Russia’s President Halts Operation in Georgia
One day after US President George W. Bush strongly condemned Russia’s attack on neighboring Georgia, Russia’s President Medvedev ordered an end to military operations against Georgia.
“I have reached a decision to halt the operation to force the Georgian authorities to peace,” Medvedev said. “The aggressor has been punished and has incurred very significant losses. Its armed forces are disorganized.”
Earlier today Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili said his country would not surrender, no matter the strength of the Russians.
Many people argued right after Russia’s attack that the US should speak out against it. Bush’s first comments were not considered suffice. His second condemnation was stronger and seems to have made an impact on the Russians. This despite the idea existing in some circles that Russia might have been willing to declare war on the US over the dispute in Georgia.
Which is exactly why I believe that a strong worded condemnation from the U.S. should have come a lot earlier… Quite a few analysts who know Russia well concur that it would have made a big difference, had George Bush been a lot stronger in his condemnation in the beginning.
Believe it or not, Russia cares about how strong the West’s reaction is, and whether they can get away with things and by how much. That’s why Saakashvili was all over TV explaining his side of the story and begging for help, and that’s why Russians engaged in this whole "humanitarian intervention" propaganda.
Which is why McCain’s early and no-nonsense response was exactly what was needed on the 8th of August. I’m glad Bush did it, better late than never.
1. UN troopers were deployed between Georgia and South Osetia to prevent war. In order to attack Tskhinvali, the Georgians first killed the UN peacekeepers. This means, the UN peacekeepers were killed for carrying out their tasks assigned by the UN. This act of Georgia was not against South Osetia nor Russia, it was against the UN and the whole world’s community. Georgia has violated UN resolutions on ceasefire.
2. After killing UN peacekeepers the Georgians attacked Osetians. In order to attack the capital of South Osetia, the city of Tskhinvali, Georgian troops needed to pass through several Osetian villages. Georgian troopers destroyed these villages and murdered people who lived there; they used tanks to destroy houses and shot with machine guns at people who tried to escape: women, children, old people.
3. The capital of South Osetia, the city of Tskhinvali, was attacked by Georgia with indiscriminate weapons, i.e. houses of peaceful people were bombed with heavy bombs, missiles, shot at with tanks and grenade launchers, and Georgians have in fact razed the city to the ground.
4. As Russia discovered that Georgians:
- killed UN peacekeepers;
- violated the UN Regulation on ceasefire;
- destroyed several Osetian villages and murdered people who lived there;
- started destroying the city of Tskhinvali and its people,
it had no other choice but to stop the aggressor and the genocide of Osetians.
5. Georgia must bear a strong international responsibility for its crimes, namely:
- killing UN peacekeepers, who fulfilled their duties under international regulation;
- violating UN regulations on ceasefire;
- destroying several Osetian villages and murdering people who lived there (de facto this is a genocide);
- using indiscriminate weapons against civilians of Tskhinvali.
6. It is necessary to demand economical and political sanctions against Georgia.
"Russia cares about how strong the West’s reaction is"
Really? I don’t think so!Why are you always so unfair speaking about Us, Russians, or former Yougoslavia? It’s a big problem near the borders of Russia and we should solve it as soon as possible. I don’t know, why american people are so misinformed, you should better know what the multinationality means. You have a lot of immigrants and all of them have the same rights, why must Ossethian suffer from georgian operations, which are presented as our (Russian) agression and invasion? The tanks on CNN are georgian, not Russian. Did you see on TV the Ossethian family (mother with 2 children) which was squashed with a georgian tank? And then this pictures are called as our agression.
May be it’s a beginning of crushing the modern economics?
And this conflict is only one of first signs?
read:
http://war.georgia.su
Dear English-speakers, You’ve been misinformed. Medvedev did not order to ‘end’ or ‘halt’ the military operation. He has order to FINISH or ACCOMPLISH it (zavershit’ in Russian). Do you feel the difference?..
His second condemnation was stronger and seems to have made an impact on the Russians.
Oh common, don’t be ridiculous. Russia has stopped because it has done what it wanted to do. The idea that Russia wanted to invade Georgia proper beyond the buffer zone, take Tbilisi, overthrow Saakashvili, destroy the oil pipe-line etc. only existed in the Saakashvili’s fevered imagination and had no factual proof whatsoever.
Please don’t believe that promises made by kgb agents, as Putin and Medvedev.Former USSR nations, know all about soviet methods:desinformatin, lies, repressions. Nowdays Kremlin’s kgb regime try the West’s countries how much they will let for them. And if this agression will be sucsesfully for Russia, next will be Ukraine because she seeks to join NaTO organisation too. Well McCain was absolutely right about Russia and it’s leaders.
Artern, there were no UN peacekeepers in Georgia. There were, however, Russian troops in Georgia’s sovereign territory, some of whom were killed in fighting with the Georgian military after they attempted to interfere with the restoration of Georgian law to all areas within Georgian borders.