviet Georgia gained momentum in 1989 with the weakening of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin endorsed South Ossetian nationalism as a counter against the Georgian independence movement. On 11 December 1990, the Supreme Soviet of Georgia, responding to South Ossetia’s attempt at secession, annulled the region’s autonomy.{{sfn|Cornell|2001|pp=154â€“155}} A military conflict broke out between Georgia and South Ossetian separatists in January 1991.WEB, Georgia’s South Ossetia Conflict: Make Haste Slowly, 7 June 2007,www.crisisgroup.org/home/getfile.cfm?id=2963&tid=4887&type=pdf&l=1, PDF, International Crisis Group,www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/europe/caucasus/183_georgia_s_south_ossetia_conflict_make_haste_slowly.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20070613045158www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/europe/caucasus/183_georgia_s_south_ossetia_conflict_make_haste_slowly.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20070613045158www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/europe/caucasus/183_georgia_s_south_ossetia_conflict_make_haste_slowly.pdf, 13 June 2007, dead, International Crisis Group, Georgia declared its restoration of independence on 9 April 1991, thus becoming the first non-Baltic state of the Soviet Union to do so.WEB,agenda.ge/news/32523/eng, March 31: Georgia moves towards independence, first president’s birthday, Agenda.ge, 31 March 2015, 26 April 2019,agenda.ge/news/32523/eng," title="web.archive.org/web/20150410185247agenda.ge/news/32523/eng,">web.archive.org/web/20150410185247agenda.ge/news/32523/eng, 10 April 2015, live, The South Ossetian separatists were aided by the former Soviet military units now controlled by Russia.WEB,www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/kingch/King_Five_Day_War.pdf, Charles King, The Five-Day War, Georgetown University, 1 March 2009,www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/kingch/King_Five_Day_War.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20100601235542www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/kingch/King_Five_Day_War.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20100601235542www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/kingch/King_Five_Day_War.pdf, 1 June 2010, live, By June 1992, the possibility of a full-scale war between Russia and Georgia increased as bombing of Georgian capital Tbilisi in support of South Ossetian separatists was promised by Russian authorities.WEB,poli.vub.ac.be/publi/ContBorders/eng/ch0103.htm, Ethnic Conflicts in the Caucasus 1988â€“1994, Alexei Zverev, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1996, 26 April 2019,poli.vub.ac.be/publi/ContBorders/eng/ch0103.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20121127185336poli.vub.ac.be/publi/ContBorders/eng/ch0103.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20121127185336poli.vub.ac.be/publi/ContBorders/eng/ch0103.htm, 27 November 2012, live, {{sfn|Cornell|2001|pp=157â€“158}} Georgia endorsed a ceasefire agreement on 24 June 1992 to prevent the escalation of the conflict with Russia.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=5MOYzS3IDTQC&pg=PA282, Conflict and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus, Hooman Peimani, 2009, ABC-CLIO, 978-1-59884-054-4, Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and North Ossetian peacekeepers were posted in South Ossetian conflict zone under the Joint Control Commission’s (JCC) mandate.WEB,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=11710, S.Ossetia: Mapping Out Scenarios, Giorgi Sepashvili, Nino Khutsidze, Civil.Ge, 5 February 2006, 12 September 2008,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=11710," title="web.archive.org/web/20080904025457www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=11710,">web.archive.org/web/20080904025457www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=11710, 4 September 2008, live, Some, mostly ethnically Georgian parts of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast remained under the Georgian control. The Tskhinvali-based separatist authorities of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia were in control of one third of the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast before the 2008 war, Georgia controlled another third and the rest was not controlled by anyone.WEB,www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/sep/01/russia.georgia, Russia’s cruel intention, Luke Harding, The Guardian, 1 September 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180927170233/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/sep/01/russia.georgia, 27 September 2018, live, This situation was mirrored in Abkhazia, an autonomous republic in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, where the Abkhaz separated from Georgia during the war in the early 1990s. By 2003, the population of Abkhazia was reduced from 525,000 to 216,000 after an ethnic cleansing of Georgians, the single largest ethnic group in the region.WEB,ukrainianweek.com/Politics/107814, Self-Determination for the Kremlin, 16 April 2014, Oleksandr Kramar, The Ukrainian Week, 26 April 2019,ukrainianweek.com/Politics/107814," title="web.archive.org/web/20180927213202ukrainianweek.com/Politics/107814,">web.archive.org/web/20180927213202ukrainianweek.com/Politics/107814, 27 September 2018, live, The upper Kodori Gorge in northeast Abkhazia remained beyond the Abkhaz separatist government’s sway.WEB,iwpr.net/report-news/georgian-abkhaz-tensions-rise-over-kodori-gorge, Georgian-Abkhaz Tensions Rise Over Kodori Gorge, 26 September 2006, Giorgi Kupatadze, Institute for War and Peace Reporting,iwpr.net/report-news/georgian-abkhaz-tensions-rise-over-kodori-gorge," title="web.archive.org/web/20141020051429iwpr.net/report-news/georgian-abkhaz-tensions-rise-over-kodori-gorge,">web.archive.org/web/20141020051429iwpr.net/report-news/georgian-abkhaz-tensions-rise-over-kodori-gorge, 20 October 2014, dead,

Russian interests and involvement

Transcaucasia lies between the Russian region of the North Caucasus and the Middle East, constituting a “buffer zone” between Russia and the Middle East. It borders Turkey and Iran. The strategic importance of the region has made it a security concern for Russia. Significant economic reasons, including access to major petroleum reserves, further affects interest in Transcaucasia. Rule over Transcaucasia, according to Swedish academic Svante Cornell, would allow Russia to manage Western involvement in Central Asia, an area of geopolitical importance.{{sfn|Cornell|2001|pp=331â€“332}}Russia saw the Black Sea coast and being adjacent to Turkey as invaluable strategic attributes of Georgia.{{sfn|Cornell|2001|p=334}} Russia had more vested interests in Abkhazia than in South Ossetia, since the Russian military deployment on the Black Sea coast was seen as vital to Russian influence in the Black Sea.JOURNAL, Roy Allison,www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/12445_84_6allison.pdf, Russia resurgent? Moscow’s campaign to ‘coerce Georgia to peace’, International Affairs (journal), International Affairs, 84, 6, 2008, 1145â€“1171,www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/12445_84_6allison.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20110129080855www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/12445_84_6allison.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20110129080855www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/12445_84_6allison.pdf, 29 January 2011, dead, 10.1111/j.1468-2346.2008.00762.x, Before the early 2000s, South Ossetia was originally intended as a tool to retain a grip on Georgia.NEWS,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4498709.ece, The Times, Anatol, Lieven, Analysis: roots of the conflict between Georgia, South Ossetia and Russia, 11 August 2008,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4498709.ece," title="web.archive.org/web/20080812234237www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4498709.ece,">web.archive.org/web/20080812234237www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4498709.ece, 12 August 2008, Vladimir Putin became president of the Russian Federation in 2000, which had a profound impact on Russo-Georgian relations. The conflict between Russia and Georgia began to escalate in December 2000, when Georgia became the first and sole member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on which the Russian visa regime was enforced. Eduard Kokoity, an alleged member of the mob, became the de facto president of South Ossetia in December 2001; he was endorsed by Russia since he would subvert the peaceful reunification of South Ossetia with Georgia. The Russian government began massive allocation of Russian passports to the residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2002 without Georgia’s permission; this “passportization” policy laid the foundation for Russia’s future claim to these territories.{{sfn|Van Herpen|2014|pp=206â€“209}} In 2003, President Putin began to consider the possibility of a military solution to the conflict with Georgia.{{sfn|Van Herpen|2014|pp=233â€“235}}After Georgia deported four suspected Russian spies in 2006, Russia began a full-scale diplomatic and economic war against Georgia, followed by the persecution of ethnic Georgians living in Russia.{{sfn|Van Herpen|2014|pp=206â€“209}}By 2008, most residents of South Ossetia had obtained Russian passports. According to Reuters, Russia supplied two-thirds of South Ossetia’s yearly budget before the war.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/europeCrisis/idUSL8557850, Reuters, FACTBOX-What is Georgia’s rebel South Ossetia region?, 8 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/europeCrisis/idUSL8557850," title="web.archive.org/web/20090111040332www.reuters.com/article/europeCrisis/idUSL8557850,">web.archive.org/web/20090111040332www.reuters.com/article/europeCrisis/idUSL8557850, 11 January 2009, live, dmy-all, South Ossetia’s de facto government predominantly employed Russian citizens, who had occupied similar government posts in Russia, and Russian officers dominated South Ossetia’s security organisations.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=132}}

Unresolved conflicts

File:MikhailSaakashvili & GeorgeWBush - FreedomSquare Tbilisi - 2005May10.jpg|left|thumb|U.S. President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil SaakashviliThe conflicts in Georgia remained at a stalemate until 2004,NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7549736.stm, Q&A: Conflict in Georgia, BBC News, 11 November 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7549736.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20190310052553news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7549736.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20190310052553news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7549736.stm, 10 March 2019, live, when Mikheil Saakashvili came to power after Georgia’s Rose Revolution, which ousted president Eduard Shevardnadze.WEB,www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19740960, Profile: President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, BBC, 27 September 2012, 21 June 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180807232026/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19740960, 7 August 2018, live, Restoring South Ossetia and Abkhazia to Georgian control was a first concern of Saakashvili.JOURNAL,www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/64225/charles-king/tbilisi-blues, Charles King, Tbilisi Blues, Foreign Affairs, 25 August 2004, 26 April 2019,www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/64225/charles-king/tbilisi-blues," title="web.archive.org/web/20120920013528www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/64225/charles-king/tbilisi-blues,">web.archive.org/web/20120920013528www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/64225/charles-king/tbilisi-blues, 20 September 2012, live, The Georgian government launched an initiative to curb smuggling from South Ossetia in 2004 after its success in restoring control in Adjara. Tensions were further escalated by South Ossetian authorities. Intense fighting took place between Georgian forces and the South Ossetians between 8 and 19 August.WEB,eng.globalaffairs.ru/number/n_11893, Regional Conflicts Reloaded, Sergey Markedonov, Russia in Global Affairs, 16 November 2008, 26 April 2019,eng.globalaffairs.ru/number/n_11893," title="web.archive.org/web/20110716193813eng.globalaffairs.ru/number/n_11893,">web.archive.org/web/20110716193813eng.globalaffairs.ru/number/n_11893, 16 July 2011, live, At the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in January 2005, Georgian president Saakashvili proposed a peace settlement for South Ossetia within a unified Georgian state. The proposal was rejected by South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity.WEB,en.rian.ru/analysis/20080813/116006455.html, Chronicle of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict: Fact sheet, RIA Novosti, 13 August 2008, 1 March 2009,en.rian.ru/analysis/20080813/116006455.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090213185317en.rian.ru/analysis/20080813/116006455.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090213185317en.rian.ru/analysis/20080813/116006455.html, 13 February 2009, live, In 2006, Georgia sent security forces to the Kodori Valley region of Abkhazia, when a local militia leader rebelled against Georgian authorities. In 2007, Georgia established what Russia called a “puppet government” in South Ossetia, led by Dmitry Sanakoyev (former South Ossetian prime minister), calling it a provisional administration.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=14883, Russia Warns Against Tbilisi’s ‘S.Ossetia Administration’ Plan, Civil.Ge, 29 March 2007, 1 March 2009,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=14883," title="web.archive.org/web/20080904002300www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=14883,">web.archive.org/web/20080904002300www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=14883, 4 September 2008, live, In early March 2008, Abkhazia and South Ossetia submitted formal requests for their recognition to Russia’s parliament shortly after the West’s recognition of Kosovo which Russia had been resisting. Dmitry Rogozin, Russian ambassador to NATO, hinted that Georgia’s aspiration to become a NATO member would cause Russia to support the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.NEWS,www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/11/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-NATO.php, Russia’s NATO envoy says offering Georgia membership track would bolster separatists, Associated Press, International Herald Tribune, 11 March 2008,www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/11/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-NATO.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20080917213218www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/11/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-NATO.php,">web.archive.org/web/20080917213218www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/11/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-NATO.php, 17 September 2008, dead, The Russian State Duma adopted a resolution on 21 March, in which it called on the President of Russia and the government to consider the recognition.NEWS,www.ng.ru/cis/2008-03-24/1_nepriznannye.html, ru:Ð”ÑƒÐ¼Ð° Ñ€Ð°Ð·Ð¾Ñ‡Ð°Ñ€Ð¾Ð²Ð°Ð»Ð° Ð½ÐµÐ¿Ñ€Ð¸Ð·Ð½Ð°Ð½Ð½Ñ‹Ñ…, Marina Perevozkina, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 24 March 2008, ru, 26 April 2019,www.ng.ru/cis/2008-03-24/1_nepriznannye.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20190127201419www.ng.ru/cis/2008-03-24/1_nepriznannye.html,">web.archive.org/web/20190127201419www.ng.ru/cis/2008-03-24/1_nepriznannye.html, 27 January 2019, live, Georgia began proposing the placement of international peacekeepers in the separatist regions when Russia began to apply more force on Georgia after April 2008. The West launched new initiatives for peace settlement, with peace proposals being offered and discussions being organised by the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Germany. The separatists dismissed the German project for Abkhazia approved by Georgia. Russia and the separatists did not attend an EU-backed meeting regarding Abkhazia. They also dismissed an OSCE offer to renew talks regarding South Ossetia.{{sfn|Cohen|2011|p=15}}

Relations between Georgia and the West

{{See also|Second Cold War}}One of President Saakashvili’s primary aims for Georgia was to become a member state of NATO, which has been one of the major stumbling blocks in Georgiaâ€“Russia relations.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6190858.stm, Georgia’s Nato bid irks Russia, James Rodgers, BBC News, 28 November 2006, 26 May 2016,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6190858.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160414053647news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6190858.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20160414053647news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6190858.stm, 14 April 2016, live, Although Georgia has no notable gas or oil reserves, its territory hosts part of the Bakuâ€“Tbilisiâ€“Ceyhan pipeline supplying oil to Turkey.NEWS, Pagnamenta, Robin, Analysis: energy pipeline that supplies West threatened by war Georgia conflict, The Times, 8 August 2008,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4484849.ece,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4484849.ece," title="web.archive.org/web/20080903221915www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4484849.ece,">web.archive.org/web/20080903221915www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4484849.ece, 3 September 2008, Russia, Iran and the Persian Gulf countries opposed the construction of the pipeline.NEWS, Emin Makhmudov, Mikhail Zygar, Kommersant, Revolutions in the Pipeline,www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=580345, 25 May 2005,www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=580345," title="web.archive.org/web/20080907050926www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=580345,">web.archive.org/web/20080907050926www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=580345, 7 September 2008, dead, dmy-all, The pipeline circumvents both Russia and Iran. Because it has decreased Western dependence on Middle East’s oil, the pipeline has been a major factor in the United States’ backing for Georgia.NEWS,www.sfgate.com/news/article/Georgia-s-oil-pipeline-is-key-to-U-S-support-3201499.php, Georgia’s oil pipeline is key to U.S. support, Anne Gearan, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190422182710/https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Georgia-s-oil-pipeline-is-key-to-U-S-support-3201499.php, 22 April 2019, live, File:Vladimir Putin 4 April 2008-8.jpg|left|thumb|Russian President Vladimir Putin Vladimir PutinDuring the NATO summit in Bucharest in April 2008, American president George W. Bush campaigned for offering a Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia and Ukraine. However, Germany and France said that offering a MAP to Ukraine and Georgia would be “an unnecessary offence” for Russia.WEB,www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/world/europe/03nato.html?pagewanted=all, NATO Allies Oppose Bush on Georgia and Ukraine, Steven Erlanger, Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times, 3 April 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190305061544/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/world/europe/03nato.html?pagewanted=all, 5 March 2019, live, NATO stated that Ukraine and Georgia would be admitted in the alliance and pledged to review the requests for MAP in December 2008.WEB,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17521, What NATO Summit Declaration Says on Georgia, Civil.Ge, 4 April 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17521," title="web.archive.org/web/20170914053238www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17521,">web.archive.org/web/20170914053238www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17521, 14 September 2017, live, Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Bucharest during the summit. At the conclusion of the summit on 4 April, Putin said that NATO’s enlargement towards Russia “would be taken in Russia as a direct threat to the security of our country”.NEWS, Vladimir Putin tells summit he wants security and friendship, The Times, 5 April 2008,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3681609.ece, Michael, Evans,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3681609.ece," title="web.archive.org/web/20080724150537www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3681609.ece,">web.archive.org/web/20080724150537www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3681609.ece, 24 July 2008, Following the Bucharest summit, Russian hostility increased and Russia started to actively prepare for the invasion of Georgia.{{sfn|Van Herpen|2014|p=210}} The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Yuri Baluyevsky said on 11 April that Russia would carry out “steps of a different nature” in addition to military action if Ukraine and Georgia join NATO.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-nato-steps-idUSL1143027920080411, Russia army vows steps if Georgia and Ukraine join NATO, Reuters, 11 April 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/2008/04/11/us-russia-nato-steps-idUSL1143027920080411," title="web.archive.org/web/20151017193437www.reuters.com/article/2008/04/11/us-russia-nato-steps-idUSL1143027920080411,">web.archive.org/web/20151017193437www.reuters.com/article/2008/04/11/us-russia-nato-steps-idUSL1143027920080411, 17 October 2015, live, General Baluyevsky said in 2012 that after President Putin had decided to wage the war against Georgia prior to the May 2008 inauguration of Dmitry Medvedev as president of Russia, a military action was planned and explicit orders were issued in advance before August 2008. According to Van Herpen, Russia aimed to stop Georgia’s accession to NATO and also to bring about a “regime change”.{{sfn|Van Herpen|2014|pp=233â€“235}}WEB, 8 Ð°Ð²Ð³ÑƒÑÑ‚Ð° 2008 Ð³Ð¾Ð´Ð° - ÐŸÐ¾Ñ‚ÐµÑ€ÑÐ½Ð½Ñ‹Ð¹ Ð´ÐµÐ½ÑŒ,www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDBy1MrcEcA, Youtube, 28 June 2023, ru,

Prelude

Aprilâ€“July 2008

(File:Georgia before August 2008.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Situation in Georgia before the war)On 16 April 2008, official ties between the Russian authorities and the separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia were sanctioned by an order of Russian president Vladimir Putin. The separatist-authored legislative documents and the separatist-accredited bodies were also recognised.NEWS,www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33560, Russia moves toward open annexation of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Vladimir Socor, Jamestown, The Jamestown Foundation, 18 April 2008,www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33560," title="web.archive.org/web/20100621102456www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33560,">web.archive.org/web/20100621102456www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33560, 21 June 2010, live, After a United Nations Security Council session on 23 April convened at Georgia’s demand, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany stated in a declaration: “We call on the Russian Federation to revoke or not to implement its decision.” However, this was labelled a “tall order” by Vitaly Churkin, Russian Ambassador to the UN.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17677, Russia Brushes off Western Call to Revoke Abkhaz, S.Ossetia Move, Civil.Ge, 24 April 2008, 10 December 2014,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17677," title="web.archive.org/web/20080813033627www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17677,">web.archive.org/web/20080813033627www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17677, 13 August 2008, live, A Georgian reconnaissance drone flying over Abkhazia was shot down by a Russian warplane on 20 April. However, Russia denied responsibility for the incident and Abkhazia claimed that an “L-39 aircraft of the Abkhaz Air Force” shot down the UAV.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7358761.stm, Russia ‘shot down Georgia drone’, BBC News, 21 April 2008, 5 April 2012,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7358761.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20140322013655news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7358761.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20140322013655news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7358761.stm, 22 March 2014, live, An allegation of an attack by a NATO MiG-29 was made by the Russian Ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer commented that “he’d eat his tie if it turned out that a NATO MiG-29 had magically appeared in Abkhazia and shot down a Georgian drone.“NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003256_2.html, The Washington Post, Peter, Finn, Russia’s Moves Add To Strains With Georgia, 1 May 2008, 26 April 2019,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003256_2.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20181003110845www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003256_2.html,">web.archive.org/web/20181003110845www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003256_2.html, 3 October 2018, live, dmy-all, On 26 May, a United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) inquiry concluded that the Russian warplane, either a MiG-29 “Fulcrum” or a Su-27 “Flanker”, was responsible for the downing.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18393, UN Probe Says Russian Jet Downed Georgian Drone, Civil.Ge, 26 May 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18393," title="web.archive.org/web/20080812235116www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18393,">web.archive.org/web/20080812235116www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18393, 12 August 2008, live, In late April, the Russian government said that Georgia was assembling 1,500 troops and policemen in the upper Kodori Gorge area and was planning to “invade” Abkhazia,NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7373263.stm, BBC News, Georgia ‘plans war in Abkhazia’, 29 April 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7373263.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20190228043815news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7373263.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20190228043815news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7373263.stm, 28 February 2019, live, dmy-all, and that Russia would “retaliate” against Georgian offensive and had deployed more military in the separatist regions.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7374546.stm, BBC News, Georgia-Russia tensions ramped up, 30 April 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7374546.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080815023445news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7374546.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20080815023445news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7374546.stm, 15 August 2008, live, dmy-all, No boost in the Kodori Gorge or near the Abkhaz border by either party was confirmed by the UNOMIG.WEB,www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/silkroadpapers/0808Georgia-PP.pdf, Svante E. Cornell, Johanna Popjanevski, Niklas Nilsson, Russia’s War in Georgia: Causes and Implications for Georgia and the World, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, August 2008,www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/silkroadpapers/0808Georgia-PP.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20130530231829www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/silkroadpapers/0808Georgia-PP.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20130530231829www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/silkroadpapers/0808Georgia-PP.pdf, 30 May 2013, dead, NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17791, UNOMIG Denies Military Buildup in Abkhaz Conflict Zone, Civil.Ge, 8 May 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17791," title="web.archive.org/web/20170914053028www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17791,">web.archive.org/web/20170914053028www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17791, 14 September 2017, live, The number of Russian peacekeepers deployed in Abkhazia was boosted to 2,542 in early May. But Russian troop levels remained under the cap of 3,000 troops imposed by a 1994 decision of CIS heads of state.WEB,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17786, Russia Gives Some Details on Troop Increase in Abkhazia, Civil.Ge, 8 May 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17786," title="web.archive.org/web/20170914052933www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17786,">web.archive.org/web/20170914052933www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17786, 14 September 2017, live, Georgia demonstrated video footage captured by a drone to the BBC allegedly proving that Russian forces used heavy weaponry in Abkhazia and were combat troops, rather than peacekeepers; Russia rejected the accusations.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7406782.stm, BBC News, Georgia condemns Russian actions, 18 May 2008, 15 September 2008,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7406782.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080520052910news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7406782.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20080520052910news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7406782.stm, 20 May 2008, live, dmy-all, On 15 May, the United Nations General Assembly passed a motion calling for the return of all exiled and uprooted people to Abkhazia.WEB,www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26680, General Assembly recognizes right of return of displaced to Abkhazia, Georgia, UN News Centre, 15 May 2008, 26 April 2019,www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26680," title="web.archive.org/web/20170625183328www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26680,">web.archive.org/web/20170625183328www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26680, 25 June 2017, live, Russia opposed the Georgian-advocated motion. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the resolution was “a counterproductive move”.NEWS,en.ria.ru/russia/20080516/107542587.html, Russia says UN Abkhazian refugee resolution counterproductive, RIA Novosti, 16 May 2008, 10 December 2014,en.ria.ru/russia/20080516/107542587.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20141009021844en.ria.ru/russia/20080516/107542587.html,">web.archive.org/web/20141009021844en.ria.ru/russia/20080516/107542587.html, 9 October 2014, live, Russia deployed railroad troops on 31 May to repair a rail line in Abkhazia. According to the Russian defence ministry, railroad troops were not armed. Georgia stated that the development was an “aggressive” act.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7429354.stm, BBC News, Russia army unit sent to Abkhazia, 31 May 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7429354.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20190109044827news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7429354.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20190109044827news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7429354.stm, 9 January 2019, live, dmy-all, The European Parliament adopted a resolution on 5 June which condemned the deployment of Russian forces to Abkhazia. The resolution stated that the peacekeeping structure should be changed because Russia was no longer an unbiased player.WEB,www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=EPTEXT+TA+P6-TA-2008-0253+0+DOC+XML+VEN&language=EN, European Parliament resolution of 5 June 2008 on the situation in Georgia, European Parliament, 5 June 2008, 26 April 2019, https:web.archive.org/web/20180930004853www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FTEXT+TA+P6-TA-2008-0253+0+DOC+XML+V0%2F%2FEN&language=EN, 30 September 2018, live, Russian railroad troops started to withdraw from Abkhazia on 30 July after attending the inauguration of the railroad.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-georgia-idUSL062719320080802, Russia railway soldiers leave Georgian rebel region, Reuters, 2 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/02/us-russia-georgia-idUSL062719320080802," title="web.archive.org/web/20150924134244www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/02/us-russia-georgia-idUSL062719320080802,">web.archive.org/web/20150924134244www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/02/us-russia-georgia-idUSL062719320080802, 24 September 2015, live, The fixed railroad was used to transport military equipment by at least a part of the 9,000 Russian soldiers who entered Georgia from Abkhazia during the war.WEB,www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/files/europe/195_russia_vs_georgia___the_fallout.pdf, RUSSIA VS GEORGIA: THE FALLOUT, International Crisis Group, 22 August 2008, dead,www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/195_russia_vs_georgia___the_fallout.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20160304050242www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/195_russia_vs_georgia___the_fallout.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20160304050242www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/195_russia_vs_georgia___the_fallout.pdf, 4 March 2016, In late June, Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer predicted that Vladimir Putin would start a war against Georgia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia supposedly in August.WEB,www.apsny.ge/news/1213985330.php, ru:Ð Ð¾ÑÑÐ¸Ñ Ð½Ð°Ñ‡Ð½ÐµÑ‚ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ñƒ Ð¿Ñ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¸Ð² Ð“Ñ€ÑƒÐ·Ð¸Ð¸ Ð¿Ñ€ÐµÐ´Ð¿Ð¾Ð»Ð¾Ð¶Ð¸Ñ‚ÐµÐ»ÑŒÐ½Ð¾ Ð² Ð°Ð²Ð³ÑƒÑÑ‚Ðµ â€“ ÐŸ. Ð¤ÐµÐ»ÑŒÐ³ÐµÐ½Ð³Ð°ÑƒÐµÑ€, Gruziya Online, 20 June 2008, ru, 26 April 2019,www.apsny.ge/news/1213985330.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20181005151132www.apsny.ge/news/1213985330.php,">web.archive.org/web/20181005151132www.apsny.ge/news/1213985330.php, 5 October 2018, live, Aleksandr Dugin, known for his strong ties with the Russian military and intelligence,WEB,www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/44547.html, ru:ÐšÐ°Ðº Ð³Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ð»Ð°ÑÑŒ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ð°, Andrey Illarionov, Novaya Gazeta, 28 June 2009, ru,www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/44547.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120421044037www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/44547.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120421044037www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/44547.html, 21 April 2012, dead, suggested at a press conference in South Ossetia on 30 June that the existence of Georgian enclaves in South Ossetia was the last remaining barrier to the recognition and South Ossetia had to solve this problem. He further stated that South Ossetia’s independence would block Georgia’s NATO membership and the recognition must take place before December 2008.WEB,sojcc.ru/rus/1148.html, ru:ÐÐ»ÐµÐºÑÐ°Ð½Ð´Ñ€ Ð”ÑƒÐ³Ð¸Ð½:“ÐœÑ‹ Ð¿Ñ€Ð¸ÐµÑ…Ð°Ð»Ð¸ ÐºÐ°Ðº ÑÑ‚Ð¾Ñ€Ð¾Ð½Ð½Ð¸ÐºÐ¸ Ð½ÐµÐ·Ð°Ð²Ð¸ÑÐ¸Ð¼Ð¾ÑÑ‚Ð¸ Ð®Ð¶Ð½Ð¾Ð¹ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸Ð¸, Ð° ÑƒÐµÐ´ÐµÐ¼ ÐµÑ‘ Ñ„Ð°Ð½Ð°Ñ‚Ð¸ÐºÐ°Ð¼Ð¸”, South Ossetian part of the Joint Control Commission for Georgianâ€“Ossetian Conflict Resolution, JCC, 2 July 2008, ru,sojcc.ru/rus/1148.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090703055936sojcc.ru/rus/1148.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090703055936sojcc.ru/rus/1148.html, 3 July 2009, dead, The Kavkaz Center reported in early July that Chechen separatists had intelligence data that Russia was preparing a military operation against Georgia in Augustâ€“September 2008 which mainly aimed to expel Georgian forces from the Kodori Gorge; this would be followed by the expulsion of Georgian units and population from South Ossetia.WEB,mignews.com/news/society/cis/050708_61416_09137.html, ru:Ð§ÐµÑ‡ÐµÐ½Ñ†Ñ‹ Ñ€Ð°ÑÐ¿Ð¸ÑÐ°Ð»Ð¸ ÑÑ†ÐµÐ½Ð°Ñ€Ð¸Ð¹ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ñ‹ Ð Ð¾ÑÑÐ¸Ð¸ Ð¿Ñ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¸Ð² Ð“Ñ€ÑƒÐ·Ð¸Ð¸, MIGnews, 5 July 2008, ru, 26 May 2016,mignews.com/news/society/cis/050708_61416_09137.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160818114602mignews.com/news/society/cis/050708_61416_09137.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160818114602mignews.com/news/society/cis/050708_61416_09137.html, 18 August 2016, live, In early July, the conditions in South Ossetia aggravated, when a South Ossetian separatist militia official was killed by blasts on 3 July and several hours later an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Dmitry Sanakoyev, the leader of the Georgian-backed Ossetian government, wounded three police officers.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=204}} On 7 July, four Georgian servicemen were captured by South Ossetian separatists. The next day, the Georgian law enforcement was ordered by the president to arrange the liberation of the soldiers.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/idUSL08676780, Georgia plans operation to free detained soldiers, Margarita Antidze, Reuters, 8 July 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/08/idUSL08676780," title="web.archive.org/web/20150924134130www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/08/idUSL08676780,">web.archive.org/web/20150924134130www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/08/idUSL08676780, 24 September 2015, live, Four Russian Air Force jets flew over South Ossetia on 8 July.NEWS,www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1646_july_11_2008/1646_russia_overflights.html, Russia says it sent warplanes over South Ossetia to ‘prevent bloodshed’, Mikheil Svanidze, The Messenger, 11 July 2008, 29 September 2014,www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1646_july_11_2008/1646_russia_overflights.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080813005203www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1646_july_11_2008/1646_russia_overflights.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080813005203www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1646_july_11_2008/1646_russia_overflights.html, 13 August 2008, live, A scheduled visit of Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, to Georgia on the next day nearly coincided with the timing of the flight.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7500584.stm, BBC News, Russia admits Georgia overflights, 10 July 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7500584.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20190228035350news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7500584.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20190228035350news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7500584.stm, 28 February 2019, live, dmy-all, Georgia summoned back its ambassador to Russia after Russia admitted its jets had flown in Georgia’s airspace to “let hot heads in Tbilisi cool down”. This was the first time in the 2000s that Russia had confessed to an overflight of Georgia.WEB,www.reuters.com/article/us-georgia-nato-idUSL1558811120080715, Overflights question Russia’s Georgia role: NATO, Reuters, 15 July 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/15/us-georgia-nato-idUSL1558811120080715," title="web.archive.org/web/20150924134151www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/15/us-georgia-nato-idUSL1558811120080715,">web.archive.org/web/20150924134151www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/15/us-georgia-nato-idUSL1558811120080715, 24 September 2015, live, On 15 July, the United States and Russia began two parallel military trainings in the Caucasus, though Russia denied that the identical timing was intentional.NEWS,www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=8ab9fc6b-b294-4b22-8a02-759e1f6ccab2, Russia, U.S. hold war games on opposite sides of Caucasus: officials, Agence France-Presse, Canada.com, 15 July 2008, dead,www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=8ab9fc6b-b294-4b22-8a02-759e1f6ccab2," title="web.archive.org/web/20150226161047www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=8ab9fc6b-b294-4b22-8a02-759e1f6ccab2,">web.archive.org/web/20150226161047www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=8ab9fc6b-b294-4b22-8a02-759e1f6ccab2, 26 February 2015, The joint US-Georgian exercise was called Immediate Response 2008 and also included servicemen from Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Armenia. A total of 1,630 servicemen, including 1,000 American troops, took part in the exercise, which concluded on 31 July.WEB,georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4981&Itemid=65, International Large-Scale Military Exercise ‘Immediate Response 2008’, Tea Kerdzevadze, Georgian Daily, 1 August 2008,georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4981&Itemid=65," title="web.archive.org/web/20080813012930georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4981&Itemid=65,">web.archive.org/web/20080813012930georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4981&Itemid=65, 13 August 2008, Counter-insurgency action was the focal point of the joint exercise. The Georgian brigade was trained to serve in Iraq.WEB,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/world/europe/17military.html, Russians Melded Old-School Blitz With Modern Military Tactics, 16 August 2008, Shanker, Thom, The New York Times, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190305052428/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/world/europe/17military.html, 5 March 2019, live, The Russian exercise was named Caucasus 2008 and units of the North Caucasus Military District, including the 58th Army, took part. The exercise included training to aid peacekeeping forces stationed in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.NEWS,en.rian.ru/russia/20080716/114129465.html, Russian paratroopers arrive in North Caucasus for combat drills, RIA Novosti, 16 July 2008, 26 April 2019,en.rian.ru/russia/20080716/114129465.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080727045253en.rian.ru/russia/20080716/114129465.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080727045253en.rian.ru/russia/20080716/114129465.html, 27 July 2008, live, During exercises, a pamphlet named “Soldier! Know your probable enemy!” was circulated among the Russian soldiers. The pamphlet described the Georgian Armed Forces.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=J4ta_TjGYBAC, The Guns of August 2008: Russia’s War in Georgia, 2009, Svante E. Cornell, S. Frederick Starr, M.E. Sharpe, 71, 978-0-7656-2942-5, 12 October 2015,web.archive.org/web/20160502224257/https://books.google.com/books?id=J4ta_TjGYBAC, 2 May 2016, live, Russian troops stayed near the border with Georgia after the end of their exercise on 2 August, instead of going back to their barracks. Later, Dale Herspring, an expert on Russian military affairs at Kansas State University, described the Russian exercise as “exactly what they executed in Georgia just a few weeks later [...] a complete dress rehearsal.”

Hostilities

Early August

At 8:00 am on 1 August, an improvised explosive device detonated on the road near Tskhinvali near a Georgian police vehicle, wounding five police officers. In response, Georgian snipers fired on South Ossetian positions, killing four Ossetians and wounding seven.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=44}} According to the majority of reports, the South Ossetians were responsible for instigating the bomb explosion which marked the opening of hostilities.WEB,www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af25400a-739d-11dd-8a66-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=f2b40164-cfea-11dc-9309-0000779fd2ac.html, Countdown in the Caucasus: Seven days that brought Russia and Georgia to war, Financial Times, 26 August 2008,www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af25400a-739d-11dd-8a66-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=f2b40164-cfea-11dc-9309-0000779fd2ac.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080920023223www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af25400a-739d-11dd-8a66-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=f2b40164-cfea-11dc-9309-0000779fd2ac.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080920023223www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af25400a-739d-11dd-8a66-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=f2b40164-cfea-11dc-9309-0000779fd2ac.html, 20 September 2008, WEB,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4545980.ece, The new cold war hots up, Dmitry Beliakov, Sarah Baxter, Matthew Campbell, Nicola Smith, The Times, 2008-08-17,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4545980.ece," title="web.archive.org/web/20080817022835www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4545980.ece,">web.archive.org/web/20080817022835www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4545980.ece, 2008-08-17, dead, When the history of the conflict comes to be written, it may be that a small incident on the road linking Georgia to Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, will be identified as the starting point of war. The US State Department’s internal timeline of the crisis pinpoints the explosion on August 1 of two roadside bombs, believed to have been planted by South Ossetian separatists sympathetic to Russia, as a decisive moment., South Ossetian separatists began intensively shelling Georgian villages on 1 August. This caused Georgian peacekeepers and servicemen in the area to return fire.WEB,www.rferl.org/content/Is_The_Clock_Ticking_For_Saakashvili/1199512.html, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Brian Whitmore, Is The Clock Ticking For Saakashvili?’, 12 September 2008, 27 February 2014,www.rferl.org/content/Is_The_Clock_Ticking_For_Saakashvili/1199512.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20140903102314www.rferl.org/content/Is_The_Clock_Ticking_For_Saakashvili/1199512.html,">web.archive.org/web/20140903102314www.rferl.org/content/Is_The_Clock_Ticking_For_Saakashvili/1199512.html, 3 September 2014, live, dmy-all, WEB,online.wsj.com/articles/SB121884450978145997, Smoldering Feud, Then War, Marc Champion, Andrew Osborn, The Wall Street Journal, 16 August 2008, WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/19/georgia-russia-eu-media-inquiry, Georgia calls on EU for independent inquiry into war, Luke Harding, The Guardian, 19 November 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20170913101015/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/19/georgia-russia-eu-media-inquiry, 13 September 2017, live, WEB,www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0836-e.htm, The Conflict Between Russia and Georgia, Jean-Rodrigue ParÃ©, Parliament of Canada, 13 February 2009, 19 September 2014,www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0836-e.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160102030749www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0836-e.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20160102030749www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0836-e.htm, 2 January 2016, dead, {{sfn|Chifu|2009|p=53}}{{sfn|Laaneots|2016|p=35}} Grenades and mortar fire were exchanged during the night of 1/2 August. The total Ossetian fatalities became six and the total wounded were now fifteen, among them several civilians; the Georgian casualties were six wounded civilians and one wounded policeman.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=44}} According to the OSCE mission, the incident was the worst outbreak of violence since 2004.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=208}} On 2â€“3 and again on 3â€“4 August, firing recommenced during the night.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=208}} A 1992 ceasefire agreement was breached by Ossetian artillery attacks.WEB,www.rferl.org/content/Eyewitness_Accounts_Confirm_Shelling_Of_Georgian_Villages/1349256.html, Eyewitness Accounts Confirm Shelling Of Georgian Villages, Eka Tsamalashvili, Brian Whitmore, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 14 November 2008, 26 April 2019,www.rferl.org/content/Eyewitness_Accounts_Confirm_Shelling_Of_Georgian_Villages/1349256.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160923030919www.rferl.org/content/Eyewitness_Accounts_Confirm_Shelling_Of_Georgian_Villages/1349256.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160923030919www.rferl.org/content/Eyewitness_Accounts_Confirm_Shelling_Of_Georgian_Villages/1349256.html, 23 September 2016, live, WEB,www.fhs.se/Documents/Externwebben/forskning/Forskningsprojekt/Statsvet/Forbe/US-RussianRelationsKarlsson160912Def.pdf, Competing Powers: U.S.-Russian Relations, 2006â€“2016, HÃ¥kan Karlsson, Swedish Defence University, 12 September 2016, 50, dead,www.fhs.se/Documents/Externwebben/forskning/Forskningsprojekt/Statsvet/Forbe/US-RussianRelationsKarlsson160912Def.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20170122135733www.fhs.se/Documents/Externwebben/forskning/Forskningsprojekt/Statsvet/Forbe/US-RussianRelationsKarlsson160912Def.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20170122135733www.fhs.se/Documents/Externwebben/forskning/Forskningsprojekt/Statsvet/Forbe/US-RussianRelationsKarlsson160912Def.pdf, 22 January 2017, Nikolay Pankov, the Russian deputy defence minister, had a confidential meeting with the separatist authorities in Tskhinvali on 3 August.{{sfn|Van Herpen|2014|p=214}} An evacuation of Ossetian women and children to Russia began on the same day. According to researcher Andrey Illarionov, the South Ossetian separatists evacuated more than 20,000 civilians, which represented more than 90 per cent of the civilian population of the future combat zone.{{sfn|Dunlop|2012|p=93}} On 4 August, South Ossetian president Eduard Kokoity said that about 300 volunteers had arrived from North Ossetia to help fight the Georgians and thousands more were expected from the North Caucasus.WEB,lenta.ru/news/2008/08/04/volunteers/, ru:Ð’ Ð¦Ñ…Ð¸Ð½Ð²Ð°Ð»Ð¸ Ð¿Ñ€Ð¸Ð±Ñ‹Ð»Ð¸ 300 Ð´Ð¾Ð±Ñ€Ð¾Ð²Ð¾Ð»ÑŒÑ†ÐµÐ² Ð¸Ð· Ð¡ÐµÐ²ÐµÑ€Ð½Ð¾Ð¹ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸Ð¸, Lenta.ru, 4 August 2008, ru, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20160308063314/https://lenta.ru/news/2008/08/04/volunteers/, 8 March 2016, live, On 5 August, South Ossetian presidential envoy to Moscow, Dmitry Medoyev, declared that South Ossetia would start a “(:ru:Ð ÐµÐ»ÑŒÑÐ¾Ð²Ð°Ñ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ð°|rail war)” against Georgia.WEB,regnum.ru/news/1036622.html, ru:Ð®Ð¶Ð½Ð°Ñ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸Ñ Ð¼Ð¾Ð¶ÐµÑ‚ Ð½Ð°Ñ‡Ð°Ñ‚ÑŒ Ð¿Ñ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¸Ð² Ð“Ñ€ÑƒÐ·Ð¸Ð¸ “Ñ€ÐµÐ»ÑŒÑÐ¾Ð²ÑƒÑŽ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ñƒ”, Regnum, 5 August 2008, ru, 7 August 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180807220614/https://regnum.ru/news/1036622.html, 7 August 2018, live, The razing of the village of Nuli was ordered by South Ossetian interior minister Mikhail Mindzaev.{{sfn|Dunlop|2012|p=95}} Georgian authorities organised a tour for diplomats and journalists to demonstrate the damage supposedly caused by separatists. That day, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Yuri Popov declared that his country would be involved in the conflict on the side of South Ossetia.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7543099.stm, Russia vows to defend S Ossetia, BBC News, 5 August 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7543099.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20190228040854news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7543099.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20190228040854news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7543099.stm, 28 February 2019, live, About 50 Russian journalists had come to Tskhnivali for “something to happen”. A pro-government Russian newspaper reported on 6 August: “Don Cossacks prepare to fight in South Ossetia”.NEWS,www.ng.ru/regions/2008-08-06/1_kazaki.html, ru:Ð¨Ð°ÑˆÐºÐ¸ Ð½Ð°Ð³Ð¾Ð»Ð¾, ru, Maria Bogdarenko, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 6 August 2008,www.ng.ru/regions/2008-08-06/1_kazaki.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090530090954www.ng.ru/regions/2008-08-06/1_kazaki.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090530090954www.ng.ru/regions/2008-08-06/1_kazaki.html, 30 May 2009, dead, Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that Russian military was being deployed to the Georgian border on 6 August and that “there is no doubt that Russia thus demonstrates determination to protect its citizens in South Ossetia. Up until the operation to enforce peace is carried out.“NEWS,www.ng.ru/politics/2008-08-08/1_war.html, ru:ÐÑ‚Ð¾ Ð½Ðµ ÐºÐ¾Ð½Ñ„Ð»Ð¸ÐºÑ‚, ÑÑ‚Ð¾ â€“ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ð°, Marina Perevozkina, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 8 August 2008, ru, 9 September 2008,www.ng.ru/politics/2008-08-08/1_war.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080909072407www.ng.ru/politics/2008-08-08/1_war.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080909072407www.ng.ru/politics/2008-08-08/1_war.html, 9 September 2008, live, On the evening of 6 August, an attempt by Saakashvili to contact the President of Russia about the conflict was curbed by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which said: “the time for presidential negotiations has not yet arrived.“{{sfn|Laaneots|2016|p=37}}{{sfn|Chifu|2009|p=58}}Mortar and artillery exchange between the South Ossetian and Georgian forces erupted in the afternoon of 6 August across almost the entire front line, which lasted until the dawn of 7 August. Exchanges resumed following a brief gap in the morning.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=208}}{{sfn|Dunlop|2012|p=95}} South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity announced that the South Ossetian armed forces were ready to go on the offensive in the next few hours.WEB,www.svobodanews.ru/content/article/459707.html, ru:ÐšÐ¾Ð½Ñ„Ð»Ð¸ÐºÑ‚ Ð² Ð®Ð¶Ð½Ð¾Ð¹ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸Ð¸: Ð¿ÐµÑ€ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ð²Ð¾Ñ€Ð¾Ð² Ð½Ðµ Ð±ÑƒÐ´ÐµÑ‚, Radio Svoboda, 7 August 2008, ru, {{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} At 14:00 on 7 August, two Georgian peacekeepers in Avnevi became casualties of Ossetian shelling.NEWS, Peter Finn,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081600502_pf.html, A Two-Sided Descent into Full-Scale War, The Washington Post, 17 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081600502_pf.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121106085255www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081600502_pf.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121106085255www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081600502_pf.html, 6 November 2012, live, {{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=46}}{{sfn|Dunlop|2012|p=95}} At about 14:30, Georgian tanks, 122 mm howitzers and 203 mm self-propelled artillery began heading towards South Ossetia to dissuade separatists from additional attacks.WEB,www.smr.gov.ge/uploads/file/On_the_eve_of_war.pdf, On the eve of war: The Sequence of events on august 7, 2008,www.smr.gov.ge/uploads/file/On_the_eve_of_war.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20110721030956www.smr.gov.ge/uploads/file/On_the_eve_of_war.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20110721030956www.smr.gov.ge/uploads/file/On_the_eve_of_war.pdf, 21 July 2011, dead, During the afternoon, OSCE monitors noted Georgian military traffic, including artillery, on roads near Gori. In the afternoon, Georgian personnel left the Joint Peacekeeping Force headquarters in Tskhinvali.WEB,georgiaupdate.gov.ge/doc/10006640/Annex%2010%20OSCE%20on%20Popov.pdf, Spot Report: Update on the situation in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, OSCE, 7 August 2008,georgiaupdate.gov.ge/doc/10006640/Annex%2010%20OSCE%20on%20Popov.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20090306072337georgiaupdate.gov.ge/doc/10006640/Annex%2010%20OSCE%20on%20Popov.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20090306072337georgiaupdate.gov.ge/doc/10006640/Annex%2010%20OSCE%20on%20Popov.pdf, 6 March 2009, At 16:00, Temur Iakobashvili (the Georgian Minister for Reintegration) arrived in Tskhinvali for a previously arranged meeting with South Ossetians and Russian diplomat Yuri Popov; however, Russia’s emissary, who blamed a flat tire, did not appear; and neither did the Ossetians. One day earlier the South Ossetians rejected direct negotiations with Georgian authorities, demanding a meeting of the Joint Control Commission for Georgianâ€“Ossetian Conflict Resolution.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18910, S.Ossetia Rejects Talks, Civil.Ge, 6 August 2008, 27 September 2008,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18910," title="web.archive.org/web/20080829181025www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18910,">web.archive.org/web/20080829181025www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18910, 29 August 2008, live, Tbilisi had left the Commission in March, demanding that a new mediation scheme included the European Union, the OSCE and the Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia. Iakobashvili contacted General Marat Kulakhmetov (the Russian commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Force) who said that Ossetians could not be restrained by Russian peacekeepers and Georgia should implement a ceasefire.{{sfn|Van Herpen|2014|p=222}} “Nobody was in the streets â€“ no cars, no people,” Iakobashvili later told journalists. WEB,eurasianet.org/georgia-can-wikileaks-cables-change-the-russia-georgia-war-narrative, Georgia: Can WikiLeaks Cables Change the Russia-Georgia War Narrative?, Giorgi Lomsadze, EurasiaNet, 1 December 2010, |width = 30em}}At around 19:00, Georgian President Saakashvili announced a unilateral ceasefire and no-response order.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18931, Saakashvili Appeals for Peace in Televised Address, Civil.Ge, 7 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18931," title="web.archive.org/web/20141019155639www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18931,">web.archive.org/web/20141019155639www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18931, 19 October 2014, live, The ceasefire reportedly held for about three hours.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=209}} The separatists bombarded Tamarasheni and Prisi. They razed Avnevi and a police building in Kurta, the centre of the Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia. The escalated assaults forced Georgian civilians to flee their homes.WEB,www.jamestown.org/programs/edm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33872&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=166&no_cache=1, THE GOALS BEHIND MOSCOW’S PROXY OFFENSIVE IN SOUTH OSSETIA, 8 August 2008, Vladimir Socor, The Jamestown Foundation, 26 April 2019,www.jamestown.org/programs/edm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33872&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=166&no_cache=1," title="web.archive.org/web/20160303222758www.jamestown.org/programs/edm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33872&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=166&no_cache=1,">web.archive.org/web/20160303222758www.jamestown.org/programs/edm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33872&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=166&no_cache=1, 3 March 2016, dead, WEB,articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-08-09/news/0808080649_1_south-ossetia-russian-peacekeeping-troops-russian-president-dmitry-medvedev/2, Georgian conflict puts U.S. in middle, Chicago Tribune, Alex Rodriguez, Bay Fang, 9 August 2008, 12 October 2014,articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-08-09/news/0808080649_1_south-ossetia-russian-peacekeeping-troops-russian-president-dmitry-medvedev/2," title="web.archive.org/web/20141016124315articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-08-09/news/0808080649_1_south-ossetia-russian-peacekeeping-troops-russian-president-dmitry-medvedev/2,">web.archive.org/web/20141016124315articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-08-09/news/0808080649_1_south-ossetia-russian-peacekeeping-troops-russian-president-dmitry-medvedev/2, 16 October 2014, live, A high-ranking officer of the Georgian Ministry of Defence said late on 7 August that his country was going to “restore constitutional order” in response to the shelling.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18941, ‘Georgia Decided to Restore Constitutional Order in S.Ossetia’ â€“ MoD Official, 8 August 2008, Civil.Ge,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18941," title="web.archive.org/web/20110607112523www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18941,">web.archive.org/web/20110607112523www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18941, 7 June 2011, live, Georgian Interior Ministry official later told Russian newspaper Kommersant on 8 August that after Ossetians had responded to the ceasefire by shelling, “it became clear” that South Ossetians wouldn’t stop firing and that the Georgian casualties were 10 killed and 50 wounded. According to Pavel Felgenhauer, the Ossetians intentionally provoked the Georgians, so Russia would use the Georgian response as a pretext for premeditated military invasion. According to Felgenhauer’s analysis, Russia could not wage the war against Georgia after August since the Caucasus mountains would be covered with snow already in October.WEB,www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/39134.html, ru:ÐÑ‚Ð¾ Ð±Ñ‹Ð»Ð° Ð½Ðµ ÑÐ¿Ð¾Ð½Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ð½Ð°Ñ, Ð° ÑÐ¿Ð»Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ñ€Ð¾Ð²Ð°Ð½Ð½Ð°Ñ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ð°, Pavel Felgenhauer, Novaya Gazeta, 14 August 2008, ru, 26 April 2019,www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/39134.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160820235056www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/39134.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160820235056www.novayagazeta.ru/politics/39134.html, 20 August 2016, live, Russian military was participating in the attacks on Georgian villages.{{sfn|Laaneots|2016|p=57}}According to Georgian intelligence,NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/world/europe/16georgia.html, The New York Times, C.J., Chivers, Georgia Offers Fresh Evidence on War’s Start, 15 September 2008, 26 April 2019,www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/world/europe/16georgia.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170616163055www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/world/europe/16georgia.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170616163055www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/world/europe/16georgia.html, 16 June 2017, live, dmy-all, and several Russian media reports, parts of the regular (non-peacekeeping) Russian Army had already moved to South Ossetian territory through the Roki Tunnel before the Georgian military operation.WEB,www.newsru.com/russia/11sep2008/voshli.html, ru:Ð¡ÐœÐ˜: Ñ€Ð¾ÑÑÐ¸Ð¹ÑÐºÐ¸Ðµ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹ÑÐºÐ° Ð²Ð¾ÑˆÐ»Ð¸ Ð² Ð®Ð¶Ð½ÑƒÑŽ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸ÑŽ ÐµÑ‰Ðµ Ð´Ð¾ Ð½Ð°Ñ‡Ð°Ð»Ð° Ð±Ð¾ÐµÐ²Ñ‹Ñ… Ð´ÐµÐ¹ÑÑ‚Ð²Ð¸Ð¹, NEWSru, 11 September 2008, ru, 26 April 2019,www.newsru.com/russia/11sep2008/voshli.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160102030749www.newsru.com/russia/11sep2008/voshli.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160102030749www.newsru.com/russia/11sep2008/voshli.html, 2 January 2016, live, Even the state-controlled Russian TV aired Abkhazia’s de facto president Sergei Bagapsh on 7 August as saying: “I have spoken to the president of South Ossetia. It has more or less stabilized now. A battalion from the North Caucasus District has entered the area.“WEB,www.moscowtimes.ru/article/600/42/372391.htm, Moscow Claims Media War Win, Moscow Times, Nikolaus von Twickel, 17 November 2008,www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/moscow-claims-media-war-win/372391.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120523210654www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/moscow-claims-media-war-win/372391.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120523210654www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/moscow-claims-media-war-win/372391.html, 23 May 2012, Georgian authorities did not announce Russian military incursion in public on 7 August since they relied on the Western guidance and did not want to aggravate tensions.{{sfn|Chifu|2009|p=60}} The entrance of second batch of Russian military through the Roki Tunnel during the night of 7/8 August pressured Georgian president Saakashvili to respond militarily around 23:00 to check Russian all-out incursion near the Roki Tunnel before the Western response would be late.{{sfn|Chifu|2009|p=59}}

Battle of Tskhinvali

File:South Ossetia war 58 army.jpg|right|thumb|alt=Tank-like vehicle with soldiers aboard|Russian BMP-2 from the 58th Army in South Ossetia]](File:Tskhinval Yana Amelina 10.jpg|right|thumb|alt=Burned tank amid other debris|Destroyed Georgian tank in Tskhinvali)Georgian artillery launched smoke bombs into South Ossetia at 23:35 on 7 August. This was followed by a 15-minute intermission, which purportedly enabled the civilians to escape, before the Georgian forces began bombarding hostile positions.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=209}} Georgian military intentionally targeted South Ossetian military objects, not civilian ones. Although Georgian military had pledged safety to the Russian peacekeepers for their neutrality, the Russian peacekeepers had to follow the Russian command to attack the Georgian troops.{{sfn|Laaneots|2016|pp=58â€“59}}Georgian forces started moving in the direction of Tskhinvali following several hours of bombardment and engaged South Ossetian forces and militia near Tskhinvali at 04:00 on 8 August, with Georgian tanks remotely shelling South Ossetian positions. An attempt to take the village of Kvaysa from the west of South Ossetia by Georgian special police forces was thwarted by South Ossetian troops occupying reinforced posts, and several Georgians were wounded.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=50â€“51}} The Georgian 4th Brigade advanced on the left side of Tskhinvali early in the morning on 8 August;{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=209}} the 3rd Brigade advanced on the right side.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=209}}{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=50â€“51}} The purpose of these actions was to advance to the north after capturing key positions. The Georgian troops would secure the Gupta bridge and the road to the Roki Tunnel, barring the Russian military from moving southward.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=209}} By the morning, the South Ossetian authorities had reported that the Georgian shelling had killed at least 15 civilians.WEB,afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jy0s0tG42xwDFY5Uy_9JhazKqgEA, Heavy fighting as Georgia attacks rebel region, Agence France-Presse, 7 August 2008,afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jy0s0tG42xwDFY5Uy_9JhazKqgEA," title="web.archive.org/web/20080822183403afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jy0s0tG42xwDFY5Uy_9JhazKqgEA,">web.archive.org/web/20080822183403afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jy0s0tG42xwDFY5Uy_9JhazKqgEA, 22 August 2008, Georgian forces, among them special troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, entered Tskhinvali after taking the high points near the town.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=209}} The centre of the town was reached by 1,500 Georgian infantrymen by 10:00. The Russian air force began raiding targets inside South Ossetia and Georgia proper after 10:00 on 8 August.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=54}} According to Russia, it suffered its first casualties at around 12:00 when two servicemen were killed and five injured following an attempt by the Georgian troops to storm the northern peacekeeping base in Tskhinvali.{{sfn|Volume III|2009|pp=370â€“371}} Georgia has stated that it only targeted Russian peacekeepers in self-defence, after coming under fire from them.{{sfn|Volume III|2009|p=69}} Most of Tskhinvali and several villages had been secured by Georgian troops by the afternoon;{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=209}} however, they failed to blockade the Gupta bridge and the key roads linking Tshkinvali with the Roki Tunnel and the Russian military base in Java.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=210}} One Georgian diplomat told Kommersant on the same day that by taking control of Tskhinvali, Tbilisi wanted to demonstrate that Georgia wouldn’t tolerate the killing of Georgian citizens.By 15:00 MSK, an urgent session of Security Council of Russia had been convened by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Russia’s options regarding the conflict had been discussed.WEB, Dmitry Medvedev held an emergency meeting with permanent members of the Security Council on the situation in South Ossetia, The Kremlin,archive.kremlin.ru/eng/events/chronicle/2008/08/205064.shtml, 8 August 2008,archive.kremlin.ru/eng/events/chronicle/2008/08/205064.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20150210041632archive.kremlin.ru/eng/events/chronicle/2008/08/205064.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20150210041632archive.kremlin.ru/eng/events/chronicle/2008/08/205064.shtml, 10 February 2015, Russia accused Georgia of “aggression” against South Ossetia.WEB,archive.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/08/1553_type82912type82913_205032.shtml, Statement on the Situation in South Ossetia, The Kremlin, 8 August 2008,archive.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/08/1553_type82912type82913_205032.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20120222041207archive.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/08/1553_type82912type82913_205032.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20120222041207archive.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/08/08/1553_type82912type82913_205032.shtml, 22 February 2012, dead, Russia has stated it was defending both peacekeepers and South Ossetian civilians who were Russian citizens. While Russia claimed that it had to conduct peacekeeping operations according to the international mandates, in reality such accords had only arranged the ceasefire observer status; according to political scientist Roy Allison, Russia could evacuate its peacekeepers if attacked. At around 16:00 MSK, it became known that two heavy armoured columns of the 58th Army passed the Roki Tunnel and Java and were on the road to Tskhinvali. According to Kommersant, the column had begun moving towards South Ossetia at the same time as President Medvedev was giving a televised speech. At around 17:00 MSK, Russian tank columns surrounded Tskhinvali and began bombing the Georgian positions.NEWS, Olga, Allenova, ru:ÐŸÐµÑ€Ð²Ð°Ñ Ð¼Ð¸Ñ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð²Ð¾Ñ€Ñ‡ÐµÑÐºÐ°Ñ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ð°,www.kommersant.ru/doc-y.aspx?DocsID=1009540, Kommersant, 8 August 2008, ru, 27 May 2016,www.kommersant.ru/doc-y.aspx?DocsID=1009540," title="web.archive.org/web/20080823175733www.kommersant.ru/doc-y.aspx?DocsID=1009540,">web.archive.org/web/20080823175733www.kommersant.ru/doc-y.aspx?DocsID=1009540, 23 August 2008, live, The Russian Air Force mounted attacks on Georgian infantry and artillery on 8 August, but suspended sorties for two days after taking early losses from anti-aircraft fire.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=55}} Georgian troops left the centre of the town in the evening.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=210}} Military expert Ralph Peters later noted that anyone “above the grade of private” knew that such a large-scale Russian “response” was not spontaneous since it was impossible “even to get one armored brigade over the Caucasus Mountains” without lengthy planning.NEWS,nypost.com/2008/08/12/russia-goes-rogue/, Russia Goes Rogue, Ralph Peters, 12 August 2008, New York Post, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20181215223046/https://nypost.com/2008/08/12/russia-goes-rogue/, 15 December 2018, live, In the afternoon of 9 August, a Georgian effort to push deeper into Tskhinvali was repulsed with Georgian losses and they withdrew.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=210}} According to the Georgian Defence Minister, the Georgian military had tried to push into Tskhinvali three times by 9 August. During the last attempt they were met with a serious counterattack, which Georgian officers described as “something like hell.” On the same day a Russian advance column, led by Lieutenant-General Anatoly Khrulyov, was ambushed by Georgian special forces near Tskhinvali; Khrulyov was wounded in the leg.WEB, ru:Ð“ÐµÑ€Ð¾Ð¹,lenta.ru/articles/2008/08/15/hero/, Lenta.ru, 15 August 2008,lenta.ru/articles/2008/08/15/hero/," title="web.archive.org/web/20090811001956lenta.ru/articles/2008/08/15/hero/,">web.archive.org/web/20090811001956lenta.ru/articles/2008/08/15/hero/, 11 August 2009, live, ru, The number of Russian forces deployed in South Ossetia exceeded the number of Georgian fighters already by 9 August.A ceasefire was unilaterally announced on 10 August by Georgian authorities, who stated an aim to pull Georgian troops out of South Ossetia. However, Russia did not embrace this truce offer.{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=21}} After the ceasefire agreement was negotiated by French president Nicolas Sarkozy on 12 August, 15:00 on 12 August was set as a deadline for the cessation of military action; however, Russian forces didn’t stop pushing forward.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=219}}

Bombing and occupation of Gori

File:A Russian missile lies largely intact in a home in Gori.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Two men looking at a missile lying across a sofa|Nearly-intact Russian missile booster in a Gori house]](File:Georgia Caucasus civil war 2008 02.jpg|thumb|left| Destroyed apartment building in Gori after Russian air raid, picture taken 10 September 2008.)(File:Georgia Caucasus civil war 2008 03.jpg|thumb|left|An air raid of the Russian army in August 2008 destroyed this house in Gori)(File:Woman during Gori Bombing.jpg|thumb|left|Woman crying for help during the Russian bombing of Gori)Gori is an important city in the centre of Georgia, located about {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Tskhinvali.WEB,www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/080808.shtml, Georgia: All-Out War Looms in South Ossetia, Elizabeth Owen, Giorgi Lomsadze, EurasiaNet, 8 August 2008, 25 November 2008,www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/080808.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20090506004749www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/080808.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20090506004749www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/080808.shtml, 6 May 2009, dead, On 9 August, Russia indiscriminately bombed Gori, with targets ranging from a military garrison to several large civilian apartment buildings and a school.WEB,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2529986/Georgia-conflict-Screams-of-the-injured-rise-from-residential-streets.html, Georgia conflict: Screams of the injured rise from residential streets, Adrian Blomfield, The Telegraph, 9 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190402224044/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2529986/Georgia-conflict-Screams-of-the-injured-rise-from-residential-streets.html, 2 April 2019, live, The Georgian government reported that the air raid had killed 60 civilians.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7550804.stm, Russian jets attack Georgian town, BBC News, 9 August 2008, 11 November 2008,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7550804.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080923054425news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7550804.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20080923054425news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7550804.stm, 23 September 2008, live, No less than 5 Georgian cities had been bombed by 9 August.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/world/europe/10georgia.html, Georgia and Russia Nearing All-Out War, The New York Times, Anne, Barnard, 9 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190324013731/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/world/europe/10georgia.html, 24 March 2019, live, After Georgian troops had left Tskhinvali on 10 August, the Russians indiscriminately bombed the civilian areas in Gori on 11 August.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/11/georgia.russia11, I got my children out minutes before the bombs fell, The Guardian, 11 August 2008, Luke, Harding, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20170305004656/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/11/georgia.russia11, 5 March 2017, live, The Georgian forces withdrew from Gori on 11 August. A Georgian official said that the troops were ordered to secure Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.WEB,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2541051/Georgia-Russia-fighting-on-several-fronts-as-Georgian-troops-withdraw-to-defend-Tbilisi.html, Georgia: Russia fighting on several fronts as Georgian troops withdraw to defend Tbilisi, Damien McElroy, Adrian Blomfield, Jon Swaine, The Telegraph, 11 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190402224054/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2541051/Georgia-Russia-fighting-on-several-fronts-as-Georgian-troops-withdraw-to-defend-Tbilisi.html, 2 April 2019, live, By late 11 August, the majority of inhabitants and Georgian troops had abandoned Gori. Georgian president Saakashvili stated that Russians had split Georgia into two by occupying an important intersection near Gori.NEWS,www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/11/georgia.russia13, Russians march into Georgia as full-scale war looms, The Guardian, 12 August 2008, Luke, Harding, Ian, Traynor, (File:Damaged wall of the residential building in downtown Gori after Russian bombardment with cluster bomb during 2008 war.jpg|thumb|alt=Large, severely-damaged building|“The Price of Independence”, artwork on a residential building damaged by Russian strikes during the war in downtown Gori)Russian bombers attacked Gori on 12 August, killing seven people and wounding over thirty.NEWS,media.ge/eng/page.php?m=media_discussions_news_detailed&id_numb=84, Victims of Last Year’s Tragedy Remembered in Gori, Goga Aptsiauri, Media.ge, 12 August 2009,www.webcitation.org/5j3CaAnTg?url=http://media.ge/eng/page.php?m=media_discussions_news_detailed&id_numb=84, 15 August 2009, dead, Dutch TV journalist Stan Storimans was among those killed and another foreign reporter was injured. According to Georgian authorities, the Russians aimed at the city’s administrative offices. The air raids set the post office and the Gori University on fire.NEWS,www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/news/Georgia-Journalist-Killed.php, Dutch journalist killed in Russian bombing of Gori, Associated Press, International Herald Tribune, 12 August 2008,www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/news/Georgia-Journalist-Killed.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20080813171004www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/news/Georgia-Journalist-Killed.php,">web.archive.org/web/20080813171004www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/news/Georgia-Journalist-Killed.php, 13 August 2008, dead, The Gori Military Hospital carrying a Red Cross flag was struck by a rocket. The attack killed one doctor.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-new-cold-war-crisis-in-the-caucasus-899773.html, Kim Sengupta, Shaun Walker, Rupert Cornwell, The Independent, The new Cold War: Crisis in the Caucasus, 17 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180708232252/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-new-cold-war-crisis-in-the-caucasus-899773.html, 8 July 2018, live, dmy-all, The Russian military was warning during the march towards Gori on 13 August that they would not spare ethnic Georgian civilians in villages if the latter did not demonstrate signs of surrender. Escaping Georgians blamed Russian president Medvedev for their suffering because they, trusting Medvedev’s statement on ceasefire, had remained in their homes before the Russian advance.NEWS,www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/14/georgia.russia, Amid promise of peace, Georgians live in terror, Luke Harding, The Guardian, 14 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/14/georgia.russia," title="web.archive.org/web/20130707050943www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/14/georgia.russia,">web.archive.org/web/20130707050943www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/14/georgia.russia, 7 July 2013, live, The Russian military captured Gori on 13 August. The destruction of Georgian military bases began.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7558399.stm, Violence flares in Georgian town, BBC News, 13 August 2008, 22 December 2016,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7558399.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20161020033227news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7558399.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20161020033227news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7558399.stm, 20 October 2016, live, Major General Vyacheslav Borisov, the commander of the Russian occupying troops, stated on 14 August that the Georgian police and Russian forces were in charge of Gori together. He also said that Russian troops would begin leaving Gori in two days.WEB,www.redorbit.com/news/general/1522325/russian_military_will_leave_gori_in_2_days/, Russian Military Will Leave Gori in 2 Days, 14 August 2008, redOrbit, 29 March 2014,www.redorbit.com/news/general/1522325/russian_military_will_leave_gori_in_2_days/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140330021516www.redorbit.com/news/general/1522325/russian_military_will_leave_gori_in_2_days/,">web.archive.org/web/20140330021516www.redorbit.com/news/general/1522325/russian_military_will_leave_gori_in_2_days/, 30 March 2014, dead, WEB,interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=27186, ru:ÐŸÐ¾ÐºÐ¸Ð´Ð°Ñ Ð“Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸, 14 August 2008, Mariya Khristianova, Interfax, ru,www.interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=27186," title="web.archive.org/web/20080814174250www.interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=27186,">web.archive.org/web/20080814174250www.interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=27186, 14 August 2008, dead, Combined guard efforts by the Russian Army and Georgian police in Gori soon broke down.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/world/europe/15georgia.html, The New York Times, Clifford J., Levy, Russia Vows to Support Two Enclaves, in Retort to Bush, 14 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20181214122358/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/world/europe/15georgia.html, 14 December 2018, live, dmy-all, The next day, Russian forces pushed to about {{convert|25|mi|km|order=flip}} from Tbilisi, the nearest during the war, and stopped in Igoeti at the same time as Condoleezza Rice was received by Saakashvili.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/world/europe/16armored.html, For Russian Armor, Even With Rice in Georgia, Cease-Fire Is Not a Red Light, C. J. Chivers, The New York Times, 15 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190305053700/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/world/europe/16armored.html, 5 March 2019, live, In 2014, Anatoly Khrulyov, the commander of the 58th Army, said that Russian troops had to act in accordance with operational objective and plan issued before 8 August 2008. If Khrulyov had not contacted the General Staff during the war and received new orders, the 58th Army would have taken Tbilisi.NEWS,www.kp.ru/daily/26266/3144362/, ru:Ð“ÐµÐ½ÐµÑ€Ð°Ð»-Ð»ÐµÐ¹Ñ‚ÐµÐ½Ð°Ð½Ñ‚ ÐÐ½Ð°Ñ‚Ð¾Ð»Ð¸Ð¹ Ð¥Ñ€ÑƒÐ»ÐµÐ²: ÐœÐ¾Ð¸ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹ÑÐºÐ° Ð¼Ð¾Ð³Ð»Ð¸ Ð²Ð·ÑÑ‚ÑŒ Ð¢Ð±Ð¸Ð»Ð¸ÑÐ¸, Ð½Ð¾ Ð½Ðµ Ð±Ñ‹Ð»Ð¾ Ð¿Ñ€Ð¸ÐºÐ°Ð·Ð°, Viktor Baranets, Komsomolskaya Pravda, 8 August 2014, ru, 7 August 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180807190108/https://www.kp.ru/daily/26266/3144362/, 7 August 2018, live, The humanitarian conditions in Gori by 16 August was assessed as “desperate” by the United Nations. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that following Russian takeover of Georgian areas, Georgians from Gori and the adjacent villages reported South Ossetian militias pillaging and assaulting Georgian properties as well as abducting civilians.WEB,www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/08/16/georgi19630.htm, Russia/Georgia: Militias Attack Civilians in Gori Region, Human Rights Watch, 16 August 2008, 26 April 2019,hrw.org/english/docs/2008/08/16/georgi19630.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20081109181325hrw.org/english/docs/2008/08/16/georgi19630.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20081109181325hrw.org/english/docs/2008/08/16/georgi19630.htm, 9 November 2008, live, New checkpoints were erected by the Russian forces on the Tbilisi-Gori road on 17 August. South Ossetian forces occupied Akhalgori and one fighter said that “It will be part of an independent country within the Russian Federation.” The Guardian commented that Moscow’s apparent plan to recreate Greater South Ossetia was coming to fruition.WEB,www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/18/georgia.russia1, Tanks and Katyushas bristle round isolated Tbilisi, Luke Harding, The Guardian, 18 August 2008, The Times reported from Gori on 18 August that Russian troops had reportedly told Georgian civilians fleeing South Ossetia: “Putin has given us an order that everyone must be either shot or forced to leave”.WEB,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4553499.ece, Putin has given us an order that everyone must leave or be shot, Tony Halpin, The Times, 18 August 2008,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4553499.ece," title="web.archive.org/web/20080818025716www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4553499.ece,">web.archive.org/web/20080818025716www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4553499.ece, 18 August 2008, The occupation lasted until 22 August, when Russian troops departed and Georgian police re-entered the city.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19270, Police Back in Gori, Civil.Ge, 23 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19270," title="web.archive.org/web/20170914053756www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19270,">web.archive.org/web/20170914053756www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19270, 14 September 2017, live, Georgia’s principal highway connecting east with west was now free for transit.WEB,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/world/europe/23georgia.html, Russia Pulls the Bulk of Its Forces Out of Georgia, C.J. Chivers, The New York Times, 22 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190305052345/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/world/europe/23georgia.html, 5 March 2019, live,

Abkhaz front

File:Mirazh2007.jpg|right|thumb|alt=Grey military ship with missiles|Russian guided-missile ship 12341 Mirazh (Mirage) in Sevastopol SevastopolA naval confrontation occurred between Russian and Georgian vessels on 10 August.WEB, Reuters,www.reuters.com/article/us-georgia-ossetia-boat-idUSLA56070520080810, Russian navy sinks Georgian boat: Defence ministry, 10 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/10/us-georgia-ossetia-boat-idUSLA56070520080810," title="web.archive.org/web/20150924134854www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/10/us-georgia-ossetia-boat-idUSLA56070520080810,">web.archive.org/web/20150924134854www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/10/us-georgia-ossetia-boat-idUSLA56070520080810, 24 September 2015, live, According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Russian fleet sank one Georgian ship after Georgian boats had attacked the Russian Navy ships.WEB,www.reuters.com/article/us-georgia-ossetia-boat-idUSLA56070520080810, Russian navy sinks Georgian boat: Defence ministry, 10 August 2008, Reuters, The Russian patrol ship Mirazh was probably responsible for the sinking.WEB,www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/pepm_048.pdf, The Russian Black Sea Fleet After The Georgia War, PONARS Eurasia Policy, Dmitry Gorenburg, December 2008, 26 April 2019,www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/pepm_048.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20190226033603www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/pepm_048.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20190226033603www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/pepm_048.pdf, 26 February 2019, live, The Georgian coast was blockaded by vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on 10 August.WEB,www.heritage.org/research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2017.cfm, The Russian-Georgian War: A Challenge for the U.S. and the World, Ariel Cohen, 11 August 2008, The Heritage Foundation,www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2017.cfm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090425165904www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2017.cfm,">web.archive.org/web/20090425165904www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2017.cfm, 25 April 2009, dead, This was first activity since 1945 for the Black Sea Fleet, which had probably departed from Sevastopol before full-scale hostilities between Russia and Georgia began.{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=11â€“12}}Abkhaz forces opened a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge, held by Georgia.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-georgia-abkhazia-kodori-idUSL932653720080809, Abkhaz separatists strike disputed Georgia gorge, Ilya Kachayev, Reuters, 9 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/09/us-georgia-abkhazia-kodori-idUSL932653720080809," title="web.archive.org/web/20150924134849www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/09/us-georgia-abkhazia-kodori-idUSL932653720080809,">web.archive.org/web/20150924134849www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/09/us-georgia-abkhazia-kodori-idUSL932653720080809, 24 September 2015, live, Abkhaz artillery and aircraft began a bombardment against Georgian troops in the upper Kodori Gorge on 9 August.NEWS,ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h_pFj41BrbIfhfxvfkJBbZiG3BzgD92ER6KG0, Abkhazia moves to flush out Georgian troops, Associated Press, 9 August 2008,ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h_pFj41BrbIfhfxvfkJBbZiG3BzgD92ER6KG0," title="web.archive.org/web/20080812044858ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h_pFj41BrbIfhfxvfkJBbZiG3BzgD92ER6KG0,">web.archive.org/web/20080812044858ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h_pFj41BrbIfhfxvfkJBbZiG3BzgD92ER6KG0, 12 August 2008, Three days later, a military offensive against the Kodori Gorge was officially initiated by Abkhaz separatists.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7551576.stm, Day-by-day: Georgia-Russia crisis, BBC News, 21 August 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7551576.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20100420213426news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7551576.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20100420213426news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7551576.stm, 20 April 2010, live, Abkhaz defence officer said that Georgian forces were driven out of the Kodori Gorge. Although he claimed that Russians did not participate in the battle, Russian military traffic headed for the gorge was witnessed by an Associated Press correspondent.NEWS,www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/europe/EU-Georgia-Abkhazia.php, Abkhazia says Georgian troops pushed from province, Associated Press, International Herald Tribune, 12 August 2008,www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/europe/EU-Georgia-Abkhazia.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20080813170953www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/europe/EU-Georgia-Abkhazia.php,">web.archive.org/web/20080813170953www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/europe/EU-Georgia-Abkhazia.php, 13 August 2008, Casualties were light on both sides; Abkhaz fighters accidentally killed one of their comrades, and two Georgian soldiers were also killed.WEB,de.rian.ru/safety/20080814/116039970.html, Abchasen rÃ¤umen Minen und suchen versprengte georgische Truppen im Kodori-Tal, RIA Novosti, 14 August 2008, de,de.rian.ru/safety/20080814/116039970.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080818203215de.rian.ru/safety/20080814/116039970.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080818203215de.rian.ru/safety/20080814/116039970.html, 18 August 2008, dead, About 2,000 people living in the Kodori Gorge fled.NEWS,iwpr.net/report-news/kodori-gorge-refugees-limbo, Kodori Gorge Refugees in Limbo, 22 January 2009, Irma Choladze, Institute for War and Peace Reporting,iwpr.net/report-news/kodori-gorge-refugees-limbo," title="web.archive.org/web/20141011160659iwpr.net/report-news/kodori-gorge-refugees-limbo,">web.archive.org/web/20141011160659iwpr.net/report-news/kodori-gorge-refugees-limbo, 11 October 2014, dead, Russian forces advanced into western Georgia from Abkhazia on 11 August. This marked the opening of another front. Russian troops captured the police buildings in Zugdidi in spite of earlier Russian official claims of not intending to expand assault to Georgia proper.NEWS, Christopher Torchia, David Nowak, Associated Press, Russia opens new front, drives deeper into Georgia,ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hV2N6fVKS5slf10A13Dj_uIdaZ4QD92GE8780, 11 August 2008,ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hV2N6fVKS5slf10A13Dj_uIdaZ4QD92GE8780," title="web.archive.org/web/20080814211308ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hV2N6fVKS5slf10A13Dj_uIdaZ4QD92GE8780,">web.archive.org/web/20080814211308ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hV2N6fVKS5slf10A13Dj_uIdaZ4QD92GE8780, 14 August 2008, Russian forces arrived in the town of Senaki that day and took a military base there.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/world/europe/12georgia.html, The New York Times, Michael, Schwirtz, Anne, Barnard, Andrew E., Kramer, Russian Forces Capture Military Base in Georgia, 11 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/world/europe/12georgia.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170622164150www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/world/europe/12georgia.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170622164150www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/world/europe/12georgia.html, 22 June 2017, live, dmy-all,

Occupation of Poti

Poti is the crucial seaport of Georgia on the Black Sea and serves as an essential entrance for Transcaucasia and the landlocked Central Asia. Russian aircraft attacked the town of Poti on 8 August, causing a two-day shutdown of the seaport. Russia positioned ships in the vicinity of Poti and other Georgian ports on 10 August 2008. The next day, Georgian and Russian representatives said that Russian troops were in Poti. However, Russia claimed it had only sent a task force for surveying the area.NEWS,afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUUsgEPwTubPAlJ3ghTGWns_7hvw, Russia moves into Georgian territory as conflict worsens, Agence France-Presse, 11 August 2008,afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUUsgEPwTubPAlJ3ghTGWns_7hvw," title="web.archive.org/web/20080817005523afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUUsgEPwTubPAlJ3ghTGWns_7hvw,">web.archive.org/web/20080817005523afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUUsgEPwTubPAlJ3ghTGWns_7hvw, 17 August 2008, On 13 August, six Georgian watercraft were sunk by Russian troops in Poti.WEB,english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/08/2008813153517926662.html, Russian forces sink Georgian ships, Al Jazeera, 14 August 2008,www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2008/08/2008813153517926662.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20140322052521www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2008/08/2008813153517926662.html,">web.archive.org/web/20140322052521www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2008/08/2008813153517926662.html, 22 March 2014, Anatoliy Nogovitsyn, Russian deputy chief of the General staff, denied the Russian presence in Poti the following day.WEB,www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLE12620920080814, Russian tanks in Georgia’s Poti: witnesses, Reuters, 14 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLE12620920080814," title="web.archive.org/web/20090714014905www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLE12620920080814,">web.archive.org/web/20090714014905www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLE12620920080814, 14 July 2009, live, dmy-all, One day after Russia’s declaration of the beginning of the withdrawal from Georgia, 70 Russian soldiers moved into the seaport on the morning of 19 August. Russian soldiers took twenty-one Georgian troops prisoner and grabbed five US Humvees in Poti, taking them to a Russian-occupied military base in Senaki.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/world/europe/20georgia.html, The New York Times, Michael, Schwirtz, Ellen, Barry, Russia Sends Mixed Signs on Pullout From Georgia, 19 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/world/europe/20georgia.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120810065028www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/world/europe/20georgia.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120810065028www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/world/europe/20georgia.html, 10 August 2012, live, dmy-all, The Wall Street Journal said that Russian actions in Poti constituted an additional attack on the Georgian economy.WEB,www.wsj.com/articles/SB121913118324652571, Russia Briefly Seizes Georgian Port, Guy Chazan, The Wall Street Journal, 19 August 2008, 8 August 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170707194001/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121913118324652571, 7 July 2017, live, The Russian military plundered and damaged properties during their presence in Poti, even ransacking toilets.WEB,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2614559/Russian-troops-accused-of-selling-loot-from-Georgia.html, Georgia conflict: Russian troops accused of selling loot, Adrian Blomfield, The Telegraph, 24 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20181105221014/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2614559/Russian-troops-accused-of-selling-loot-from-Georgia.html, 5 November 2018, live, Damaged furniture, partially documents and stationery strewn across the offices of the harbourmaster and the coastguard headquarters bore testament to frenzied looting. Computers had been prized from their sockets, patches of dirt on kitchen walls showed where fridges once stood and office doors had large holes in them., MAGAZINE,www.weeklystandard.com/reuben-f-johnson/tennis-shoes-and-stolen-toilets, Tennis Shoes and Stolen Toilets, Reuben F. Johnson, The Weekly Standard, 24 November 2008, Russian troops stole everything they could lay hands onâ€”particularly from the Georgian army facilities they overran. Uniforms, beds, U.S.-supplied Humvees, and toilets were even pulled off the walls by Russian forces., 3 May 2019, 14 January 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190114020142/https://www.weeklystandard.com/reuben-f-johnson/tennis-shoes-and-stolen-toilets, dead,

Bombing of Tbilisi and surroundings

During the fighting in South Ossetia, the Russian Air Force repeatedly attacked Tbilisi and its surrounding areas.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/idUSL896183, Russian bombing kills 3 at Georgian airbase-Georgia, Reuters, 8 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/08/idUSL896183," title="web.archive.org/web/20150924134840www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/08/idUSL896183,">web.archive.org/web/20150924134840www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/08/idUSL896183, 24 September 2015, live, On 8 August, the Georgian Interior Ministry reported that Vaziani Military Base near the city was hit by two bombs.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18965, Georgia Says Russian Jet Bombed Vaziani Base, Civil.Ge, 8 August 2008, 14 September 2010,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18965," title="web.archive.org/web/20110607100143www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18965,">web.archive.org/web/20110607100143www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18965, 7 June 2011, live, Prior to the war, the bombed base near Tbilisi had housed the Russian military before the government of Georgia forced their withdrawal. The Daily Telegraph described this bombing as “Russia’s revenge”.NEWS, Adrian, Blomfield, Georgia conflict: Roar of war as jets fill the air,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2525094/Georgia-conflict-Roar-of-war-as-jets-fill-the-air.html, The Telegraph, 8 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190409233121/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2525094/Georgia-conflict-Roar-of-war-as-jets-fill-the-air.html, 9 April 2019, live, A Georgian military airstrip in Marneuli was attacked and three persons were killed.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18967, MIA: Three Die in Marneuli Airfield Bombing, Civil.Ge, 8 August 2008, 14 September 2010,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18967," title="web.archive.org/web/20110607100147www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18967,">web.archive.org/web/20110607100147www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=18967, 7 June 2011, live, The Georgian government vacated their offices on 9 August.NEWS,edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html, Fighting with Russia spreads to cities across Georgia, CNN, 8 August 2008,edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080822201301edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080822201301edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html, 22 August 2008, dead, Georgian authorities reported on 9 August that Russian air attacks had targeted the Bakuâ€“Tbilisiâ€“Ceyhan pipeline, but missed. Reporters for Reuters in Tbilisi reported hearing three explosions in the early-morning hours of 10 August and a Georgian Interior Ministry representative said that three bombs were dropped on Tbilisi International Airport by Russian warplanes.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/idUSLA407438, Reuters, Russia bombs Tbilisi airport, says official, 9 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190217055327/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLA407438, 17 February 2019, live, dmy-all, A military manufacturing plant near the airport was also attacked by Russia that day.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLA548281, Tbilisi civilian airport hit in Russian air strike, Reuters, 10 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20171107030246/https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLA548281, 7 November 2017, live, A civilian radar station in Tbilisi was bombed the following day. Although an end to hostilities was declared on 12 August, Russian warplanes did not stop dropping bombs in Georgia throughout 12 August.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/world/europe/13georgia.html, Russia, in Accord With Georgians, Sets Withdrawal, The New York Times, 12 August 2008, Andrew E., Kramer, Ellen, Barry, 26 April 2019,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/world/europe/13georgia.html?_r=4&," title="web.archive.org/web/20121109164834www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/world/europe/13georgia.html?_r=4&,">web.archive.org/web/20121109164834www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/world/europe/13georgia.html?_r=4&, 9 November 2012, live, The Wall Street Journal reported on 14 August that a reporter had witnessed 45 craters near the intersection of Bakuâ€“Tbilisiâ€“Ceyhan pipeline and Bakuâ€“Supsa Pipeline south of Tbilisi.WEB,www.wsj.com/articles/SB121866234961938253, Raids Suggest Russia Targeted Energy Pipelines, Guy Chazan, The Wall Street Journal, 14 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190306053613/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121866234961938253, 6 March 2019, live,

Media and cyber war

The war was accompanied by a media battle between Russia and Georgia.WEB, Matthew Collin,www.aljazeera.com/focus/2008/11/20081122163930714458.html, Media war flares over S Ossetia, Al Jazeera, 24 November 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190415085148/https://www.aljazeera.com/focus/2008/11/20081122163930714458.html, 15 April 2019, live, The Russian military took Russian journalists to the combat zone to report news discrediting Georgia and portraying Russia as the saviour of Russian citizens in the conflict zone. Russia also aired records on TV supporting its actions which had a strong effect on the local populations of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. For the first time, a Russian Armed Forces spokesman was provided by the Russian authorities to give TV interviews about the war. Despite these tactics and domestic success, the Russian information operation against Georgia was not successful internationally.{{sfn|Donovan|2009|p=21}} In response to the information war, the Georgian government halted the broadcasting of Russian television channels in Georgia and blocked access to Russian websites.WEB,www.interfax.ru/print.asp?sec=1448&id=40620, ru:Ð ÑƒÐ½ÐµÑ‚ Ð²ÐµÑ€Ð½ÑƒÐ»ÑÑ Ð² Ð“Ñ€ÑƒÐ·Ð¸ÑŽ, Interfax, 21 October 2008, ru, 2 July 2009,www.interfax.ru/print.asp?sec=1448&id=40620," title="web.archive.org/web/20101201135551www.interfax.ru/print.asp?sec=1448&id=40620,">web.archive.org/web/20101201135551www.interfax.ru/print.asp?sec=1448&id=40620, 1 December 2010, live, The information skirmishes between Georgia and Russia continued after armed hostilities had ended. According to political scientist Svante Cornell, the Kremlin spent millions in an international information campaign to blame Georgia for the war; however, there is evidence, including some in Russian media, that Russia actually started the war.{{sfn|Laaneots|2016|pp=56â€“57}}NEWS,www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jun/17/russia-georgia-obama, The Guardian, Svante Cornell, Georgia feels Russia’s heavy hand, 17 June 2009, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190224104022/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jun/17/russia-georgia-obama, 24 February 2019, live, dmy-all, During the war, hackers attacked Georgian government and news websites and disabled host servers.NEWS, Asher Moses, Georgian websites forced offline in ‘cyber war’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 August 2008,www.smh.com.au/news/technology/georgian-websites-forced-offline/2008/08/12/1218306848654.html, 31 August 2008,www.smh.com.au/news/technology/georgian-websites-forced-offline/2008/08/12/1218306848654.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080914040639www.smh.com.au/news/technology/georgian-websites-forced-offline/2008/08/12/1218306848654.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080914040639www.smh.com.au/news/technology/georgian-websites-forced-offline/2008/08/12/1218306848654.html, 14 September 2008, live, Some Russian news websites were also attacked.WEB,en.rian.ru/russia/20080810/115936419.html, RIA Novosti hit by cyber-attacks as conflict with Georgia rages, RIA Novosti, 10 August 2008, 11 August 2008,www.en.rian.ru/russia/20080810/115936419.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080812050039www.en.rian.ru/russia/20080810/115936419.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080812050039www.en.rian.ru/russia/20080810/115936419.html, 12 August 2008, live, Some experts noted this as the first time in history that a notable cyberattack and an actual military engagement happened at the same time.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/technology/13cyber.html, Before the Gunfire, Cyberattacks, The New York Times, John, Markoff, 12 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190330172829/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/technology/13cyber.html, 30 March 2019, live,

{{anchor|Six-point peace plan}}Ceasefire agreement

File:Medvedev-Sarkozy.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Two men standing at podiums|Joint press conference by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas SarkozyOn 12 August, Russian President Medvedev announced the cessation of the “peace enforcement” operation in Georgia.NEWS,en.rian.ru/russia/20080812/115978044.html, Russia’s president says operation in Georgia over, 12 August 2008, RIA Novosti, 26 April 2019,en.rian.ru/russia/20080812/115978044.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130823163834en.rian.ru/russia/20080812/115978044.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130823163834en.rian.ru/russia/20080812/115978044.html, 23 August 2013, live, Later that day he met French President Nicolas Sarkozy (who held the rotating EU Council presidency) and approved a six-point proposal.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19069, Russia Endorses Six-Point Plan, Civil.Ge, 12 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19069," title="wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080812233838www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19069,">wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080812233838www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19069, 12 August 2008, live, The proposal originally had four points, but Russia firmly requested to add two more. Georgia requested that the additions be parenthesised; Russia objected and Sarkozy prevailed upon Saakashvili to accept the agreement.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/world/europe/14document.html, Peace Plan Offers Russia a Rationale to Advance, The New York Times, Andrew E., Kramer, 13 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20181223200056/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/world/europe/14document.html, 23 December 2018, live, The translation of the six points {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080814005732graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/world/2008/08/20080813_GEORGIA_ACCORD.pdf |date=14 August 2008 }} is by the Times. According to Sarkozy and Saakashvili, a sixth point in the Sarkozy proposal was removed with Medvedev’s consent.NEWS, Georgia and Russia agree on truce,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7557457.stm, BBC News, 13 August 2008, 12 August 2008,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7557457.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080812233939news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7557457.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20080812233939news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7557457.stm, 12 August 2008, live, On 14 August, South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity and Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh also endorsed the plan.WEB,www.kremlin.ru/eng/text/news/2008/08/205312.shtml, President of Russia, The Kremlin, 14 August 2008,www.kremlin.ru/eng/text/news/2008/08/205312.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20090505130109www.kremlin.ru/eng/text/news/2008/08/205312.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20090505130109www.kremlin.ru/eng/text/news/2008/08/205312.shtml, 5 May 2009, dead, The following day Condoleezza Rice travelled to Tbilisi, where Saakashvili signed the document in her presence.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSLF7284720080815, Russian convoy moves deeper inside Georgia: witness, Reuters, 15 August 2008, James, Kilner, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSLF7284720080815," title="web.archive.org/web/20090110150110www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSLF7284720080815,">web.archive.org/web/20090110150110www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSLF7284720080815, 10 January 2009, live, On 16 August, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the agreement.WEB,archive.kremlin.ru/eng/text/news/2008/08/205406.shtml, President Medvedev signed a plan to resolve the Georgian-South Ossetia conflict, based on the six principles previously agreed on., 16 August 2008, The Kremlin,archive.kremlin.ru/eng/text/news/2008/08/205406.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20120729135328archive.kremlin.ru/eng/text/news/2008/08/205406.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20120729135328archive.kremlin.ru/eng/text/news/2008/08/205406.shtml, 29 July 2012, dead, The plan embodied the following statutes (dismissed additions are parenthesised):{{Blockquote|

No recourse to the use of force
Definitive cessation of hostilities
Free access to humanitarian aid (and to allow the return of refugees)
Georgian military forces must withdraw to their normal bases of encampment
Russian military forces must withdraw to the lines prior to the start of hostilities. While awaiting an international mechanism, Russian peacekeeping forces will implement additional security measures (six months)
Opening of international discussions on the modalities of lasting security in Abkhazia and South Ossetia (based on the decisions of the U.N. and the OSCE)}}

After the ceasefire was signed, hostilities did not immediately end.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=219}} Noting that civilians were fleeing before advancing Russian armour, troops and mercenaries, a reporter for The Guardian wrote on 13 August that “the idea there is a ceasefire is ridiculous”.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/13/georgia.russia6, The Guardian, Luke, Harding, James, Meikle, Georgian villages burned and looted as Russian tanks advance, 13 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180927184208/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/13/georgia.russia6, 27 September 2018, live, dmy-all,

Aftermath

{{See also|Occupied territories of Georgia|Geneva International Discussions}}(File:Russian Military Base in Java 02.jpg|thumb|Russian forces stayed in South Ossetia after the conflict, including at the Java base (pictured))

Russian withdrawal

On 17 August, Medvedev announced that Russian military would start to pull out of Georgia the following day.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/17/AR2008081700294.html, Bush, European Leaders Urge Quick Withdrawal From Georgia, The Washington Post, 18 August 2008, Fredrick, Kunkle, 26 April 2019,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/17/AR2008081700294.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170630060906www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/17/AR2008081700294.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170630060906www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/17/AR2008081700294.html, 30 June 2017, live, Prisoners of war were swapped by the two countries on 19 August. A Georgian official said that although his country swapped five Russian soldiers for fifteen Georgians, among them two non-combatants, Georgia suspected that Russia kept two more Georgians.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLJ34288420080819?sp=true, Russian, Georgian forces exchange prisoners, Reuters, 19 August 2008, Margarita Antidze, Matt Robinson, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLJ34288420080819?sp=true," title="web.archive.org/web/20090505082951www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLJ34288420080819?sp=true,">web.archive.org/web/20090505082951www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLJ34288420080819?sp=true, 5 May 2009, live, On 22 August, Russian forces withdrew from Igoeti and the Georgian police proceeded in the direction of Gori.NEWS,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4589586.ece, The Times, Tony, Halpin, Russian troops in partial pullout keeping checkpoints within Georgia, 23 August 2008,www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4589586.ece," title="web.archive.org/web/20080827213127www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4589586.ece,">web.archive.org/web/20080827213127www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4589586.ece, 27 August 2008, dead, dmy-all, Russia claimed that withdrawal of Russian forces was finished; however, Russian checkpoints stayed near Gori and two Russian lookout stations stayed near Poti.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/world/europe/24georgia.html, The New York Times, Michael, Schwirtz, Georgia Prepares for Refugees; Russians Declare Pullback Finished, 23 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190305052137/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/world/europe/24georgia.html, 5 March 2019, live, dmy-all, On 8 September, Sarkozy and Medvedev signed another agreement on a Russian pullback from Georgia. After meeting with the French president, Medvedev said the withdrawal depended on assurances that Georgia would not use force;NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19435, New Agreement in Force, Civil.Ge, 8 September 2008, 4 April 2014,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19435," title="web.archive.org/web/20140407074734www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19435,">web.archive.org/web/20140407074734www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19435, 7 April 2014, live, Russian forces would withdraw “from the zones adjacent to South Ossetia and Abkhazia to the line preceding the start of hostilities”. However, a military withdrawal from South Ossetia and Abkhazia was not proclaimed.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7604376.stm, Russians ‘agree Georgia deadline’, BBC News, 8 September 2008, 4 April 2014,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7604376.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20140407101053news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7604376.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20140407101053news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7604376.stm, 7 April 2014, live, On 13 September, Russian troops began withdrawing from western Georgia and by 11:00 Moscow Time, the posts near Poti were abandoned. Withdrawals from Senaki and Khobi also took place.WEB, Interfax,www.interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=32544, ru:Ð’Ñ‹Ð²Ð¾Ð´ Ð²Ð¾Ð¹ÑÐº, 13 September 2008, ru, 26 April 2019,www.interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=32544," title="web.archive.org/web/20150715054937www.interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=32544,">web.archive.org/web/20150715054937www.interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=32544, 15 July 2015, live, Russian forces pulled back from the buffer areas bordering Abkhazia and South Ossetia on 8 October 2008 and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia would now oversee the areas.NEWS,en.rian.ru/world/20081009/117637460.html, Russia hands over control of Georgian buffer zones to EU, RIA Novosti, 9 October 2008, 10 October 2008,en.rian.ru/world/20081009/117637460.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20081012093601en.rian.ru/world/20081009/117637460.html,">web.archive.org/web/20081012093601en.rian.ru/world/20081009/117637460.html, 12 October 2008, live, Russia continued to maintain a single station in the border village of Perevi. On 12 December 2008, Russian forces withdrew; eight hours later they re-entered the village and Georgian police withdrew after the Russians warned they would fire.WEB,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=20131, MIA: Russia’s Moves in Perevi Aim at ‘Renewal of Military Confrontation’, Civil.Ge, 13 December 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=20131," title="web.archive.org/web/20170914053645www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=20131,">web.archive.org/web/20170914053645www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=20131, 14 September 2017, live, Russian forces then set up three stations in the village. On 18 October 2010, all Russian forces in Perevi withdrew to South Ossetia and Georgian soldiers entered.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11570787, BBC News, Russian troops withdraw from Georgian town, 19 October 2010, On 9 September 2008, Russia announced that Russian forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia would remain under bilateral agreements with their respective de facto governments. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a Russian deployment in Abkhazia and South Ossetia would prove decisive in preventing Georgia from recovering territories.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/09/georgia.russia, The Guardian, Luke, Harding, Jenny, Percival, Russian troops to stay in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, 9 September 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20181019182443/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/09/georgia.russia, 19 October 2018, live, dmy-all, Georgia considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia Russian-occupied territories.NEWS,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19330, Abkhazia, S.Ossetia Formally Declared Occupied Territory, Civil.Ge, 28 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19330," title="web.archive.org/web/20080903230132www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19330,">web.archive.org/web/20080903230132www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19330, 3 September 2008, live, In November 2011, the European Parliament passed a resolution acknowledging Abkhazia and South Ossetia as occupied Georgian territories.WEB,www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-0514, European Parliament resolution of 17 November 2011 containing the European Parliament’s recommendations to the Council, the Commission and the EEAS on the negotiations of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement (2011/2133(INI)), European Parliament, 17 November 2011, 26 April 2019,www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-0514," title="web.archive.org/web/20150805173606www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-0514,">web.archive.org/web/20150805173606www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-0514, 5 August 2015, live, dmy-all,

{{anchor|Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by the Russian Federation}}Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Russia

File:Dmitry Medvedev 17 September 2008-1.jpg|thumb|right|Sergey Bagapsh (left), Dmitry Medvedev (middle) and Eduard Kokoity Eduard KokoityOn 25 August 2008, the Russian parliament passed a motion, with no one voting against. The motion called for the diplomatic recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by President Medvedev.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7580386.stm, BBC News, Russian MPs back Georgia’s rebels, 25 August 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7580386.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20190401170947news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7580386.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20190401170947news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7580386.stm, 1 April 2019, live, dmy-all, On 26 August, Medvedev issued orders recognising the two states,WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/26/russia.georgia1, Russia defies west by recognising Georgian rebel regions, Mark Tran, The Guardian, 26 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180927183827/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/26/russia.georgia1, 27 September 2018, live, saying that recognising the independence of the two entities “represents the only possibility to save human lives.“The recognition by Russia was condemned by the United States, France, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the OSCE chairman, NATO and the G7 on the grounds that it violated Georgia’s territorial integrity, United Nations Security Council resolutions and the ceasefire agreement.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7583164.stm, West condemns Russia over Georgia, BBC News, 26 August 2008, 26 August 2008,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7583164.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20100420213422news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7583164.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20100420213422news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7583164.stm, 20 April 2010, live, WEB,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19300, CoE, PACE Chairs Condemn Russia’s Move, Civil.Ge, 26 August 2008, 26 August 2008,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19300," title="web.archive.org/web/20110607101230www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19300,">web.archive.org/web/20110607101230www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19300, 7 June 2011, live, WEB,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19296, OSCE Chair Condemns Russia’s Recognition of Abkhazia, S.Ossetia, Civil.Ge, 26 August 2008, 26 August 2008,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19296," title="web.archive.org/web/20110607105557www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19296,">web.archive.org/web/20110607105557www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19296, 7 June 2011, live, WEB,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19301, Scheffer ‘Rejects’ Russia’s Move, Civil.Ge, 26 August 2008, 26 August 2008,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19301," title="web.archive.org/web/20110607104542www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19301,">web.archive.org/web/20110607104542www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=19301, 7 June 2011, live, WEB,www.glocom.org/debates/20080828_okumura_emergence/index.html, The Emergence of an Expanded Forum to Replace the G8: The Silver Lining to the Cloud over Russia and the West, Jun Okumura, GLOCOM Platform, 29 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.glocom.org/debates/20080828_okumura_emergence/index.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20181003062102www.glocom.org/debates/20080828_okumura_emergence/index.html,">web.archive.org/web/20181003062102www.glocom.org/debates/20080828_okumura_emergence/index.html, 3 October 2018, live, In response to Russia’s action, the Georgian government severed diplomatic relations with Russia.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7588428.stm, Georgia breaks ties with Russia, BBC News, 29 August 2008, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7588428.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20141006073511news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7588428.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20141006073511news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7588428.stm, 6 October 2014, live, Russia sought approval for its recognition from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. However, because of anxiety about secessionist areas in SCO states, especially in China, the organisation did not endorse recognition.WEB, Niklas SwanstrÃ¶m,www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node/4930, Georgia: The split that split the SCO, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Analyst, 3 September 2008,www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node%2F4930," title="web.archive.org/web/20080912175233www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node%2F4930,">web.archive.org/web/20080912175233www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node%2F4930, 12 September 2008, live, 30 December 2017,

Russian military presence

A direct result of the war has been the increased and emboldened Russian military presence in both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. While Russian armed forces were present in both regions before the outbreak of the war, in the capacity of peacekeeping forces since the civil wars in the 1990s, this was limited to 500 servicemen in South Ossetia (JPKF) and 1,600 in Abkhazia (CISPKF),WEB,peaceoperationsreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2007_annual_review.pdf, Global Peace Operations â€“ Annual Review of 2007, New York University Center on International Cooperation (CIC), Lynn Reinner Publishers, 2007, 29 December 2021, 98â€“99 (4.1), 136â€“137 (4.16), 19 January 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220119044824/https://peaceoperationsreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2007_annual_review.pdf, dead, with the latter being expanded to over 2,000 in the months leading to the 2008 war.WEB,www.france24.com/en/20080501-extra-russian-troops-arrive-abkhazia-russia-georgia, Extra Russian troops arrive in Abkhazia, France24, 1 May 2008, 29 December 2021, With these mechanisms becoming obsolete after the 2008 war, the Russian recognition of the independence of both regions was a prerequisite to legitimise the post-war stay of Russian armed forces with the conclusion of “bilateral” military cooperation and integration agreements with the newly recognised “states”.BOOK, Nikoloz Samkharadze, Russia’s Recognition of the Independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, 2021, Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society (SPPS), ibidem Press, 978-3-8382-1414-6, 184,cup.columbia.edu/book/russias-recognition-of-the-independence-of-abkhazia-and-south-ossetia/9783838214146, From 2009 onwards, the Russian Federation expanded existing military infrastructure in both regions. First the 4th Guards Military Base in South OssetiaWEB,vestikavkaza.ru/news/Glavkom-Sukhoputnykh-voysk-Rossii-pribyl-s-rabochim-vizitom-v-YUzhnuyu-Osetiyu.html, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of Russia arrived on a working visit to South Ossetia, Vesti Kavkaza, ru, 11 July 2012, 28 December 2021, and the 7th Military Base in Abkhazia were established, formalised in an agreement valid for 49 years.WEB,rg.ru/2011/09/29/bazy.html, Bases for 49 years â€“ Federation Council ratified agreements on military bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russian Gazette, ru, 29 September 2011, 28 December 2021, Then, Russia started the construction of border guard bases under the command of the Russian FSB Border Guard Service to demarcate and “protect the state border” of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In total more than 30 of these so called “militarized border guard bases“WEB,www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/EUR5605812019ENGLISH.pdf, Behind barbed wire: Human rights toll of “borderization” in Georgia, 14, Amnesty International, en, July 2019, 28 December 2021, have been constructed near the boundary line of both regions with Tbilisi controlled Georgia.WEB,www.interfax-russia.ru/south-and-north-caucasus/news/pogranichniki-zavershili-obustroystvo-granicy-v-yuzhnoy-osetii, Border guards completed the arrangement of the border in South Ossetia, Interfax Russia, ru, 12 July 2012, 28 December 2021, WEB,eumm.eu/data/file/6486/The_EUMM_Monitor_issue_7_ENG.pdf, EUMM Monitor Bulletin #7 October 2018, EUMM Georgia, en, October 2018, 28 December 2021, In each region an estimated 3,500 Russian military servicemen and around 1,500 FSB personnel are deployed.WEB,www.rulac.org/browse/conflicts/military-occupation-of-georgia-by-russia#collapse2accord, Military occupation of Georgia by Russia, Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts project (RULAC) of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, en, 22 February 2021, 28 December 2021, BOOK, Thomas de Waal, Nikolaus von Twickel, Beyond Frozen Conflict, 2020, CEPS, Rowman & Littlefield International, London, 978-1-5381-4418-3, 196,www.ceps.eu/ceps-publications/beyond-frozen-conflict/, pdf, BOOK, The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), The Military Balance. The Annual Assessment of Global Military Capabilities and Defence Economics, 2018, Routledge, 978-1-85743-955-7, 224, Georgia considers the two regions occupied by Russia.

International monitors

The mandate of the OSCE mission in Georgia expired on 1 January 2009, after Russia refused to support its continuation. OSCE monitors had been denied access to South Ossetia since the war.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/22/georgia-osce-mission-closes, The Guardian, Tom, Parfitt, Security and human rights observers to close South Ossetia mission, 22 December 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180927183512/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/22/georgia-osce-mission-closes, 27 September 2018, live, dmy-all, The mandate of the UNOMIG ended on 16 June 2009; its extension was also blocked by Russia, which argued that the mandate did not properly reflect Russia’s position on recognition of Abkhazia’s independence. According to UN mission head Johan Verbeke, about 60,000 ethnic Georgians in Abkhazia became vulnerable after the mission’s end.NEWS, Matt Robinson,www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE55F35820090616, Georgia angry after Russia vetoes U.N. monitors, Reuters, 16 June 2009, Since October 2008 the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) monitors the Administrative Boundary Lines of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Although the mission is mandated to operate in the entire territory of Georgia, it is not admitted into South Ossetia and Abkhazia by the local de facto authorities. Besides monitoring the mission is also involved in confidence building and incident mediation by providing an incident hotline.WEB,www.eumm.eu/en/about_eumm/mandate, EUMM â€“ Our Mandate, 28 December 2021, EUMM Georgia, As of December 2021, 220 EUMM monitors from 26 EU member states operate in Georgia based in 3 Field Offices and the Tbilisi Headquarters, while 2 support staff operate from Brussels.WEB,www.eumm.eu/en/about_eumm/facts_and_figures, EUMM Mission Facts And Figures, 28 December 2021,

Geopolitical impact

File:Baku pipelines.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|alt=Multi-coloured regional map|BTC pipeline (green) and planned Nabucco gas pipeline (tangerine)]]The 2008 war was the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union that the Russian military had been used against an independent state, demonstrating Russia’s willingness to use military force to attain its political objectives.WEB,www.icds.ee/publications/article/the-russian-bear-on-the-warpath-against-georgia/, The Russian Bear on the Warpath Against Georgia, Kaarel Kaas, International Centre for Defense Studies, 2009, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20170629170100/https://www.icds.ee/publications/article/the-russian-bear-on-the-warpath-against-georgia/, 29 June 2017, dead, Robert Kagan argued that “Historians will come to view Aug. 8, 2008, as a turning point” because it “marked the official return of history”.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/10/AR2008081001871.html, Putin Makes His Move, Robert Kagan, The Washington Post, 11 August 2008, The failure of the Western security organisations to react swiftly to Russia’s attempt to violently revise the borders of an OSCE country revealed its deficiencies. The division between Western European and Eastern European states also became apparent over the relationship with Russia. Ukraine and other ex-Soviet countries received a clear message from the Russian leadership that the possible accession to NATO would cause a foreign incursion and the break-up of the country. Effective takeover of Abkhazia was also one of Russia’s geopolitical goals.{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=viiâ€“viii}}The war in Georgia showed Russia’s assertiveness in revising international relations and undermining the hegemony of the United States. Shortly after the war, Russian president Medvedev unveiled a five-point Russian foreign policy. The Medvedev Doctrine stated that “protecting the lives and dignity of our citizens, wherever they may be, is an unquestionable priority for our country”. The presence of Russian citizens in foreign countries would form a doctrinal foundation for invasion. Medvedev’s statement on the existence of territories with Russian “privileged interests” attached to them underlined Russia’s particular stake in the post-Soviet states and the fact that Russia would feel endangered by subversion of local Russia-friendly administrations.WEB,www.stratfor.com/weekly/medvedev_doctrine_and_american_strategy, The Medvedev Doctrine and American Strategy, George Friedman, 2 September 2008, Stratfor Global Intelligence, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20170624144150/https://www.stratfor.com/weekly/medvedev_doctrine_and_american_strategy, 24 June 2017, live, The war also affected Georgia’s ongoing and future memberships in international organisations. On 12 August 2008 the country proclaimed that it would quit the Commonwealth of Independent States, which it held responsible for not avoiding the war. Its departure became effective in August 2009.WEB,www.rferl.org/content/Georgia_Finalizes_Withdrawal_From_CIS/1802284.html, Georgia Finalizes Withdrawal From CIS, RFE/RL, 18 August 2009, 26 April 2019,www.rferl.org/content/Georgia_Finalizes_Withdrawal_From_CIS/1802284.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160115123131www.rferl.org/content/Georgia_Finalizes_Withdrawal_From_CIS/1802284.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160115123131www.rferl.org/content/Georgia_Finalizes_Withdrawal_From_CIS/1802284.html, 15 January 2016, live, The war hindered Georgia’s prospects for joining NATO for the foreseeable future.JOURNAL,cddrl.stanford.edu/publications/the_russogeorgian_war_and_beyond_towards_a_european_great_power_concert/, The Russo-Georgian war and beyond: towards a European great power concert, Henrik Larsen, European Security, 21, 1, 102â€“121, March 2012, 10.1080/09662839.2012.656595, 10419/44636, 11475975, 15 June 2014,cddrl.stanford.edu/publications/the_russogeorgian_war_and_beyond_towards_a_european_great_power_concert/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140714212838cddrl.stanford.edu/publications/the_russogeorgian_war_and_beyond_towards_a_european_great_power_concert/,">web.archive.org/web/20140714212838cddrl.stanford.edu/publications/the_russogeorgian_war_and_beyond_towards_a_european_great_power_concert/, 14 July 2014, live, free, Medvedev stated in November 2011 that NATO would have accepted former Soviet republics if Russia had not attacked Georgia. “If you ... had faltered back in 2008, the geopolitical situation would be different now,” Medvedev told the officers of a Vladikavkaz military base.NEWS,in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-60645720111121, Russia says Georgia war stopped NATO expansion, Reuters, Denis Dyomkin, 21 November 2011, 26 April 2019,in.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/idINIndia-60645720111121," title="web.archive.org/web/20151109093824in.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/idINIndia-60645720111121,">web.archive.org/web/20151109093824in.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/idINIndia-60645720111121, 9 November 2015, live, According to academic Martin Malek, western countries did not feel it was necessary to aggravate tensions with Russia over “tiny and insignificant” Georgia. He wrote in the Caucasian Review of International Affairs that Western policy makers did not want to alienate Russia because its support was necessary to solve “international problems”.JOURNAL,www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?ots591=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&lng=en&id=103195, Georgia & Russia: The ‘Unknown’ Prelude to the ‘Five Day War’, Martin Malek, Caucasian Review of International Affairs, 3, 2, 227â€“232, March 2009, 15 June 2014,www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?ots591=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&lng=en&id=103195," title="web.archive.org/web/20140615135321www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?ots591=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&lng=en&id=103195,">web.archive.org/web/20140615135321www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?ots591=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&lng=en&id=103195, 15 June 2014, live, The May 2015 report by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament stated that “the reaction of the EU to Russia’s aggression towards, and violation of the territorial integrity of, Georgia in 2008 may have encouraged Russia to act in a similar way in Ukraine”.WEB,www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=EPTEXT+REPORT+A8-2015-0171+0+DOC+XML+VEN, REPORT on the strategic military situation in the Black Sea Basin following the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia (2015/2036(INI)), Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament, 21 May 2015, 26 April 2019, https:web.archive.org/web/20180807190409www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FTEXT+REPORT+A8-2015-0171+0+DOC+XML+V0%2F%2FEN, 7 August 2018, live, The Russian invasion of Ukraine brought the memories of the Russo-Georgian War again into a broader geopolitical focus. In an opinion piece published in The New York Times on 6 March 2022, the incumbent Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson stated that Russia’s actions in Georgia in 2008 was one of the lessons of the past that the West has failed to learn.NEWS, Johnson, Boris, 6 March 2022, Opinion {{!, Boris Johnson: 6 Steps the West Must Take to Help Ukraine Right Now |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/06/opinion/boris-johnson-russia-putin-ukraine-war.html |access-date= |issn=0362-4331}}

Humanitarian impact and war crimes

{{See also|Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in South Ossetia}}File:Refugees from south ossetia-alagir.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Group of people, primarily women|South Ossetian refugees in a camp in Alagir, North Ossetia North OssetiaFile:Kekhvi on fire.jpg|thumb|right|alt=One-story house on fire|A burning house in the Georgian village of Kekhvi KekhviHuman Rights Watch (HRW) states that all parties to the war seriously breached international laws governing war and caused many fatalities among civilians.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7847285.stm, BBC News, S Ossetia ‘war crimes’ condemned, 23 January 2009, 11 April 2009,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7847285.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090126181431news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7847285.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20090126181431news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7847285.stm, 26 January 2009, live, dmy-all, HRW reported that no proof of intentional attacks on non-combatants by Georgian troops had been discovered.JOURNAL,www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/3, Up in Flames, Executive Summary, 23 January 2009, Human Rights Watch, 26 April 2019,www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/3," title="web.archive.org/web/20120930090455www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/3,">web.archive.org/web/20120930090455www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/3, 30 September 2012, live, The South Ossetian parliament and several schools and nurseries were used as military posts by South Ossetian troops and volunteer militias and targeted by Georgian artillery fire. Georgia stated that its strikes only intended to “neutralize firing positions from where Georgian positions were being targeted”. HRW documented witness accounts of the usage of civilian objects by South Ossetian fighters. Such usage made civilian objects permissible military aims, and HRW concluded that South Ossetian fighters put non-combatant population at risk by setting up military positions near or in civilian structures. Georgia was responsible for the indiscriminate use of force by using inaccurate weapons to target military targets in civilian areas.JOURNAL,www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/10, Up in Flames, 2.2 Indiscriminate Shelling of Tskhinvali and Outlying Villages, 23 January 2009, Human Rights Watch,www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/10," title="web.archive.org/web/20090504164619www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/10,">web.archive.org/web/20090504164619www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/10, 4 May 2009, live, Russia deliberately attacked fleeing civilians in South Ossetia and the Gori district of Georgia. Russian warplanes bombed civilian population centres in Georgia proper and villages of ethnic Georgians in South Ossetia. Armed militias engaged in looting, burning and kidnappings. Attacks by militias compelled Georgian civilians to run away.WEB,www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/08/16/georgia-international-groups-should-send-missions, Georgia: International Groups Should Send Missions, Human Rights Watch, 18 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/08/16/georgia-international-groups-should-send-missions," title="web.archive.org/web/20141021141631www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/08/16/georgia-international-groups-should-send-missions,">web.archive.org/web/20141021141631www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/08/16/georgia-international-groups-should-send-missions, 21 October 2014, live, The use of M85S cluster bombs by the Georgians and RBK 250 cluster bombs by the Russians caused fatalities among civilians. Georgia reportedly used cluster munitions twice to hit non-combatants escaping via the important Dzara road and confessed attacking Russian forces and the vicinity of the Roki Tunnel by cluster bombs.WEB,wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1338365&Site=CommDH&BackColorInternet=FEC65B&BackColorIntranet=FEC65B&BackColorLogged=FFC679#P186_27442, Human Rights in Areas Affected by the South Ossetia Conflict. Special Mission to Georgia and Russian Federation, Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe, 8 September 2008, 15 January 2009,web.archive.org/web/20091015011909/https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1338365&Site=CommDH&BackColorInternet=FEC65B&BackColorIntranet=FEC65B&BackColorLogged=FFC679#P186_27442, 15 October 2009, live, Russia denied using cluster bombs.WEB,www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/the-human-cost-of-war-in-georgia-20081001, The human cost of war in Georgia, 1 October 2008, Amnesty International,www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/the-human-cost-of-war-in-georgia-20081001," title="web.archive.org/web/20081002092949www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/the-human-cost-of-war-in-georgia-20081001,">web.archive.org/web/20081002092949www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/the-human-cost-of-war-in-georgia-20081001, 2 October 2008, dead, File:Tserovani IDPs settlement, Georgia (02).jpg|thumb|alt=Large group of small, identical homes|Tserovani, one of the villages built by the Georgian government for IDPs from the conflict zone]]HRW reported that during the war, ethnic-Georgian villages in South Ossetia were set on fire and pillaged by South Ossetian militias. This impeded the comeback of 20,000 uprooted people after the conflict.WEB,www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/11/25/russia-protect-civilians-occupied-georgia, Russia: Protect Civilians in Occupied Georgia, Human Rights Watch, 25 November 2008, 26 April 2019,www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/11/25/russia-protect-civilians-occupied-georgia," title="web.archive.org/web/20141205154916www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/11/25/russia-protect-civilians-occupied-georgia,">web.archive.org/web/20141205154916www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/11/25/russia-protect-civilians-occupied-georgia, 5 December 2014, live, According to the Memorial society, the villages of Kekhvi, Kurta, Achabeti, Tamarasheni, Eredvi, Vanati and Avnevi were “virtually fully burnt down”.WEB,www.memo.ru/2008/09/19/1909082.htm, Violations of Human Rights and Norms of Humanitarian law in the Conflict Zone in South Ossetia, Memorial (society), Memorial, 11 September 2008,www.memo.ru/2008/09/19/1909082.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090505064016www.memo.ru/2008/09/19/1909082.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20090505064016www.memo.ru/2008/09/19/1909082.htm, 5 May 2009, dead, South Ossetian president Eduard Kokoity said in an interview that Georgian villages had been demolished and no Georgian refugees would be allowed to return.NEWS,www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1011783, ru:ÐÐ´ÑƒÐ°Ñ€Ð´ ÐšÐ¾ÐºÐ¾Ð¹Ñ‚Ñ‹: Ð¼Ñ‹ Ñ‚Ð°Ð¼ Ð¿Ñ€Ð°ÐºÑ‚Ð¸Ñ‡ÐµÑÐºÐ¸ Ð²Ñ‹Ñ€Ð¾Ð²Ð½ÑÐ»Ð¸ Ð²ÑÐµ, 15 August 2008, Aleksandr Gabuev, Kommersant,kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1011783," title="web.archive.org/web/20080913031434kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1011783,">web.archive.org/web/20080913031434kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1011783, 13 September 2008, dead, ru, 13 March 2009, The Georgian civilians, who resided in the Akhalgori district and were willing to live in South Ossetia, were coerced into obtaining a Russian passport.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2651836/South-Ossetian-police-tell-Georgians-to-take-a-Russian-passport-or-leave-their-homes.html, The Telegraph, Damien, McElroy, South Ossetian police tell Georgians to take a Russian passport, or leave their homes, 30 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180406105216/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2651836/South-Ossetian-police-tell-Georgians-to-take-a-Russian-passport-or-leave-their-homes.html, 6 April 2018, live, dmy-all, The EU Commission said it was likely that during the hostilities and in the aftermath of the war, an ethnic cleansing of Georgians was committed in South Ossetia.{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=27}}Russia accused Georgia of committing “genocide” in South Ossetia. Russian authorities initially claimed that up to 2,000 ethnic Ossetian civilians of Tskhinvali were killed by Georgian forces; according to Russia, the reason for the Russian involvement in the conflict in Georgia was this large number of fatalities. Public opinion among Ossetians was impacted by claims of high casualties; according to HRW, some Ossetian civilians said in interviews that they approved of burning and pillaging of Georgian villages because of the “thousands of civilian casualties in South Ossetia” announced by Russian television. In December 2008, the figures were revised down to a total of 162 South Ossetian casualties by the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation.JOURNAL,www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/15, Up in Flames, Human Rights Watch, 2.7 The Issue of Civilian Casualties in South Ossetia, 23 January 2009, 26 April 2019,www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/15," title="web.archive.org/web/20090716153703www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/15,">web.archive.org/web/20090716153703www.hrw.org/en/node/79681/section/15, 16 July 2009, live, Georgia and South Ossetia have filed complaints about alleged war crimes committed by the other side with international courts, including the International Criminal Court,WEB, South Ossetia Floods European Rights Court With Georgia Cases,www.rferl.org/content/South_Ossetia_Floods_European_Rights_Court_With_Georgia_Cases/1294435.html, 6 October 2008, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty,www.rferl.org/content/South_Ossetia_Floods_European_Rights_Court_With_Georgia_Cases/1294435.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090808191936www.rferl.org/content/South_Ossetia_Floods_European_Rights_Court_With_Georgia_Cases/1294435.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090808191936www.rferl.org/content/South_Ossetia_Floods_European_Rights_Court_With_Georgia_Cases/1294435.html, 8 August 2009, live, the International Court of Justice,WEB, Case Concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Georgia v. Russian Federation) Order of 2 December 2008, Reports of Judgments, Advisory Opinions, and Orders, International Court of Justice,www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/140/14915.pdf,www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/140/14915.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20090306135231www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/140/14915.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20090306135231www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/140/14915.pdf, 6 March 2009, dead, and the European Court of Human Rights.NEWS, Reuters,query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E3DB1F38F934A35753C1A96E9C8B63, South Ossetians Complain to Court, The New York Times, 7 October 2008, 26 April 2019,query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E3DB1F38F934A35753C1A96E9C8B63," title="web.archive.org/web/20180105162156query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E3DB1F38F934A35753C1A96E9C8B63,">web.archive.org/web/20180105162156query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E3DB1F38F934A35753C1A96E9C8B63, 5 January 2018, live, The war displaced a 192,000 people including both Ossetians and Georgians.WEB,amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR04/005/2008/en, Civilians in the line of fire: The Georgia-Russia conflict, Amnesty International, 18 November 2008,amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR04/005/2008/en," title="web.archive.org/web/20081211075957amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR04/005/2008/en,">web.archive.org/web/20081211075957amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR04/005/2008/en, 11 December 2008, dead, Many were able to go back to their homes after the war, but a year later around 30,000 ethnic Georgians were still uprooted.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8188904.stm, Georgia marks anniversary of war, 7 August 2009, BBC News, 15 June 2014,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8188904.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20140808040149news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8188904.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20140808040149news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8188904.stm, 8 August 2014, live, As of May 2014, 20,272 persons were still displaced, with their return being blocked by de facto authorities.WEB,www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/68/868, Status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/ South Ossetia, Georgia, United Nations, 7 May 2014, 26 April 2019,www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2F68%2F868," title="web.archive.org/web/20180927195627www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2F68%2F868,">web.archive.org/web/20180927195627www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2F68%2F868, 27 September 2018, live, The International Criminal Court concluded its investigation in the Situation in Georgia in December 2022, delivering arrest warrants for three de facto South Ossetian officials believed to bear responsibility for war crimes committed during the 2008 war â€” Mikhail Mindzaev, Gamlet Guchmazov and David Sanakoev, respectively, holding the positions of Minister of Internal Affairs, head of a detention centre in Tskhinvali, and Presidential Representative for Human Rights of South Ossetia, at the relevant time. The fourth suspect, Russian general Vyacheslav Borisov, was not indicted as he had died in 2021.NEWS, Situation in Georgia: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber delivers three arrest warrants,www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-georgia-icc-pre-trial-chamber-delivers-three-arrest-warrants, 18 December 2022, International Criminal Court, 30 June 2022, en,

{{anchor|Reactions to the conflict}}Reactions

International reactions

File:Condoleezza Rice Visit to Georgia, Press Conference with Mikheil Saakashvli.JPG|thumb|right|alt=Woman and man standing in front of podiums, with flags in background|US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil SaakashviliFile:Sokhumi&McFaul-2008-Batumi.jpg|thumb|alt=Smaller military boat passing a larger one|Georgian Coast Guard patrol boat P-24 Sokhumi passes the {{USS|McFaul|DDG-74|6}} on its arrival at the port of Batumi Batumi{{See also|Protests regarding the Russo-Georgian War}}Russian actions during the war were heavily criticised by several Western countries:

Ukraine â€“ On 5 August 2008, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed its concern over recent incidents in the South Ossetian conflict zone and that the start of the conflict demonstrated ineffectiveness of the existing (Russian-dominated) peacekeeping format.WEB,regnum.ru/news/georgia/1036555.html, ru:ÐœÐ˜Ð” Ð£ÐºÑ€Ð°Ð¸Ð½Ñ‹: Ð Ð°Ð·Ð²Ð¸Ñ‚Ð¸Ðµ ÑÐ¾Ð±Ñ‹Ñ‚Ð¸Ð¹ Ð² Ð®Ð¶Ð½Ð¾Ð¹ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸Ð¸ ÑÐ²Ð¸Ð´ÐµÑ‚ÐµÐ»ÑŒÑÑ‚Ð²ÑƒÐµÑ‚ Ð¾ Ð½ÐµÑÑ„Ñ„ÐµÐºÑ‚Ð¸Ð²Ð½Ð¾ÑÑ‚Ð¸ Ð¼Ð¸Ñ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð²Ð¾Ñ€Ñ‡ÐµÑÐºÐ¾Ð³Ð¾ Ð¼ÐµÑ…Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ð·Ð¼Ð°, Regnum, 5 August 2008, ru, After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Georgia, President Viktor Yushchenko suggested that the contract between Ukraine and Russia regarding the Sevastopol naval base would not be extended in 2017. Ukrainians suspected that pro-Russian Crimea would become a cause for a possible future military incursion by Russia,NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7575813.stm, Russia’s Neighbours Go Their Own Way, 21 August 2008, Bridget Kendall, BBC News, 26 April 2019,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7575813.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20190406204127news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7575813.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20190406204127news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7575813.stm, 6 April 2019, live, which eventually did take place in 2014, in the form of an annexation of Crimea, which in 2022 escalated into a full-scale invasion of the whole territory of Ukraine.
Sweden â€“ On 8 August 2008, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt said that the crisis was due to provocations from the South Ossetian side and that Georgian forces were trying to restore the constitutional order.NEWS,www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article3059024.ab, Carl Bildt oroad Ã¶ver utvecklingen, Aftonbladet, 8 August 2008, sv, 26 April 2019,www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article3059024.ab," title="web.archive.org/web/20121009064823www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article3059024.ab,">web.archive.org/web/20121009064823www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article3059024.ab, 9 October 2012, live, dmy-all, On 9 August, Bildt compared Russia’s reason for going to war with Georgia to Adolf Hitler’s actions, “No state has the right to intervene militarily in the territory of another state simply because there are individuals there with a passport issued by that state or who are nationals of the state. Attempts to apply such a doctrine have plunged Europe into war in the past... And we have reason to remember how Hitler used this very doctrine little more than half a century ago to undermine and attack substantial parts of central Europe”.WEB,www.thelocal.se/13596/20080809/, Sweden evokes Hitler in condemning Russian assault, 9 August 2008, The Local,www.thelocal.se/13596/20080809/," title="web.archive.org/web/20080810170731www.thelocal.se/13596/20080809/,">web.archive.org/web/20080810170731www.thelocal.se/13596/20080809/, 10 August 2008, dead,
United Kingdom â€“ British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on 9 August, “Russia has extended the fighting today well beyond South Ossetia, attacking the Georgian port of Poti, and the town of Gori, while Abkhaz forces have been shelling Georgian positions in the Upper Kodori valley. I deplore this.“WEB,www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/press-release/2008/august/georgia-statement-080809, Foreign Secretary deplores continued fighting in Georgia (09/08/2008), Foreign and Commonwealth Office,www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/press-release/2008/august/georgia-statement-080809," title="web.archive.org/web/20080828024606www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/press-release/2008/august/georgia-statement-080809,">web.archive.org/web/20080828024606www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/press-release/2008/august/georgia-statement-080809, 28 August 2008,
United States â€“ US president George W. Bush said on late 11 August, “Russia has invaded a sovereign neighbouring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century.” Bush also said, “There’s evidence that Russian forces may soon begin bombing the civilian airport in the capital city.” Bush urged Russia to sign the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement, otherwise Russia would “jeopardise” its standing with the West.WEB,www.ft.com/content/95c4df26-67c7-11dd-8d3b-0000779fd18c, Moscow threatens Georgia regime, says Bush, Financial Times, 12 August 2008, 22 December 2016,web.archive.org/web/20161222221558/https://www.ft.com/content/95c4df26-67c7-11dd-8d3b-0000779fd18c, 22 December 2016, live, Although the Bush administration contemplated a military reaction to defend Georgia, it decided against it so as to not provoke a conflict with Russia. Instead, the US sent humanitarian assistance to Georgia on military aircraft.WEB,www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32487.html, U.S. pondered military use in Georgia, Ben Smith, Politico, 2 March 2010, 5 February 2010,www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32487.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20100206033256www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32487.html,">web.archive.org/web/20100206033256www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32487.html, 6 February 2010, live, Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States Sarah Palin warned in October 2008 that the election of Barack Obama would cause a new conflict involving Russia: “After the Russian Army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama’s reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence, the kind of response that would only encourage Russia’s Putin to invade Ukraine next.“WEB,foreignpolicy.com/2008/10/22/russia-might-invade-ukraine-if-obama-wins-palin-warns/, Russia might invade Ukraine if Obama wins, Palin warns, Blake Hounshell, Foreign Policy, 22 October 2008,
Poland â€“ The presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine and the prime minister of Latvia (Lech KaczyÅ„ski, Valdas Adamkus, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Viktor Yushchenko and Ivars Godmanis), who met with Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili at KaczyÅ„ski’s initiative, appeared at a 12 August 2008 Tbilisi rally held in front of the parliament which was attended by nearly 150,000 people. The crowd responded enthusiastically to the Polish president’s speech, chanting “Poland, Poland”, “Friendship, Friendship” and “Georgia, Georgia”.WEB,www.rp.pl/artykul/175569.html, Lech KaczyÅ„ski: jesteÅ›my tu po to, by podjÄ…Ä‡ walkÄ™, Rzeczpospolita, 12 August 2008, pl, 4 January 2012,www.rp.pl/artykul/175569.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120111082310www.rp.pl/artykul/175569.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120111082310www.rp.pl/artykul/175569.html, 11 January 2012, live,
Hungary â€“ Hungarian opposition leader Viktor OrbÃ¡n drew parallels between the Russian intervention and the crushing of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.WEB, OrbÃ¡nnak 56 jutott eszÃ©be az orosz hadmÃ»veletekrÃµl,index.hu/belfold/ovgruzorsz08/, index.hu, 14 August 2008,index.hu/belfold/ovgruzorsz08/," title="web.archive.org/web/20101223170239index.hu/belfold/ovgruzorsz08/,">web.archive.org/web/20101223170239index.hu/belfold/ovgruzorsz08/, 23 December 2010, live, hu,

France and Germany took an intermediate position, abstaining from naming a guilty party:

European Union â€“ On 8 August, France (who held the rotating Council presidency of the European Union) announced that the EU and the US would send a joint delegation to negotiate a ceasefire.WEB,www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2008/08/08/violents-affrontements-en-ossetie-du-sud_1081796_3214.html, La GÃ©orgie et la Russie s’affrontent pour le contrÃ´le de l’OssÃ©tie du Sud, Le Monde, 8 August 2008, fr, 8 August 2008,www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2008/08/08/violents-affrontements-en-ossetie-du-sud_1081796_3214.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080809064649www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2008/08/08/violents-affrontements-en-ossetie-du-sud_1081796_3214.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080809064649www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2008/08/08/violents-affrontements-en-ossetie-du-sud_1081796_3214.html, 9 August 2008, live,
Germany â€“ German chancellor Angela Merkel conveyed her concern about the humanitarian situation in Georgia and urged to cease war.WEB,www.bundeskanzlerin.de/nn_127772/Content/EN/Artikel/2008/08/2008-08-08-suedossetien-gewalt-stoppen__en.html, Angela Merkel calls for immediate ceasefire, Bundeskanzlerin, 11 August 2008,www.bundeskanzlerin.de/nn_127772/Content/EN/Artikel/2008/08/2008-08-08-suedossetien-gewalt-stoppen__en.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080831185402www.bundeskanzlerin.de/nn_127772/Content/EN/Artikel/2008/08/2008-08-08-suedossetien-gewalt-stoppen__en.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080831185402www.bundeskanzlerin.de/nn_127772/Content/EN/Artikel/2008/08/2008-08-08-suedossetien-gewalt-stoppen__en.html, 31 August 2008,

A few leaders supported Russia’s position:

Italy â€“ Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini said, “We cannot create an anti-Russia coalition in Europe, and on this point we are close to Putin’s position.” He emphasised that Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi were near partners.NEWS,www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/12/europe/diplo.php, Differences emerge in Europe of a response to Georgia conflict, International Herald Tribune, 12 August 2008, Katrin, Bennhold,www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/12/europe/diplo.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20080821011829www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/12/europe/diplo.php,">web.archive.org/web/20080821011829www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/12/europe/diplo.php, 21 August 2008, dead,
Belarus â€“ President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said on 19 August, “Russia acted calmly, wisely and beautifully.“WEB, Belarus leader applauds Russian response to South Ossetia crisis,en.rian.ru/world/20080819/116132622.html, RIA Novosti, 19 August 2008,en.rian.ru/world/20080819/116132622.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080903135745en.rian.ru/world/20080819/116132622.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080903135745en.rian.ru/world/20080819/116132622.html, 3 September 2008, live, Olivia Hayward. The Effects of Russian Propaganda on Georgia’s Diplomatic Relations: 2008 Russo-Georgian War, GFSIS: 2019, page 16

The EU report

In November 2008, Georgia called on the EU to conduct an independent inquiry who was to blame for the conflict.WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/18/russia-georgia-war, EU asked to pinpoint aggressor in Russia-Georgia war, Luke Harding, The Guardian, 18 November 2008, Heidi Tagliavini, a national of Switzerland (non-EU state), oversaw the making of the EU-sponsored report which was published in September 2009.WEB, Georgia ‘started unjustified war’,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8281990.stm, BBC, 30 September 2009, The report stated that open hostilities started “... with a large-scale Georgian military operation against the town of Tskhinvali and the surrounding areas, launched in the night of 7 to 8 August 2008”,{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=19}} This conclusion was widely reported on by international media.WEB,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/6247620/EU-blames-Georgia-for-starting-war-with-Russia.html,ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/6247620/EU-blames-Georgia-for-starting-war-with-Russia.html, 11 January 2022, subscription, live, EU blames Georgia for starting war with Russia, 30 September 2009, The Telegraph, {{cbignore}}WEB, Georgia ‘triggered’ war with Russia, EU investigation finds,www.france24.com/en/20090930-georgia-war-russia-eu-south-ossetia-tskhinvali-putin-military, France24, 30 September 2009, 7 August 2021, WEB, Independent report blames Georgia for South Ossetia war,www.dw.com/en/independent-report-blames-georgia-for-south-ossetia-war/a-4746802, Deutsche Welle, 30 September 2009, 7 August 2021, However, the report also noted “... any explanation of the origins of the conflict cannot focus solely on the artillery attack on Tskhinvali in the night of 7/8 August”,{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=31}} since “... it was only the culminating point of a long period of increasing tensions, provocations and incidents”,{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=11}} and there was “... no way to assign overall responsibility for the conflict to one side alone.“{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=32}} The report said it “is not in a position” to consider the Georgian claims of the Russian invasion before 8 August to be substantiated enough, while recognising reports in Russian media which indicated Russian troops and equipment which did not fall under the peacekeeping mandate were already present on the southern side of the Caucasus range, in South Ossetia.{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=20}} The report also stated that it could not claim “veracity or completeness in an absolute sense”,{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=8}} and could not give “total assurance that there are no mistakes or omissions”.{{sfn|Volume I|2009|p=9}}The BBC reported that “the EU may welcome the report itself, but may want to distance itself from the content.” The report was heavily criticised for some of its pro-Kremlin statements by independent Russian and American researchers who pointed out that the report had omitted facts implicating Russia and South Ossetians in starting the war.{{sfn|Dunlop|2012|pp=89â€“103}} An article by DELFI detailed some cases of bias in the Tagliavini commission’s work, such as the omission of the Russian troop deployments to South Ossetia before the Georgian counterattack on Tskhinvali, and concluded that “the flexible Swiss diplomat and her minions made it seem like Georgia was the provocateur” and thus emboldened aggressive Russia’s president to attack Ukraine.WEB,en.delfi.lt/opinion/opinion-spark-of-hope-that-russias-aggression-will-not-pass-this-time.d?id=68586932, Opinion: Spark of hope that Russia’s aggression will not pass this time, RamÅ«nas Bogdanas, Delfi, 28 July 2015,en.delfi.lt/opinion/opinion-spark-of-hope-that-russias-aggression-will-not-pass-this-time.d?id=68586932," title="archive.today/20151228201451en.delfi.lt/opinion/opinion-spark-of-hope-that-russias-aggression-will-not-pass-this-time.d?id=68586932,">archive.today/20151228201451en.delfi.lt/opinion/opinion-spark-of-hope-that-russias-aggression-will-not-pass-this-time.d?id=68586932, 28 December 2015, live, 25 December 2021, According to the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, the EU report was influenced by Russian state propaganda.WEB,www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_in_the_shadow_of_ukraine_seven_years_on_from_russian_3086, In the shadow of Ukraine: seven years on from Russian-Georgian war, Gustav Gressel, European Council on Foreign Relations, 6 August 2015, The Atlantic Council members stated on anniversary of the war in 2021 that Russia and South Ossetia initiated the 2008 conflict and that the EU report was erroneous.WEB,www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/the-2008-russo-georgian-war-putins-green-light/, The 2008 Russo-Georgian War: Putin’s green light, Peter Dickinson, Atlantic Council, 7 August 2021,

NATO reaction in the Black Sea

NATO increased its naval presence in the Black Sea significantly following the Russian invasion, with ships dropping anchors in Georgian ports,NEWS, Kramer, Andrew, NATO ships cause alarm in Moscow, International Herald Tribune, 27 August 2008,www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/27/europe/georgia.php,www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/27/europe/georgia.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20080831044219www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/27/europe/georgia.php,">web.archive.org/web/20080831044219www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/27/europe/georgia.php, 31 August 2008, dead, and according to the US Navy, bringing humanitarian assistance.NEWS, Mike Mount,edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/20/navy.georgia.aid/index.html, Navy ships wait to deliver aid to Georgia, CNN, 20 August 2008, 26 April 2019,edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/20/navy.georgia.aid/index.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20181004160259edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/20/navy.georgia.aid/index.html,">web.archive.org/web/20181004160259edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/20/navy.georgia.aid/index.html, 4 October 2018, live, NATO said that its presence in the Black Sea was not related to the Georgian crisis; its vessels were carrying out typical visits and preplanned naval trainings with Romania and Bulgaria.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/21/russia.nato, Russia suspends military cooperation with Nato, The Guardian, Mark, Tran, 21 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190109102619/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/21/russia.nato, 9 January 2019, live, Russian General Anatoliy Nogovitsyn recalled the limit on the number of vessels admitted into the Black Sea under the 1936 Montreux convention.WEB,www.regnum.ru/english/polit/1047087.html, Black Sea Fleet ships start tracking NATO guests, Regnum, 27 August 2008,www.regnum.ru/english/polit/1047087.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080828004948www.regnum.ru/english/polit/1047087.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080828004948www.regnum.ru/english/polit/1047087.html, 28 August 2008, dead, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev questioned the claim that ships going to Georgia were bringing only humanitarian assistance, alleging the delivery of military material.WEB,www.1tv.ru/news/osetiya/127541, ru:Ð“Ð¾ÑÑÐ¾Ð²ÐµÑ‚ Ð Ð¾ÑÑÐ¸Ð¸ Ñ„Ð¾Ñ€Ð¼ÑƒÐ»Ð¸Ñ€ÑƒÐµÑ‚ Ð½Ð¾Ð²ÑƒÑŽ Ð²Ð½ÐµÑˆÐ½ÐµÐ¿Ð¾Ð»Ð¸Ñ‚Ð¸Ñ‡ÐµÑÐºÑƒÑŽ ÑÑ‚Ñ€Ð°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¸ÑŽ ÑÑ‚Ñ€Ð°Ð½Ñ‹, Pervy Kanal, 6 September 2008,www.1tv.ru/owa/win/ort6_main.main?p_news_title_id=127541&p_news_razdel_id=16&p_pagenum=1," title="web.archive.org/web/20080912192310www.1tv.ru/owa/win/ort6_main.main?p_news_title_id=127541&p_news_razdel_id=16&p_pagenum=1,">web.archive.org/web/20080912192310www.1tv.ru/owa/win/ort6_main.main?p_news_title_id=127541&p_news_razdel_id=16&p_pagenum=1, 12 September 2008, ru, According to political analyst Vladimir Socor, in spite of the limits on vessel’s weight and length of visits set by the Montreux Convention, the US kept a continual presence in the Black Sea by alternating vessels from time to time.WEB,www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Defence_Arms_13/Naval_Imbalance_in_the_Black_Sea_After_the_Russian-Georgian_War.shtml, Naval Imbalance in the Black Sea After the Russian-Georgian War, Vladimir Socor, Ocnus.Net, 27 November 2008, 26 April 2019,www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Defence_Arms_13/Naval_Imbalance_in_the_Black_Sea_After_the_Russian-Georgian_War.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20190127051206www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Defence_Arms_13/Naval_Imbalance_in_the_Black_Sea_After_the_Russian-Georgian_War.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20190127051206www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Defence_Arms_13/Naval_Imbalance_in_the_Black_Sea_After_the_Russian-Georgian_War.shtml, 27 January 2019, live,

Combatants

{{See also|Georgian Armed Forces|Russian Armed Forces|Armed Forces of South Ossetia|Abkhazian Armed Forces}}

Georgian order of battle

According to the Moscow Defence Brief, an English-language magazine published by the Russian non-governmental organisation the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, the Georgian troops included the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Infantry Brigades, the Artillery Brigade, part of the 1st Infantry Brigade and the standalone Gori Tank Battalion. Additionally, special forces and Ministry of Internal Affairs troops were deployed. The total number of troops was 16,000 according to the magazine. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, ten light infantry battalions of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th infantry brigades, special forces and an artillery brigade, totalling approximately 12,000 troops, had been concentrated by the start of the conflict. The primary task of securing Tskhinvali was accomplished by the 4th Brigade with support from the 2nd and 3rd Brigades.WEB,www.iiss.org/EasysiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=20268&type=full&servicetype=Attachment, Russia’s rapid reaction, Alexander Nicoll, Sarah Johnstone, September 2008, International Institute for Strategic Studies,www.iiss.org/EasysiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=20268&type=full&servicetype=Attachment," title="web.archive.org/web/20081021133353www.iiss.org/EasysiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=20268&type=full&servicetype=Attachment,">web.archive.org/web/20081021133353www.iiss.org/EasysiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=20268&type=full&servicetype=Attachment, 21 October 2008, According to the EU fact-finding mission, 10,000â€“11,000 soldiers took part in the war.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=214}}The 1st Infantry Brigade, the only one instructed to NATO standards, was serving in Iraq at the beginning of the war; on 11 August, the United States Air Force flew it to Georgia.WEB,www.airforcetimes.com/article/20080811/NEWS/808110302/U-S-takes-Georgian-troops-home-from-Iraq, U.S. takes Georgian troops home from Iraq, 11 August 2008, Michael Hoffman, Air Force Times, The best Georgian troops were overdue from Iraq and could not participate in the fighting.{{sfn|Volume II|2009|p=214}} The presence of prime 2,000 Georgian military and the bulk of Georgian high-level government officials abroad before the war meant that Georgia did not intend to begin hostilities.{{sfn|Chifu|2009|p=57}}{| class=“wikitable collapsible collapsed” style="width: 100%; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0;”

Special Forces Brigade (Georgia)>Special Operations Forces

{{anchor|Russo-South Ossetian and Russo-Abkhaz order of battle}}Russo-South Ossetian-Abkhaz order of battle

A sizeable portion of the Russian 58th Army, one of the foremost military units in Russia, was included in the Russian order of battle. It exceeds the Georgian Army in the number of forces, heavy hardware and planes.WEB, Hamilton, Robert E., A Resolute Strategy on Georgia, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, 4 September 2008,www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080903_geo_rus_article.pdf,www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080903_geo_rus_article.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20080910090817www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080903_geo_rus_article.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20080910090817www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080903_geo_rus_article.pdf, dead, 10 September 2008, The 58th Army fought in Second Chechen War.{| class=“wikitable collapsible collapsed” style="width: 100%; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0;”! colspan=“4” | Deployed units: South Ossetian sector! Deployment! Allegiance! Units! Subunits| Initially present| South OssetiaMilitary of South Ossetia>South Ossetian troopsHTTP://EN.RIAN.RU/ANALYSIS/20080808/115905108.HTML >TITLE=WHAT WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF THE GEORGIAN-OSSETIAN WAR? DATE=8 AUGUST 2008 ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20081204051754/HTTP://EN.RIAN.RU/ANALYSIS/20080808/115905108.HTML URL-STATUS=LIVE, ||| Russia| Russian peacekeeping forcesVolume IIIp=371}}|||Volume IIIp=371}}| Reinforcement| Russia| 58th Army| Two battalions of the 135th Separate Motorised Rifle Regiment|||19th Motor Rifle Division>19th Motorised Rifle Division|||| 693rd Motorised Rifle Regiment of the 19th Motorised Rifle Division||| 42nd Motorised Rifle Division| 70th Motorised Rifle Regiment|||| 71st Motorised Rifle Regiment||| Chechen unitsSpecial Battalion VostokHTTP://LENTA.RU/NEWS/2008/08/11/VOSTOK/INDEX.HTM WORK=LENTA.RU LANGUAGE=RU ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20120726175652/HTTP://LENTA.RU/NEWS/2008/08/11/VOSTOK/INDEX.HTM URL-STATUS=LIVE, |||| One company of Special Battalion Zapad||Russian Airborne Troops>Airborne Troops (VDV)76th Guards Air Assault Division (Pskov)HTTP://WWW.MIL.RU/INFO/1069/DETAILS/INDEX.SHTML?ID=49309PUBLISHER=RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCEARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20080812012137/HTTP://WWW.MIL.RU/INFO/1069/DETAILS/INDEX.SHTML?ID=49309LANGUAGE=RU, dead, |||| Units of 98th Guards Airborne Division (Ivanovo)||GRU (Russian Federation)>GRU| One Battalion of the Spetsnaz of 45th Detached Reconnaissance Regiment of VDV (Moscow)|||| Units of the 10th Special Forces Brigade|||| Units of the 22nd Special Forces Brigade{| class=“wikitable collapsible collapsed” style="width: 100%; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0;”! colspan=“2” | Deployed units: Abkhaz sector! Allegiance! Units| Russia| 7th Novorossiysk Air Assault Division|| 76th Pskov Air Assault Divisions|| Elements of the 20th Motorised Rifle Division|Naval Infantry (Russia)>Marines| AbkhaziaMilitary of Abkhazia>Armed Forces (land and air forces) of Abkhazia{| class=“wikitable collapsible collapsed” style="width: 100%; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0;”! colspan=“2” | Deployed units: Air! Allegiance! Units| Russia4th Air ArmyKRASNOGIRSCRIPT-TITLE=RU:Ð Ð°ÑÑÑ‚Ð°Ð½Ð¾Ð²ÐºÐ° ÑÐ¸Ð» LENTA.RU>DATE=8 AUGUST 2008 ARCHIVE-URL= HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20080809144351/HTTP://WWW.LENTA.RU/ARTICLES/2008/08/08/FORCES/ LANGUAGE=RU,

Military analysis

Georgia

(File:Buk-M1-2 air defence system in 2010.jpg|thumb|Buk-M1 air defence system)United States officials said that “one of the few effective elements of the [Georgia]’s military” was air defence, with the analysts crediting the SA-11 Buk-1M with shooting down a Tupolev-22M bomber and contributing to the loss of some Su-25s.WEB,www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw081808p2.xml&headline=Georgian%20Military%20Folds%20Under%20Russian%20Attack, Georgian Military Folds Under Russian Attack, David A. Fulghum, Douglas Barrie, Robert Wall, Andy Nativi, Aviation Week, 15 August 2008,www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news%2Faw081808p2.xml&headline=Georgian%20Military%20Folds%20Under%20Russian%20Attack," title="web.archive.org/web/20110521070941www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news%2Faw081808p2.xml&headline=Georgian%20Military%20Folds%20Under%20Russian%20Attack,">web.archive.org/web/20110521070941www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news%2Faw081808p2.xml&headline=Georgian%20Military%20Folds%20Under%20Russian%20Attack, 21 May 2011, dead, This view was supported by independent Russian analysis.WEB,www.cast.ru/eng/comments/?id=328, The Russian Air Force didn’t perform well during the conflict in South Ossetia, Konstantin Makienko, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, 15 November 2008,www.cast.ru/eng/comments/?id=328," title="web.archive.org/web/20090327235047www.cast.ru/eng/comments/?id=328,">web.archive.org/web/20090327235047www.cast.ru/eng/comments/?id=328, 27 March 2009, Colonel-General Anatoliy Nogovitsyn, Russian deputy chief of general staff, said the Soviet-made Tor and Buk anti-aircraft missile systems, bought by Georgia from Ukraine, were responsible for shooting down Russian aircraft during the war.WEB,www.aviation.com/technology/080818-russia-georgia-air-war.html, War Reveals Russia’s Military Might and Weakness, Vladimir Isachenkov, Aviation, 18 August 2008,www.aviation.com/technology/080818-russia-georgia-air-war.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20081120045947www.aviation.com/technology/080818-russia-georgia-air-war.html,">web.archive.org/web/20081120045947www.aviation.com/technology/080818-russia-georgia-air-war.html, 20 November 2008, A Russian assessment, reported by Roger McDermott, said that Russian losses would have been significantly higher if the Georgians had not left behind a portion of their Buk-M1 systems near Senaki in western Georgia and several Osa missile launchers in South Ossetia.JOURNAL,www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/Articles/09spring/mcdermott.pdf, Russia’s Conventional Armed Forces and the Georgian War, McDermott, Roger N., Spring 2009, Parameters, XXXIX, 65â€“80, US Army War College, 26 April 2019,www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/Articles/09spring/mcdermott.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20130216192743www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/Articles/09spring/mcdermott.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20130216192743www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/Articles/09spring/mcdermott.pdf, 16 February 2013, live, According to some reports, Georgia also possessed a battery of the Israeli-made SPYDER-SR short-range self-propelled anti-aircraft system.JOURNAL, Aminov, Said, Georgia’s Air Defense in the War with South Ossetia, Moscow Defence Brief, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, #1(15)/2009,mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2008/item3/article3/,mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2008/item3/article3/," title="web.archive.org/web/20090711165314mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2008/item3/article3/,">web.archive.org/web/20090711165314mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2008/item3/article3/, 11 July 2009, dead, The Georgian air-defence early-warning and command-control tactical system was linked via Turkey to a NATO Air Situation Data Exchange (ASDE), which provided Georgia with intelligence during the conflict.Georgia has said that its key deficiencies were ineffective communication during action and its lacking air strength.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/europe/03georgia.html, The New York Times, Georgia Eager to Rebuild Its Defeated Armed Forces, C. J., Chivers, Thom, Shanker, 2 September 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190305052938/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/europe/03georgia.html, 5 March 2019, live, dmy-all, Konstantin Makienko of CAST saw substandard instruction of pilots as the primary reason for the paltry conduct of Georgian air sorties. According to Georgian first deputy defence minister Batu Kutelia, Georgia was required to have a complex, multi-layered air-defence system to protect its airspace. Western officers involved with Georgia’s military indicated that Georgian military deficiencies were too great to be eliminated by new weapons. According to a 2 September 2008 New York Times article, “Georgia’s Army fled ahead of the Russian Army’s advance, turning its back and leaving Georgian civilians in an enemy’s path. Its planes did not fly after the first few hours of contact. Its navy was sunk in the harbor, and its patrol boats were hauled away by Russian trucks on trailers.“A sweeping Russian offensive caught Georgia by surprise, who had never got ready for confronting such invasion.{{sfn|Chifu|2009|p=63}} Many managerial and procedural problems surfaced during the war.{{sfn|Chifu|2009|p=45}} According to a Western officer, Georgian logistical readiness was mediocre; there was interference between subdivisions during the action. Training to simulate combat against a probable enemy, the 58th Army, had never been organised by the Georgian Army. During the war, communications broke down in the mountains and troops had to resort to mobile phones. There was insufficient planning; according to Giorgi Tavdgiridze, nobody thought about sealing the Roki Tunnel. There was a dismal organisation of the delivery of 10,000 Georgian reservists in Gori on 9 August; they had no specific targets and went back to Tbilisi the following day. The conflict was named by Georgian journalists as the war “that was hidden from history” because there was very little video recording of the fighting. According to their American trainers, Georgian soldiers were unprepared for fighting despite having “warrior spirit”.NEWS,www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/19/europe/EU-Georgia-Military-Tested.php, US trainers say Georgian troops weren’t ready, 19 August 2008, Associated Press, International Herald Tribune,www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/19/europe/EU-Georgia-Military-Tested.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20080919071220www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/19/europe/EU-Georgia-Military-Tested.php,">web.archive.org/web/20080919071220www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/19/europe/EU-Georgia-Military-Tested.php, 19 September 2008, dead, There was a small number of disciplined and knowledgeable officers in high ranking positions,JOURNAL, Tor Bukkvoll,usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20091231_art009.pdf, Russia’s Military Performance in Georgia, Military Review, Novemberâ€“December 2009, 89, 6, 58,usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20091231_art009.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20091221202224usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20091231_art009.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20091221202224usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20091231_art009.pdf, 21 December 2009, dead, and Saakashvili’s government had no military background.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/washington/18diplo.html, The New York Times, U.S. Watched as a Squabble Turned into a Showdown, Helene, Cooper, C.J., Chivers, Clifford J., Levy, 17 August 2008, 26 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20181021060306/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/washington/18diplo.html, 21 October 2018, live, dmy-all,

Russia

The Russian Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (CÂ³I) performed poorly during the conflict. The Russian communication systems were outdated, with a 58th Army commander allegedly making contact with his combat troops via a journalist-owned satellite phone. Without the modern GLONASS, precision-guided munitions could not be used and the US-controlled GPS was unavailable, since the war zone was blacked out. Due to the negligence of Russian defence minister, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles was not sanctioned; an RIA Novosti editorial said that Russian forces were without reliable aerial-reconnaissance systems, once using a Tupolev Tu-22M3 bomber instead.WEB,en.rian.ru/analysis/20080909/116657490.html, Russian Army’s weaknesses exposed during war in Georgia, RIA Novosti, 9 September 2008, 26 April 2019,en.rian.ru/analysis/20080909/116657490.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090524234436en.rian.ru/analysis/20080909/116657490.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090524234436en.rian.ru/analysis/20080909/116657490.html, 24 May 2009, live, However, Russian reconnaissance battalions and regiments were also deployed during the war.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=142}} Deputy chief of the General staff of Russia, General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said that in the conflict new weapons were not tried out.WEB,georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6793&Itemid=74, Georgia War Shows Russia Army Now a ‘Force to Be Reckoned With’, Sebastian Alison, Georgian Daily, 27 August 2008,georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6793&Itemid=74," title="web.archive.org/web/20090505000205georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6793&Itemid=74,">web.archive.org/web/20090505000205georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6793&Itemid=74, 5 May 2009, dead, The RIA Novosti editorial also said that Russian Su-25 ground-attack jets did not have radar vision and ground-target coordinate computing. They also did not have long-range surface-to-air missiles that could be fired beyond the air-defence zones of an adversary. Opposition-affiliated Russian analyst Konstantin Makienko observed the substandard conduct of the Russian Air Force: “It is totally unbelievable that the Russian Air Force was unable to establish air superiority almost to the end of the five-day war, despite the fact that the enemy had no fighter aviation”.According to Russian expert Anton Lavrov, on 8 August, Russian and South Ossetian troops deployed in South Ossetia were unaware that Russian aviation was involved in the war. Russian troops and South Ossetians often assessed Russian aircraft as enemy and shot at them before precise identification took place.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=105}} On 8 August, the air force performed 63 flights in support of Russian ground troops.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=57}} A total of six Russian warplanes were lost during the war: one Su-25SM, two Su-25BMs, two Su-24Ms and one Tu-22M3; friendly fire was the cause of the loss of three aircraft.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=104}} Lavrov denies that the shot-down Tu-22M was being used for reconnaissance.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=100}}Communication between the North Caucasus Military District commander and the air force was poor and their roles were unclear. Colonel-General Aleksandr Zelin, commander-in-chief of the Air Force, did not set foot in the command post, instead running Air-force operations on a mobile phone from his workroom without any help from his air-defence aides. The air force was blamed of rendering no assistance to land campaign.Swedish analysts Carolina Vendil Pallin and Fredrik Westerlund said that although the Russian Black Sea Fleet did not meet significant resistance, it proved effective at implementing elaborate operations.JOURNAL, Pallin, Carolina Vendil, Fredrik Westerlund, 24 July 2009, Russia’s war in Georgia: lessons and consequences, Small Wars & Insurgencies, 20, 2, 400â€“424, 10.1080/09592310902975539, 144985466,www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09592310902975539, Mechanised infantry opened a new front in Abkhazia, which contributed to the quickness of the Russian military success.Heritage Foundation researchers said in their assessment of the preparation of Russian general-staff that the manoeuvres were planned and implemented effectively, with a crucial confusion being engineered by the Russians.WEB,www.heritage.org/research/reports/2008/08/russian-forces-in-the-georgian-war-preliminary-assessment-and-recommendations, Russian Forces in the Georgian War: Preliminary Assessment and Recommendations, James Jay Carafano, Ariel Cohen, Lajos F. Szaszdi, The Heritage Foundation, 20 August 2008,www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2031.cfm," title="web.archive.org/web/20091014143607www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2031.cfm,">web.archive.org/web/20091014143607www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2031.cfm, 14 October 2009, live, A Reuters analyst described Russia’s army as “strong but flawed”; the war demonstrated that Russia’s “armed forces have emerged from years of neglect as a formidable fighting force, but revealed important deficiencies.” He stated that Russia fell short of its role of a first-rate military power due to these faults.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSLK23804020080820, Georgia war shows Russian army strong but flawed, Christian Lowe, Reuters, 20 August 2008, 26 April 2019,www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSLK23804020080820," title="web.archive.org/web/20090109131521www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSLK23804020080820,">web.archive.org/web/20090109131521www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSLK23804020080820, 9 January 2009, live, Unlike the Second Chechen War, Russia’s force in Georgia was composed primarily of professional soldiers instead of conscripts.WEB, The Caucasus Crisis,www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=5524, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, November 2008,www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=5524," title="web.archive.org/web/20081201053042www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=5524,">web.archive.org/web/20081201053042www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=5524, 1 December 2008, dead, Reuters journalists in Georgia stated that they found the Russian forces to be well-outfitted and orderly forces. CAST director Ruslan Pukhov said that “the victory over the Georgian army ... should become for Russia not a cause for euphoria and excessive joy, but serve to speed up military transformations.” Roger McDermott wrote that slight dissimilarity in criticism by civilian and official references after the conflict was “an orchestrated effort by the government to ‘sell’ reform to the military and garner support among the populace.“The evolution of the Russian Army into a professional force was not deemed as fruitful. In September 2008, General Vladimir Boldyrev acknowledged that many of the professional soldiers did not have better training than the conscripts. Most of the land combat warfare was conducted by Russian Airborne Troops and special troops. Due to the failure of the Russian Air Force to penetrate Georgian air defence, airborne troops could not be airlifted behind Georgian lines. A surprise attack on a land-forces commander, in which only five of thirty vehicles in his convoy made it, demonstrated information-gathering negligence. Many Russian land units reportedly were short of ammo.

Equipment losses and cost

Georgia

File:152mm SpGH DANA in Georgia, 2008.JPG|thumb|Georgian DANA howitzer ]]After the ceasefire agreement Stratfor states that Russia “has largely destroyed Georgia’s war-fighting capability”.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSLD294757, ANALYSIS-Georgia rebel confidence rises after fighting, Reuters, 13 August 2008, Conor, Sweeney,web.archive.org/web/20080902050028/https://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSLD294757, 2 September 2008, After the ceasefire was signed on 12 August, in Georgia proper, Russian troops attempted to seize and destroy Georgian armament, a process termed by the Moscow Defence Brief as the “demilitarization of the Georgian Armed Forces”. Most losses of armaments were sustained after the ceasefire.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=75}}About 20 armoured fighting vehicles, including tanks, were destroyed in the fighting.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=113}} Before the conflict, Georgia possessed 230â€“240 tanks in total.NEWS,lenta.ru/news/2008/08/16/take/, ru:Ð Ð¾ÑÑÐ¸Ñ Ð·Ð°Ð±Ñ€Ð°Ð»Ð° ÑÐµÐ±Ðµ Ð¿ÑÑ‚ÑƒÑŽ Ñ‡Ð°ÑÑ‚ÑŒ Ð³Ñ€ÑƒÐ·Ð¸Ð½ÑÐºÐ¸Ñ… Ñ‚Ð°Ð½ÐºÐ¾Ð², Lenta.ru, 16 August 2008, ru, 30 March 2014,lenta.ru/news/2008/08/16/take/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140817141349lenta.ru/news/2008/08/16/take/,">web.archive.org/web/20140817141349lenta.ru/news/2008/08/16/take/, 17 August 2014, live, At the time of the conflict, Georgia operated 191 T-72 tanks,{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=19}} of which 75 were deployed into South Ossetia.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=47}} Georgia lost at least 10 T-72 tanks destroyed in and near Tskhinvali.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=110}} After the end of hostilities, the Russian military seized a total of 65 Georgian tanks. About 20 of those were subsequently destroyed.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=75}}The Georgian army possessed 154 IFVs, 16 reconnaissance vehicles, 66 APCs and 86 multi-purpose tracked armoured vehicles before the conflict.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=19}} Less than 10 armoured vehicles were destroyed in combat.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=113}} Two BMP-2s were destroyed in combat and two were captured.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=110}} At least 20 BMPs were captured after the hostilities,{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=75}} including several BMP-1s that were upgraded to BMP-1U.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=114}} Georgia lost two Otokar Cobra armoured vehicles. Dozens of automobiles and lorries were also lost.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=75}}Two DANA self-propelled howitzers of the Georgian army were destroyed in combat and two DANAs were captured in and near Gori.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=110}} Further 20 artillery pieces, including 120 mm mortars, were left behind. Six 2S7 Pions were captured after the hostilities.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=110â€“111}} Two Buk-M1 launch vehicles and their transport loaders, as well as up to five OSA-AKM SAMs were also captured.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=111}} The Russian military seized 1,728 firearms at the Senaki Second Infantry Brigade base.WEB,www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/1559220.html, áƒ¡áƒáƒ¥áƒáƒ áƒ—áƒ•áƒ”áƒšáƒáƒ¡ áƒáƒ áƒ›áƒ˜áƒ˜áƒ¡ áƒ“áƒáƒœáƒáƒ™áƒáƒ áƒ’áƒ”áƒ‘áƒ˜ áƒ¯áƒ”áƒ áƒáƒª áƒ“áƒáƒ£áƒ–áƒ£áƒ¡áƒ¢áƒ”áƒ‘áƒ”áƒšáƒ˜áƒ, áƒ™áƒáƒ‘áƒ, áƒšáƒ˜áƒ™áƒšáƒ˜áƒ™áƒáƒ«áƒ”, radiotavisupleba.ge, 24 August 2008, ka, 7 August 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170807154943/https://www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/1559220.html, 7 August 2017, live, The Georgian Navy lost one boat at sea according to Russia.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}} In Poti, four boats were submerged. Nine rigid-hull inflatables were captured.BOOK, Mikaberidze, Alexander, Historical Dictionary of Georgia, 1 February 2015, ARMED FORCES, 139, Rowman & Littlefield, 978-1-4422-4145-9, {{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=75}}The Air Force sustained limited damage as only three transport planes and four helicopters were confirmed lost.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=111}} The Georgian air force ceased all sorties after 8 August.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=111}} Instead all fighter and training aircraft, including the Su-25s, were tucked away.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=111}} Russian bombers impaired the airstrips in Georgia.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}} A Russian air attack on Marneuli Air Force Base destroyed three AN-2 aircraft. Russian airborne forces set fire to two Mi-24 helicopters and one Mi-14 on 11 August.WEB,www.geo-army.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138&Itemid=8&lang=en, History of the Air Forces of Georgia, Geo-Army.ge,www.geo-army.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138&Itemid=8&lang=en," title="web.archive.org/web/20131013041609www.geo-army.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138&Itemid=8&lang=en,">web.archive.org/web/20131013041609www.geo-army.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138&Itemid=8&lang=en, 13 October 2013, Georgian Defence Minister Davit Kezerashvili said that Georgia lost materiel worth $250 million.NEWS, Liklikadze, Koba, Lessons and losses of Georgia’s five-day war with Russia, Jamestown, The Jamestown Foundation,www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33974, 26 September 2008,www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33974," title="web.archive.org/web/20110605015943www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33974,">web.archive.org/web/20110605015943www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33974, 5 June 2011, live, According to Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, his country saved 95 percent of its armed forces.In 2009, Russian Army Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov stated that Georgia was rearming, although the armament was not directly provided by the United States. According to Makarov, the Georgian Armed Forces had exceeded their pre-war strength by 2009.WEB, Russian Army Chief Says Georgia is Rearming,old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=21660, 11 November 2009, Civil.Ge, 26 April 2019,www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=21660," title="web.archive.org/web/20160303214955www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=21660,">web.archive.org/web/20160303214955www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=21660, 3 March 2016, live,

Russia and South Ossetia

File:Tu-22M3 Ryazan2.JPG|thumb|Russian Tu-22M3 Tu-22M3Russia admitted that three of its Su-25 strike aircraft and one Tu-22 long-range bomber were lost. Georgia at that time claimed it had downed no less than 21 Russian aircraft. Moscow Defence Brief provided a higher estimate for air force losses, saying that Russian Air Force total losses during the war were one Tu-22M3 long-range bomber, one Su-24M Fencer fighter-bomber, one Su-24MR Fencer E reconnaissance plane and four Su-25 attack planes. Anton Lavrov listed one Su-25SM, two Su-25BM, two Su-24M and one Tu-22M3 lost.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=104}} Two helicopters, a Mi-8MTKO and a Mi-24, were wrecked in an accident after the hostilities.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}While there are no official figures, Russian ground equipment losses in the war are estimated to be three tanks, at least 20 armoured and 32 non-armoured vehicles lost in combat. Several more vehicles were impaired in accidents.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}} During one engagement, Georgian forces destroyed 25 out of 30 vehicles of a Russian military unit commanded by General Anatoly Khrulyov.{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=28â€“29}} The Russian military had no losses in the artillery, air defence and naval forces.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}} According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the five-day war cost Russia an estimated 12.5 billion rubles, a daily cost of 2.5 billion rubles.NEWS, Vladimir Ivanov,www.ng.ru/politics/2008-08-20/4_price.html, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 20 August 2008, ru:Ð¦ÐµÐ½Ð° Ð¿Ð¾Ð±ÐµÐ´Ñ‹ Ð² Ð®Ð¶Ð½Ð¾Ð¹ ÐžÑÐµÑ‚Ð¸Ð¸, ru, 11 February 2009,www.ng.ru/politics/2008-08-20/4_price.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20081202031157www.ng.ru/politics/2008-08-20/4_price.html,">web.archive.org/web/20081202031157www.ng.ru/politics/2008-08-20/4_price.html, 2 December 2008, live, South Ossetian forces lost two BMP-2s.{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=137}}

A detailed list of the destroyed and captured vehicles of both sides

Russia (78, of which destroyed: 74, damaged: 2, captured: 2)

Tanks (4, of which destroyed: 4)

1 T-55A: (1, destroyed [South Ossetian]).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}WEB, Oryx, Russia’s Wars: Listing Equipment Losses During The 2008 Russo-Georgian War,www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/10/russias-wars-listing-equipment-losses.html, 2022-10-04, Oryx,
1 T-62M: (1, destroyed).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}
1 T-72B: (1, destroyed).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}
1 T-72B Obr. 1989: (1, destroyed).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}

Armoured Fighting Vehicles (4, of which destroyed: 3, captured: 1)

2 BRDM-2: (1, destroyed) (1, captured [South Ossetian]).{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=28â€“29}}
2 BRDM-2M: (2, destroyed).{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=28â€“29}}

Infantry Fighting Vehicles (20, of which destroyed: 19, damaged: 1)

10 BMP-1: (10, destroyed).{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=28â€“29}}
4 BMP-1P: (4, destroyed).{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=28â€“29}}
5 BMP-2: (1, destroyed [South Ossetian]) (3, destroyed) (1, damaged).{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=28â€“29}}
1 BMD-2: (1, destroyed).{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=28â€“29}}

Armoured Personnel Carriers (5, of which destroyed: 3, damaged: 1, captured: 1)

1 BTR-70: (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}
4 BTR-80: (3, destroyed) (1, damaged).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}

Armoured Recovery Vehicles (1, of which destroyed: 1)

1 BREM-Ch: (1, destroyed).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}

Artillery Support Vehicles (1, of which destroyed: 1)

1 1V13(M) battery fire control center: (1, destroyed).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}

Self-Propelled Artillery (1, of which destroyed: 1)

1 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika: (1, captured and destroyed [South Ossetian]).{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=28â€“29}}

Aircraft (8, of which destroyed: 8)

1 Su-25 close air support aircraft: (1, damaged beyond economical repair).
2 Su-25BM close air support aircraft: (2, destroyed).
2 Su-25SM close air support aircraft: (1, destroyed) (1, damaged beyond economical repair and scrapped).
2 Su-24M strike aircraft: (2, destroyed).
1 Tu-22M3 strategic bomber: (1, destroyed).

Helicopters (2, of which destroyed: 2)

1 Mi-8MT transport helicopter: (1, destroyed [accident]).
1 Mi-8MTKO transport helicopter: (1, destroyed [accident]).

Trucks, Vehicles and Jeeps (32, of which destroyed: 32)

11 GAZ-66: (9, destroyed) (2, destroyed [South Ossetian]).
3 ZiL-131: (3, destroyed).
1 KrAZ-225B: (1, destroyed).
1 Ural-375D: (1, destroyed).
11 Ural-4320: (11, destroyed).
9 KamAZ 6x6: (9, destroyed).
1 UAZ-452: (1, destroyed).
2 UAZ-469: (1, destroyed) (1, destroyed [South Ossetian]).
2 Unknown truck: (2, destroyed).

Georgia (186, of which destroyed: 89, damaged: 1, captured: 96)

Tanks (44, of which destroyed: 27, captured: 17)

14 T-72AV: (6, destroyed) (7, captured) (1, damaged and captured).
29 T-72B: (4, destroyed) (17, captured and destroyed) (8, captured)
1 T-72 SIM-1: (1, captured).

Armoured Fighting Vehicles (2, of which destroyed: 1, captured: 1)

2 MT-LB: (1, destroyed) (1, captured)

Infantry Fighting Vehicles (25, of which destroyed: 6, captured: 19)

2 BMP-1: (2, destroyed){{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}
14 BMP-1U ‘Shkval’: (14, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}
9 BMP-2: (2, destroyed) (2, captured and destroyed) (5, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}

Armoured Personnel Carriers (3, of which destroyed: 2, captured: 1)

3 BTR-80: (2, destroyed) (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=75}}

Infantry Mobility Vehicles (3, of which captured: 3)

1 HMMWV: (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=75}}
2 Otokar Cobra: (1, captured) (1, damaged and captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=75}}

Command Posts (1, of which captured: 1)

1 9S470M command post (for Buk-M1): (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}

Engineering Vehicles And Equipment (5, of which destroyed: 1, captured: 4)

1 BTS-2 armoured recovery vehicle: (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}
1 MTU-55 armoured vehicle-launched bridge: (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}
1 BAT-2 heavy engineering vehicle: (1, destroyed).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}
2 Mini MineWolf remote controlled mine clearance systems: (2, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=136}}

Towed Artillery (25, of which destroyed: 1, captured: 24)

1 76mm ZiS-3 divisional gun: (1).
4 85mm D-44 divisional gun: (4, captured).
2 100mm MT-12 Rapira anti-tank gun: (2, captured).
17 122mm D-30 howitzer: (17, captured).
1 152mm 2A65 Msta-B howitzer: (1, destroyed).

Self-Propelled Artillery (9, of which destroyed: 6, captured: 3)

4 152mm ShKH vz. 77 DANA: (2, destroyed) (2, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=110â€“111}}
5 203mm 2S7 Pion: (4, destroyed) (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=110â€“111}}

Anti-Aircraft Guns (2, of which captured: 2)

1 23mm ZU-23: (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=110â€“111}}
1 57mm AZP S-60: (1, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|pp=110â€“111}}

Surface-To-Air Missile Systems (6, of which captured: 6)

2 9K33 Osa-AK: (2, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=111}}
2 9A310M1 TELAR (for Buk-M1): (2, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=111}}
2 9A39M1 TEL (for Buk-M1): (2, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=111}}

Radars (2, of which destroyed: 2)

1 P-18 Spoon Rest D: (1, destroyed).
1 ST86U/36D6-M Tin Shield: (1, destroyed).

Aircraft (3, of which destroyed: 3).

3 An-2 utility aircraft: (3, destroyed).

Helicopters (3, of which destroyed: 3)

1 Mi-14BT transport helicopter: (1, destroyed).
1 Mi-24V attack helicopter: (1, destroyed).
1 Mi-24P attack helicopter: (1, destroyed).

Naval Ships (9, of which destroyed: 7, captured: 2)

1 La Combattante II-class fast attack craft Dioskuria ‘303’: (1, scuttled).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}}
1 Matka-class missile boat Tbilisi ‘302’: (1, scuttled).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}}
1 Lindau-class minesweeper Aeti: (1, scuttled but subsequently refloated and returned to service as a training platform.).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}}
1 Stenka class patrol boat P-21 Giorgi Toreli: (1, destroyed).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}}
3 Zhuk class patrol boat (Operated by the Coast Guard): (1, P 204, destroyed) (2, P 203 scuttled and subsequently refloated but not returned to service) (3, P 205, destroyed).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}}
1 Project 1387 class patrol boat Tskhaltubo ‘101’: (1, scuttled).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}}
2 RHIB: (2, captured).{{sfn|Tanks|2010|p=112}}

Trucks, Vehicles and Jeeps (44, of which destroyed: 17, damaged: 1, captured: 26)

7 MAZ-537: (1, destroyed) (6, captured).
1 KrAZ-255B: (1, captured).
13 KrAZ-6322: (10, destroyed) (3, captured).
1 Ural-43206: (1, captured).
1 KamAZ 6x6: (1, captured).
1 MAN KAT1 4x4: (1, captured).
7 Land Rover Defender: (3, destroyed) (1, damaged) (1, damaged and captured) (2, captured).
6 M35A2: (6, captured).
4 M35A3: (3, destroyed) (1, captured).
4 M99A1 HMMWV: (4, captured).

Notes

References

Books and Reports

BOOK,is.muni.cz/el/1423/podzim2012/MVZ208/um/35586974/Small_Nations_and_Great_Powers__A_Study_of_Ethnopolitical_Conflict_in_the_Caucasus__.pdf, Small Nations and Great Powers, Cornell, Svante E., 2001, RoutledgeCurzon,
BOOK, George, Julie A, The Politics of Ethnic Separatism in Russia and Georgia,books.google.com/books?id=1ULFAAAAQBAJ, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, {{sfnref, Julie, 2009, |isbn=978-0-230-10232-3 }}
BOOK, Saparov, ArsÃ¨ne, From Conflict to Autonomy in the Caucasus: The Soviet Union and the Making of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh,books.google.com/books?id=AW5eBAAAQBAJ, Routledge, 2014, 978-1-317-63784-4,
WEB,www.cpc-ew.ro/pdfs/the_russian_georgian_war.pdf, The Russian Georgian war: a trilateral cognitive institutional approach of the crisis decision â€“ making, Chifu, Iulian, Nantoi, Oazu, Sushko, Oleksandr, Editura Curtea Veche, 2009, {{sfnref, Chifu, 2009, }}
BOOK,apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a500627.pdf, Russian Operational Art in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, Colonel George T. Donovan Jr., U.S. Army War College, 2009, {{sfnref, Donovan, 2009, |access-date=12 August 2014 |archive-date=19 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219200431www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a500627.pdf |url-status=live }}
BOOK,www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1069, The Russian Military and the Georgia War: Lessons and Implications, Cohen, Ariel, Hamilton, Robert E., 2011, PDF, Strategic Studies Institute, {{sfnref, Cohen, 2011, |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615225235www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1069 |archive-date=15 June 2011 }}
BOOK, Palgrave Macmillan,books.google.com/books?id=rMST94dSPTUC, Russia and its Near Neighbours, Maria Raquel Freire, Roger E. Kanet, 2012, {{sfnref, Dunlop, 2012, |isbn=978-0-230-39017-1 }}
BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=TC8EAwAAQBAJ, Putin’s Wars: The Rise of Russia’s New Imperialism, Van Herpen, Marcel H., Rowman & Littlefield, 2014, 978-1-4422-3138-2,
WEB,www.ksk.edu.ee/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/ENDC_Occasional_Papers_4_final.pdf, The Russian-Georgian War Of 2008: Causes And Implication, Laaneots, Ants, Estonian National Defence College, April 2016,
WEB,www.mpil.de/files/pdf4/IIFFMCG_Volume_I2.pdf, IIFFMCG Report. Volume I, September 2009, IIFFMCG, {{sfnref, Volume I, 2009, }}
WEB,www.mpil.de/files/pdf4/IIFFMCG_Volume_II1.pdf, IIFFMCG Report. Volume II, September 2009, IIFFMCG, {{sfnref, Volume II, 2009, }}
WEB,www.mpil.de/files/pdf4/IIFFMCG_Volume_III1.pdf, IIFFMCG Report. Volume III, September 2009, IIFFMCG, {{sfnref, Volume III, 2009, }}
WEB,www.cast.ru/files/The_Tanks_of_August_sm_eng.pdf, The Tanks of August, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, 2010, {{sfnref, Tanks, 2010, |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-date=28 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128165000www.cast.ru/files/The_Tanks_of_August_sm_eng.pdf |url-status=dead }}

External links

{{Commons category|Russo-Georgian War}}Georgia

www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=461&info_id=7496" title="web.archive.org/web/20080828030139www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=461&info_id=7496">Chronology of Bombing Facts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia

Russia

archive.kremlin.ru/eng/events/details/2008/08/08_205064.shtml" title="web.archive.org/web/20140715033513archive.kremlin.ru/eng/events/details/2008/08/08_205064.shtml">On the situation around Abkhazia and South Ossetia @ President of Russia

International

EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia
OSCE Mission to Georgia (closed)
The EU Investigation Report on the August 2008 War and the Reactions from Georgia and Russia in the Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 10

Media

Documentaries

www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en/iffr-2010/news-2010/andre/" title="web.archive.org/web/20100220184423www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en/iffr-2010/news-2010/andre/">Andre Nekrasov’s Russian Lessons

{{Russian Conflicts}}{{Invasions of Georgia (country)}}{{Post-Cold War European conflicts}}{{Georgia (country) topics}}{{Authority control}}

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Russo-Georgian War

Background

History

Russian interests and involvement

Unresolved conflicts

Relations between Georgia and the West

Prelude

Aprilâ€“July 2008

Hostilities

Early August

Battle of Tskhinvali

Bombing and occupation of Gori

Abkhaz front

Occupation of Poti

Bombing of Tbilisi and surroundings

Media and cyber war

{{anchor|Six-point peace plan}}Ceasefire agreement

Aftermath

Russian withdrawal

{{anchor|Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by the Russian Federation}}Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Russia

Russian military presence

International monitors

Geopolitical impact

Humanitarian impact and war crimes

{{anchor|Reactions to the conflict}}Reactions

International reactions

The EU report

NATO reaction in the Black Sea

Combatants

Georgian order of battle

{{anchor|Russo-South Ossetian and Russo-Abkhaz order of battle}}Russo-South Ossetian-Abkhaz order of battle

Military analysis

Georgia

Russia

Equipment losses and cost

Georgia

Russia and South Ossetia

A detailed list of the destroyed and captured vehicles of both sides

Russia (78, of which destroyed: 74, damaged: 2, captured: 2)

Georgia (186, of which destroyed: 89, damaged: 1, captured: 96)

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links