Timeline of the 2008 South Ossetia war
Encyclopedia
The 2008 South Ossetia war
began on August 7, 2008 and involves Georgia
, Russian Federation, South Ossetia
and Abkhazia
.
, with five policemen wounded by the blast. According to one source, the bombing happened on the 31st of July, another names the date of August the 1st. A chain of reactions and counter-reactions followed.
into Russia, which resulted in twenty bus-loads of refugee
s leaving the region on the first day. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
reported 1,100 refugees arrived in North Ossetia by bus to escape the violence.
On August 4, it has been rumored that five battalions of the Russian 58th Army
were moved to the vicinity of Roki Tunnel
that links South Ossetia with North Ossetia.
On 5 August, Russian ambassador-at-large Yuri Popov reiterated the Russian claim that the country would intervene in the event of military conflict. The Ambassador of South Ossetia to Moscow, Dmitry Medoyev
, declared that volunteers were already arriving, primarily from North Ossetia, in the region of South Ossetia to offer help in the event of Georgian aggression.
On August 6, Georgia said it had lost an APC
and that three Georgian peacekeepers had been wounded. Four people were killed that night and Georgia resumed shelling at daybreak. Residents once again began evacuating areas of South Ossetia and Georgia moved tanks, artillery, and troops to the border. The Georgian Interior Ministry
reported that as many as ten Georgian soldiers had died in the clashes throughout August 7.
According to articles at Russian media all of 58th Russian Army came to South Ossetia on August 7. Another article, in the official Russian military newspaper, reported an officer's words that at least some parts of 135th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the army had received orders to move in there.
According to The New York Times
investigation Georgia provided intercepted cellphone records which according to Georgian side were recorded on August 7 morning and provide evidence that some parts of 135th Regiment of 58th Russian Army moved through the Roki tunnel that morning. The regiment is a supplier of Russian peacekeepers at the region. Western intelligence determined independently that two battalions of the 135th Regiment moved through the tunnel to South Ossetia either on the night of August 7 or the early morning of August 8, according to a senior American official. General Uvarov, the senior Russian official, said that as the Georgians began their attack, about 100 reserve peacekeepers from the 135th Regiment were put on alert and moved close to the tunnel. They were ordered through the tunnel to reinforce forces in Tskhinvali around dawn on August 8.
Authorities of breakaway South Ossetia said number of injured persons as a result of overnight and early morning intensive fire increased to eighteen on its side. And the Georgian Interior Ministry said two from the Georgian battalion of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces were injured after the Georgian villages of Eredvi, Prisi, Avnevi, Dvani and Nuli came under mortar fire late on August 6. The South Ossetian side reported that 18 persons, including one 88-year-old man and four women, were injured after the Ossetian villages of Khetagurov, Dmenisi, Sarabuki, and Ubiat, as well as the outskirts of the capital Tskhinvali, came under “massive shelling.” Initially the South Ossetian side said early on August 7, that six persons were injured. The South Ossetian side has also claimed that the shootout resumed in the region at about 10am local time on August 7. It said that the South Ossetian village of Ubiat in the Znauri district came under fire.
Around 2 p.m. on this day, Ossetian artillery fire resumed, targeting Georgian positions in the village of Avnevi in South Ossetia. The barrage continued for several hours. Two Georgian peacekeepers were killed, the first deaths among Georgians in South Ossetia since the 1990s, according to Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze.
The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that "mercenaries and military hardware" are moving through the Roki Tunnel
, which joins Russia's North Ossetia to South Ossetia, to support the separatists. South Ossetia claimed on Thursday afternoon that large numbers of Georgian troops were moving towards the breakaway republic's de facto border.
At 19:10 Georgian President Saakashvili, ordered a unilateral ceasefire
. Saakashvili called for talks "in any format," reaffirmed the long-standing offer of full autonomy
for South Ossetia, proposed that Russia should guarantee that solution, offered a general amnesty
, and pleaded for international intercession to stop the hostilities. Georgia reiterated that it was prepared to engage in direct talks with the de facto
government of South Ossetia without any preconditions.
Following Saakashvili’s address, according to Jamestown Foundation report , attacks on Georgian villages intensified. The village of Avnevi was almost completely destroyed, Tamarasheni and Prisi shelled, and the police station in Kurta, seat of the Sanakoyev administration, smashed by artillery fire. Civilians began fleeing the villages. South Ossetia denies any such late-night bombardment. OSCE monitors group in Tskhinvali did not record outgoing artillery fire from the South Ossetian side in the hours before the start of Georgian bombardment, and NATO officials attest to minor skirmishes but nothing that amounted to a provocation, according to Der Spiegel
.
At 10:35 p.m. Georgian forces began another artillery assault on Tskhinvali. The Georgians used 27 rocket launchers, including 152-millimeter guns. Three brigades began the nighttime assault. The official reason given for this, according to the commander, Mamuka Kurashvili, was to respond to the above-mentioned attacks against Georgian villages. Kurashvili stated that the purpose of the operation was to restore constitutional order in the region. This caused an increased number of refugees to cross into Russia. Interfax quoted South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity
as saying his forces were confronting Georgians in the outskirts of Tskhinvali
, the capital of South Ossetia; he noted that fierce fighting was under way. In a televised address, Georgian President Saakashvili has vowed to restore Tbilisi's control over what he called the "criminal regime" in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and reinforce order.
At 23:30 on August 7, according to one of the sources at Georgian Government, about 100 Russian armored vehicles and Russian troops invade Georgia, crossing the Roki Tunnel from Russia into Georgia
http://embassy.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=461&info_id=7484 but before UN Georgia will claim that Russian forces have entered South Ossetia only on August 8 in 05:30 am http://www.undemocracy.com/S-PV-5952/page_2. Another sources at Georgian Government agree with the later time.
Around 00:53 on August 8 (local time, 20:53 August 7 UTC), according to Russian sources, Georgian forces began shelling the route along which refugee
s were being moved from the city. As the day progressed, Russian media reported that at least fifteen civilians had been killed in Tskhinvali. The Georgian Army crossed the border of South Ossetia
on the early hours of August 8 after overnight bombardment of Tskhinvali
by heavy artillery (howitzer
s), 122 mm multiple-launch rocket systems "Grad", and large-caliber mortars
. Tanks and APC
supported by artillery launched a thrust towards Tskhinvali. Opposed by South Ossetian forces, Georgians advanced and by the end of August 8 controlled a significant portion of the city. At 04:45 (00:45 UTC), Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili announced that Tskhinvali was nearly surrounded, and that Georgia controlled two-thirds of South Ossetia's territory. The result of Georgian night-day offensive was more than 1,600 civilians killed according to South Ossetian sources, but only about 100 according to Georgian.
According to the President of North Ossetia-Alania
, Taimuraz Mamsurov
, a number of Sukhoi
Sukhoi Su-25
ground attack aircraft of the Georgian Air Force
attacked what he described to be a humanitarian aid
convoy en route from Vladikavkaz
. Mamsurov, who had accompanied the convoy and witnessed the attack, was unharmed. Earlier, he told the Interfax news agency that hundreds of armed volunteers from North Ossetia were heading to the Tskhinvali area.
Abkhazia
n leader Sergei Bagapsh
said that volunteers from Abkhazia were on the way to help the South Ossetians.
It was later announced that an unspecified number of Abkhazian army units had advanced to the border of the arms limitation zone between Abkhazia and Georgia.
The Ambassador of Russia to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council
at 1:15am (New York time) where an exchange of accounts was made with the ambassador for Georgia. After the meeting there was a stakeout outside of the Security Council for journalists. Churkin explained that he had brought a short statement to the Council asking for its approval. He reported that council members were willing to call on the parties to the conflict to stop the hostilities but that some of the members would not agree to the renunciation of the use of force, as Russia was asking. Churkin said he had warned the council over the past few days about a Georgian military
buildup in South Ossetia and condemned Tbilisi's refusal to renounce the use of force to settle its dispute with its breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On the morning of 8 August, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
, who was in Beijing attending the 2008 Summer Olympics
, condemned the "aggressive actions" by Georgia and said that Russia would be compelled to retaliate. By 09:30, President Medvedev convened an emergency session of government officials to consider Russia’s options regarding the conflict.
Half an hour later, Georgian sources reported that three Russian Sukhoi
Su-24
attack aircraft flew into the Georgian airspace and dropped two bombs close to a police station near the town of Kareli
, which borders South Ossetia. The source also reported that the nearby city of Gori
suffered a brief Russian air strike, with no casualties. Russian authorities rejected these reports, but a Daily Telegraph correspondent later reported that he saw unidentified jets near Gori, and the Georgian military described them as "Russian warplanes".
By 11:40, Saakashvili mobilised the Georgian reserve troops amid what he referred to as "a large-scale military aggression" by Russia and called for Russia to stop "bombardment of the Georgian towns". Contradicting a Georgian report, the Russian Ministry of Defence
denied that a Russian fighter plane had been shot down above Georgian territory, calling it "informational provocation". A spokesman for the Russian forces in South Ossetia said that Georgian shells directly hit barracks in Tskhinvali, killing 12 Russian soldiers and wounding 30.
According to General Uvarov, the senior Russian official, the first Russian combat unit — the First Battalion of the 135th Regiment — did pass through the Roki Tunnel at 2:30 p.m. The battalion, he said, did not reach Tskhinvali until the next evening, having met heavy Georgian resistance. Georgia disputes that account, saying it was in heavy combat with Russian forces near the tunnel long before dawn.
Georgia reported that they offered a three-hour ceasefire starting 15:00 local time (11:00 UTC), to let civilians leave the besieged capital of Tskhinvali. However, at 10:29 UTC, Marat Kulakhmetov
, commander of the Russian forces in the region, said that "these are further lies from the Georgian side. No corridor for civilians has been opened."
The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that the Georgians had killed at least 10 Russian soldiers and wounded 30 in the first shelling of their base at the city; later that number was revised to 13 killed and 70 wounded. A column of Russian tanks from the 58th Army
began moving to Tskhinvali to help. Saakashvili said that the Russian column consisted of 150 tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and other equipment. A press video from 8 August showed Russian T-72
tanks, BMP-2
infantry fighting vehicles, and 152 mm 2S3 self-propelled howitzers moving south into the conflict zone.
Russian media reported that the Georgian army was falling back from Tskhinvali and Russian Su-24 bombers and Su-27 fighters were in complete control of the airspace above Tskhinvali. Kulakhmetov said that as a result of Georgian heavy bombardment, Tskhinvali is almost totally destroyed. Gas pipes, a hospital, and other objects of infrastructure were hit. According to France Press, at 12:00 UTC the National Security Council of Georgia (through a statement of Council Secretary Alexander Lomaia) declared that if messages about Russian tanks in South Ossetia are confirmed, then Georgia would declare war on Russia. Russian tanks entered Tskhinvali shortly after, and by nightfall Russian and South Ossetian forces controlled a large part of the city.
The Georgian Interior Ministry said that a Russian fighter dropped two bombs on the Vaziani Military Base
, near Tbilisi
. Russian fighters also bombed a military airfield in Marneuli
, near Tbilisi. At least four people were killed and another five wounded in the air strike in Marneuli, while three Georgian soldiers were killed at Vaziani. According to the source in the Russian Ministry of Defense, "the warplanes attacked only military targets: military base in Gory' Vaziani and Marneuli airfields, where [Georgian] Su-25 and L-39 airplanes are based, and the radar station 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) from Tbilisi". When asked why Russian warplanes entered Georgian airspace well before Russian government approved the involvement in Southern Ossetia conflict, the officer responded, "According to the orders from the higher command."
Saakashvili initially said that Georgia was pulling its 2,000-strong troop contingency from Iraq
. The head of Georgia's Security Council, Kakha Lomaia, later clarified that only 1,000 troops were being redeployed, telling Reuters
, "We have already communicated to our American friends that we are going to withdraw half our contingent of soldiers in Iraq within days because we are under Russian aggression." According to Georgia, the United States will provide the aircraft for transportation - a move that could risk U.S. involvement into the conflict; U.S. officials only said that all transportation options were being explored.
After the opening ceremonies in Beijing for the Olympics, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
said to U.S. President George W. Bush
that a real war had begun in Ossetia, to which Bush replied that no one wanted war, and Putin added that it is difficult to maintain peace in the Caucasus.
In New York a second emergency session of the United Nations Security Council
was convened by the ambassador for Georgia
where he detailed the "premeditated military intervention" following Russia's "well-calculated provocation". The Russian ambassador responded with news of the "treacherous attack on South Ossetia" by Georgian forces and reports of ethnic cleansing in the villages
Washington
refused to support a Russian-backed resolution in the United Nations Security Council
calling for an end to the fighting because of its opposition to a clause calling on all sides to "renounce the use of force". This persuaded Russia that Washington was backing Georgia's "right" to take military action.
stated that an airfield near Tbilisi was bombed in the early hours of the day.
Before morning Russian planes bombed the Senaki military base killing 13 Georgian soldiers and wounding another 13. The base itself was mostly destroyed.
At 5:00 AM, A Russian unit broke through the Georgian encirclement of the Russian peacekeepers and began evacuating wounded.
At 06:27 UTC, Reuters
reported that two Russian fighters had bombed Georgian artillery encampments near Gori
. The Georgian government reported that 60 civilians were killed when at least one bomb hit an apartment in Gori. According to the Russian military, three bombs hit an armament depot and the façade of one of the adjacent 5-storey apartment buildings suffered as a result exploding ammunition from the depot. At 07:41 UTC, Lenta.Ru
reported that units of the 76th Airborne Division
of the Russian Airborne Troops from Pskov
had moved to Tskhinvali
. According to Igor Konashenkov, commander of the Russian Ground Forces, they were transferred to strengthen Russian ground forces in the South Ossetian capital. It was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defence's press service that units of the Ivanovo-based 98th Guards Airborne Division
of the Russian Airborne Troops and Spetsnaz
from the Moscow-based 45th Detached Reconnaissance Regiment
would be moved to the conflict area.
At 07:57 UTC, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that its 58th Army had fully freed Tskhinvali of Georgian armed forces., and at 08:30 UTC, the Russian General Staff
confirmed the loss of two jets: a Su-25 and a Tupolev Tu-22M
; the latter was later claimed to be running aerial reconnaissance missions. The Georgian government claimed they had actually downed 10 Russian jets and captured 3 pilots. At 10:30 UTC, Russian paratroopers were deployed in South Ossetia. President Saakashvili called for a ceasefire in a speech. At 10:41 UTC, aerial attacks were carried out by Abkhazia in the eastern part of the Kodori Valley
; the only part of Abkhazia which, effectively, was under Georgian control. At 11:25 UTC, Georgian President Saakashvili asked his country's parliament to announce a state of martial law
in Georgia. The parliament approved the request, declaring martial law in Georgia for a duration of 15 days; David Bakradze
, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia
, said that Georgia was in a de facto state of war with Russia.
At around noon local time on August 9, Saakashvili said he proposed a ceasefire and the separation of the warring parties. Georgia's Security Council secretary Alexander Lomaia said Saakashvili's proposal meant that the Georgian troops would withdraw from Tskhinvali, the provincial capital of South Ossetia, and stop responding to Russian shelling. Russia's ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin
said that Russia would start negotiations only if Georgian forces withdrew to the positions they held before the conflict began; the Russian Foreign Ministry added a requirement that Georgia should promise to never attempt to retake the territory. At 16:15 the Russian Defense Ministry said it had not received any ceasefire proposal from Georgia. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the only solution was for Georgian troops to leave the conflict zone.
A Russian armored column led by General Anatoly Khrulyov
entering the city was ambushed by Georgian special forces. Russian Major Denis Vetchinov
organized a defense. but was killed in the fighting. General Khrulyov himself was wounded, and Russian forces sustained heavy losses in the fighting. The entire column was almost completely wiped out, and only five vehicles escaped the ambush. In one of them, the entire crew except the driver and the mechanical engineer were killed. The Russians claimed that all of the Georgians were killed.
According to a source in the Georgian government, the Roki Tunnel
used by Russians to bring in supplies and reinforcements was demolished. The Russian Ministry of Defense denied the report. Time Magazine reporter John Wendle later confirmed that the tunnel had not been destroyed. Lomaia reported that Russia had bombed the Black Sea port of Poti
and had started to bomb civil and economic infrastructure. There were also reports by the Associated Press
of Russian ships patrolling the waters off Poti, though Russia denied they were implementing a blockade.
Lenta.ru reported that all Russian TV channels had been banned from broadcasting in Georgia, with Georgia alleging that Russia was conducting an ongoing information war
. Meanwhile, Russia cut off all air connections with Georgia. On the same day, the United Nations once again failed to reach consensus on how to word any request for a cessation of hostilities.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that the Russian Federation begins operation "to force the Georgian side to peace".
The U.S. embassy in Georgia organized an evacuation convoy
to leave for Yerevan
on August 10 and a second one scheduled for August 11 and invited American citizens in the region to join them, while it also issued a travel warning.
Reuters reported that South Ossetian officials claimed that fighting on Tskhinvali's southern fringes had ended at about midnight; however, these reports could not be substantiated. Reuters further reported that the Russian commander of the 58th Army in South Ossetia, Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov
, was wounded by Georgian forces outside of Tskhinvali early Sunday morning.
Moscow Defense Brief
reported that by the morning of August 10, the Georgians had captured almost all of Tskhinvali, forcing Russian and South Ossetian forces to retreat to the northern reaches of the city. However, the tide soon turned. Ossetian militia with the support of Russian forces took back several villages, and Georgian forces in several Georgian enclaves were eliminated. In the village of Zemo-Nikosi, Georgian forces stubbornly resisted a Russian armored attack, and managed to hold off the Russians for a period of time before being wiped out. The bulk of Georgian artillery was forced off positions from which it could shell Tskhinvali, including the key Prisi heights. Georgian forces began withdrawing from Tskhinvali. Georgian forces tried to push into Tskhinvali a third time, but were repelled by a very heavy Russian-led counterattack.
The Georgian Interior Ministry claimed that Russia had moved 6,000 soldiers into South Ossetia by land and another 4,000 into Abkhazia by sea in preparation to attack at dawn the next day. Vladimir Putin
, after attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, flew to North Ossetia to oversee what he called a "humanitarian operation" and state that he believed it was now unlikely that South Ossetia could ever reintegrate within Georgia. He said the government was ready to earmark up to RUB
10.1 billion (approximately US$
425 million
) for aid to the region. Putin's spokesperson gave assurances that the visit had no military component, and in the morning Putin left for Gorki
outside Moscow to meet Russian president Medvedev.
There were conflicting reports as to the continuation of Georgian military actions. Georgia claimed that its forces were retreating from South Ossetia and the Foreign Ministry of Georgia announced that the government had declared a unilateral ceasefire. However, Russian troops refused to recognise a truce, claiming Georgian forces were not retreating, but merely regrouping. Georgia’s Internal Affairs Ministry spokesman, Shota Utiashvili, claimed that "Georgian troops have fully left South Ossetia", while according to Georgian Reintegration Minister Temur Yakobashvili, Georgian troops had pulled out of Tskhinvali and, according to her, Georgian "forces have relocated and assumed new positions." Russian peacekeeping spokesman Vladimir Ivanov, however, stated that "Georgia did not remove its forces from South Ossetia. Our observation posts have spotted Georgian law-enforcement units, as well as artillery and armoured vehicles."
Russia later acknowledged a withdrawal was in progress, with a spokesman noting, "Units of the Georgian armed forces have started withdrawing from Tskhinvali. The withdrawal has been spotted by the peacekeeping forces' intelligence."
Sergei Bagapsh
, President of Abkhazia, said he had sent 1,000 troops to the Kodori gorge
and announced the mobilisation of reservists to reinforce its positions. He warned Abkhazia was ready to "enforce order" and would go further if there was resistance from Georgia.
At around 3:20 p.m. UTC, Georgia said that they ordered a ceasefire, and offered to start talks with Russia over an end to hostilities in South Ossetia. Russia confirmed receiving the offer but said that "the Georgian side has not stopped military actions in South Ossetia, Georgian troops continued shelling." However, Russian and Georgian foreign ministers spoke over the phone. The conversation ended with the Georgian minister promising to find out more about whether Georgian forces were withdrawn from South Ossetia.
Later in the day, Georgia reported that Tbilisi International Airport
was the target of a Russian air strike, just a few hours before the scheduled arrival of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
. The Russian Ministry of Defence dismissed the alleged bombing as "another disinformation" by Georgia. Georgian State Minister for Reintegration, Temur Iakobashvili also denied this, stating, "There was no attack on the airport in Tbilisi. It was a factory that produces combat airplanes."
The Russian Defence Ministry announced that the Russian Navy sunk a Georgian missile boat after two alleged attacks of such boats earlier that day. This was later confirmed by Russian Navy Commander Assistant Igor Dygalo. He said that four Georgian vessels were spotted sailing inside a 'security zone' established by the Russian Navy off Abkhazia
. The Russian fleet retaliated with a barrage of naval gunfire. One patrol boat was sunk and the remaining three retreated in the direction of the Georgian port of Poti
.
The ambassador for the United States convened an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council
in which UN Under-Secretary-General B. Lynn Pascoe
gave a briefing about the refugee situation and Edmond Mulet
briefed about the situation relating to the mandate of UNOMIG.
Following statements by Georgia and the United States, the Russian ambassador said: "Unfortunately, I have to point out that the content of
the briefing by Mr. Pascoe shows that the Secretariat and its leadership have not been able to adopt an objective position showing a thorough grasp of the substance of this conflict, as should be expected from the leadership of such an authoritative international organisation". CNN reported that the Russian ambassador drew rebuke after making this comment.
The ambassador for the United States later added: "Foreign Minister Lavrov told United States Secretary of State Rice that the democratically elected President of Georgia — and I quote — 'must go'. I quote again: 'Saakashvili must go'. This is completely unacceptable and crosses the line." The Russian ambassador responded by saying "On Ambassador Khalilzad’s interesting reference to a confidential diplomatic telephone call between our Minister for Foreign Affairs and his Secretary of State, I must say at the outset that regime change is an American expression. We do not use such expressions."
According to Newsru
, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin later denied this, and rather said that Saakashvili "cannot be considered as a partner" because "no decent person would talk to him". He said that if an agreement of not using military force is signed, "peace will be restored whatever the fate of Saakashvili will be". He said Condoleezza Rice
"misinterpreted" their phone conversation.
A Turkish TV crew was attacked while heading into South Ossetia and taken to Vladikavkaz
for interrogations. They were later released by Russian authorities.
According to Georgian officials, large numbers of Russian ground forces had entered undisputed Georgian territory and were headed to Gori
. Western officials again reiterated their fears that Russia intends to overthrow the Georgian government. Russia denied any intention of occupying Georgia, "We have enough territory to think of, we don't need Georgia." said Aleksei Pavlov, a Kremlin spokesman. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia claims that Russia began "intensive combat" in Gori following prior air strikes. Georgian troops reportedly returned fire. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not confirm or deny the reports.
Russian forces moved into Senaki
, which is 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) inland from the Black Sea, and seized police stations in Zugdidi, just outside the southern fringe of Abkhazia. Abkhazian allies took control of the nearby village of Kurga, according to witnesses and Georgian officials. An Associated Press reporter saw Russian troops in control of government buildings in Zugdidi
just miles from the frontier and Russian troops were reported in nearby Senaki.
During the early morning Moscow time, Russia declared itself ready to make peace with Georgia. UN officials confirmed Georgia was prepared to negotiate with Russia by withdrawing troops from South Ossetia and create a safe travel zone. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Russia is "ready to put an end to the war," but also accused the UN secretary-general's office of taking Georgia's side. The agreement was confirmed by UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynne Pascoe during a briefing to the Security Council.
The United Nations Security Council
held a closed meeting on the issue at 5:30pm New York time.
Georgia declared it had received a Russian ultimatum that it must disarm troops near the breakaway province of Abkhazia or face Russian forces moving into Georgian-controlled territory. This demand was conveyed through UN military observers in the area. Russian assistant commander Alexander Novitskiy reported on the morning of August 11 that 9,000 Russian troops and 350 armoured vehicles had entered Abkhazia during the evening of August 10.
Later, Russian media reported that Russian Airborne Forces Commander lieutenant general Valeriy Evtukhovich arrived in Abkhazia.
Russian General Staff Second-in-Commander Anatoliy Nogovitsyn
confirmed in the briefing at noon that Russian Army lost another two Su-25 jets. Also he confirmed 18 soldiers dead, 14 missing (whereabouts unknown).
Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov
reported that nine Georgian special services agents were arrested, and they "prepared for terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation". He said that all nine agents confessed to the allegations.
According to Anatoliy Nogovitsyn, 800 Georgian troops and 11 tons of cargo were moved from Iraq to Georgia by eight U.S. military transport flights. Early Georgian officials said that all moved Georgian troops will be sent to South Ossetia war conflict zone. Nogovitsyn also stated that Russia will take "adequate measures" in response to that, which would mean the increase of Russian troops in conflict zone. Prime minister Vladimir Putin
criticised the United States for help in redeploying Georgian troops from Iraq.
North Ossetian government officials said that several foreign mercenaries arrived at Vladikavkaz
hospital. Early at General Staff briefing Anatoly Nogovitsyn confirmed that there were black-skinned soldiers with non-Georgian passports among them; he did not specify their citizenship.
According to RIA Novosti, the earlier reports about
Russians not being allowed to leave Georgia were denied by the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that it received such reports from over 360 stranded Russian citizens.
The Georgian Minister of Defense announced that the Georgian military base in Senaki, outside Abkhazia, was captured by Russian armoured vehicles. UN officials B. Lynn Pascoe and Edmond confirmed this in a UN security meeting and said that Russian airborne troops were not meeting any resistance while taking control of Georgia's Senaki army base. The Georgian Interior Minister stated that police stations in Zugdidi
had also been seized, which was later confirmed also by AP. According to witnesses and Georgian officials, Abkhazians also took control of the nearby village of Kurga.
According to Georgian officials, the city of Gori—76 kilometres (47.2 mi) from the Georgian capital—has fallen to Russian forces. Russian troops destroyed an empty military base which Georgian soldiers had previously fled and then took position just outside of the town. The Russian defense ministry denied the information, claiming there were no Russian troops in Gori. Russia's version of events was confirmed by Reuters
reporters James Kilner and Margarita Antidze, who said that there is no "trace of troops or military vehicles, it is absolutely deserted". The Daily Telegraph (UK) reported that it witnessed "Georgians in a full scale disorganised and panicked retreat from Gori". Georgian troops were falling back to defend the capital city of Tbilisi
, following their retreat from Gori. Later local journalist from Gori said to Guardian that "Russian troops had occupied the main road on the edge of the city, but had not moved towards the centre" and Guardians journalist confirmed that city were bombed.
Since Gori is along Georgia's main highway, its alleged occupation by Russian forces would have cut Georgia's lines of communication and logistics in two. Secretary of the Georgian Security Council, Alexander Lomaia, said that the Georgian Army had been told to stand fast and hold the city of Mtskheta
, 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) from the capital. But note that several hours later, in the night of August 11 and August 12, reports of a wholesale Russian invasion or even an advance as far as Gori could not be confirmed by U.S. sources, based on on-the-ground intelligence. A U.S. defense official said he didn't see anything that supports that the Russians are in Gori and doesn't know why the Georgians were saying that.). A U.S. military official told CNN
that Russian attacks on Georgia – including radars and communication systems – have devastated the country's command and control system to the point where Georgian leaders may not have a clear idea of the situation on the ground.
The Assistant Commander of Russian peacekeepers Alexander Novitsky claims that during a reconnaissance
mission the Russian Air Force
shot down two Georgian helicopters at the air base of Senaki. The helicopters were identified as Mi-8
and Mi-24 belonging to the Georgian Air Force.
Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed sending of two companies of Chechnya
based special battalions Vostok ("East") and Zapad ("West")
to South Ossetia.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv
reported that the United States was supplying Georgia with arms. According to the paper, the United States is hiring Russian-made freight planes belonging to UTI Worldwide Inc. to transport arms and ammunition to Georgia. The paper says the Pentagon is redirecting supplies to Tbilisi that were earmarked for Iraq.
According to Russia Today (RT): "The U.S. has begun evacuating the families of its diplomats from Georgia. They are being sent to Armenia as a precaution, according to the U.S. Embassy in the Armenian capital Yerevan. U.S. ambassador John Tefft and his team of diplomats will continue their work in Tbilisi."
Meanwhile Russian Defence Ministry said it has no plans to attack Tbilisi. "We do not have and have never had any plans to advance on Tbilisi," Interfax agency cites a source in Russian command. Russian troops left the Georgian military base at Senaki, which they took earlier this day.
attacks continued in the South Ossetian region, despite claims from Georgia that it was imposing a ceasefire.
The Agence France-Presse
reported that U.S. defense officials said they were unable to corroborate the Georgian claims that Russian troops had moved out of South Ossetia into Georgia proper, occupying the city of Gori while Georgian troops were retreating to the capital. "We don't see anything that supports they are in Gori", said a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "I don't know why the Georgians are saying that." The official also said there was no obvious buildup of Russian forces along the border that signaled an intention to invade.
Russia has deployed a ship off the coast of Poti and is reportedly enforcing a 50-mile exclusion zone around the port. Georgia also accused Russia of sending troops into Poti though Russia claimed they had only sent in a reconnaissance mission, which visited city only for a short amount of time.
The Foreign Minister of Italy, Franco Frattini, said he would consider deploying Italian soldiers to the region in the event that French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner
recommends EU involvement after his mediation mission to Tbilisi and Moscow this week; however, Frattini stressed that Italy could not support the creation of a "European anti-Russian coalition" over the conflict. He also told ANSA
he was "optimistic" for a positive resolution to the crisis following telephone consultations with foreign ministers from the other G7 countries.
Vitaly Churkin, Russian representative at the United Nations declared to journalists that Russia would not accept the resolution on South Ossetia as prepared by the EU's presidency. It is not certain whether Churkin made the statement before or during negotiations over the resolution. The document proposes an immediate cease-fire, and restoring the territory of Georgia as it was before the beginning of the conflict.
A report from Interfax cited the Abkhaz defense headquarters as saying Abkhaz troops backed up with Russian paratroopers had launched an operation early in the day to push Georgian forces out of the northern part of the Kodori Gorge. According to The New York Times, Abkhaz Deputy Minister of Defense Garri Kupalba said on the previous day that there were 2,500 Georgian troops in the area, but 1,000 civilians had left the gorge through a humanitarian corridor which was opened for civilians and soldiers to get out safely before "the operation to eliminate Georgian troops will begin".
As said by Madina Shavlokhova, Gzt.Ru reporter, she saw ex-commander of Vostok
special battalion Sulim Yamadayev
in South Ossetia within Vostok battalion. Later it was confirmed by his brother Isa Yamadayev, commander of 5th Company of Vostok. He said that 215 soldiers of Vostok are commanded by Sulim. Early, Sulim Yamadayev was declared as federal wanted for murder after conflict with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov
. Isa Yamadayev said that he is in Gudermes
and later will move to South Ossetia with 100 soldiers.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Russia, Colonel General Anatoliy Nogovitsyn
, said the remaining Georgian troops in South Ossetia were surrendering and leaving the area. Nogovitsyn also said Russia had gained full control over Georgian airspace.
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation reported that they had arrested the Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Georgia, according to RIA Novosti. According to the Russian special services, the Georgian agents were instructed to create centers of armed resistance to the authorities in southern Russia.
An Associated Press reporter has seen 135 Russian military vehicles, including tanks, driving toward the Kodori Gorge, held by Georgian forces. The acting Georgian ambassador to Britain has told Sky News that Russian jets are bombing civilian targets in Georgia despite Moscow's announcement that the war has ended. Sergei Bagapsh, the President of Abkhazia said Abkhaz forces had taken the towns of Ashara and Tchalta and were advancing to the Georgian border. He said Abkhazia controls most of the Upper Kodori Gorge. A group of 250 Abkhaz soldiers was reported to have clashed with Georgian forces in the Gorge at the edge of Abkhazia. Abkhazia's chief of the General Staff of the armed forces, Anatoly Zaitsev, stated that Abkhazia's armed forces have surrounded the Georgian troops in the Kodori Gorge. Zaitsev said 250 Abkhazian servicemen had landed near the settlement of Chkhalta, meeting resistance from Georgian units, who fired on them with small arms. The second Abkhazian unit is due to back up the first group of servicemen. The foreign Minister of Abkhazia, Sergei Shamba said that Abkhazian Air Force and artillery have been delivering missile and bomb strikes on military objects in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge. Units of the regular troops and reservists of the armed forces of Abkhazia are taking part in the operation.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Georgia would declare Russian peacekeepers occupiers and the breakaway states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia occupied territory. He also announced Georgia would withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States
. Georgia has also filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice accusing Russia of carrying out ethnic cleansing in the 2008 conflict and in 1993. The deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma
called for Russia to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent because of the conflict. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Malakhov said recognition would be "premature" before the crisis was resolved.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Secretary-General of NATO, said Georgia remains a candidate for NATO membership in spite of the conflict.
On August 13, a reporter for the UK Guardian claimed that "the idea there is a ceasefire is ridiculous", saying Chechen, Cossack and Ossetian irregulars were following advancing Russian lines near Gori
burning Georgian villages.
An Associated Press report at 16:00 UTC claimed that "Russian troops and paramilitaries thrust deep into Georgia on Wednesday, rolling into the strategic city of Gori" said that "an AP reporter later saw dozens of tanks and military vehicles leaving the city, roaring southeast." Sky News correspondents claimed that tanks were on the streets in Gori, adding that they and Norwegian journalists were robbed at gunpoint, apparently by South Ossetian irregulars.
The New York Times said Czech journalists were also robbed and claimed that "the Russian military had firmly occupied this leafy city" of Gori. A reporter from the Belgian national television station VRT also confirmed that about 30 Russian armoured vehicles entered Gori in the morning and then positioned themselves on the hills around the city.
Al Jazeera correspondents in Poti
reported "more and more Russian troops coming into the area all day" and the destruction of several Georgian vessels. Reporter Hoda Abdel Hamid claimed that "Russia is clearly on the offensive."
Russia, in turn, accused Georgia, saying "[d]espite the assurances from the Georgian side that they have ended all military activities, Russian troops shot down a second Georgian drone over Tskhinvali earlier today."
U.S. President George W. Bush ordered U.S. military aircraft and naval vessels to deliver humanitarian and medical supplies. At 17:25 UTC the first U.S. C-17 Globemaster
aircraft arrived in Tbilisi
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
signed a decree requiring that Russia seek the permission of Ukraine's armed forces "at least 72 hours prior to [Russian] ships or aircraft crossing the Ukrainian border."
According to RIA News deputy chief of Russian joint staff general-colonel Anatoly Nogovicin says: "With all responsibility I say: we don't have our tanks in Gori. Administration of Gori shameful leave town before we come to it. And we can't set dialogue with anyone of Gori administration."
. He also stated he saw tanks and snipers nearby.
A BBC correspondent claimed to have heard a series of explosions coming from hills around the town. The UK Telegraph said "South Ossetian irregulars continuing to loot and pillage in Gori and nearby Georgian villages, often with the encouragement of Russian troops".
According to Reuters, witnesses in Poti
claimed that Russian tanks had entered the town and were "looting" or destroying infrastructure. Russia denied that its troops were in Poti.
Although U.S. Secretary of State Rice said "[t]he provisional ceasefire that was agreed to really must go into place. And that means that military activities have to cease" and Defence Secretary Gates accused the Russians of going "far beyond reasserting the autonomy of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Gates nonetheless said that there was "no prospect" of US troops being deployed in the region.
According to Interfax, army of Russian Federation gave back control of Gori to army of Georgia. Russian minister of defence general-major Vyacheslav Borisov said: "All previous talks about damaged town and marauding do not correspond to reality". Secretary of National Defence Сouncil of Georgia Alexander Lomaya also agreed with this message and said in live broadcast on "Rustavi-2": "In whole situation in Gori is calm and now Russian army only keeps up the order".
Amid the ruins and tanks in the South Ossetian capital, the remaining residents shared scant goods and wondered why humanitarian aid promised by Russia has not arrived (Brisbane Times)
On August 15:
04:44 GMT – The Russian Federal Immigration Service has officially registered over 17,000 refugees from South Ossetia, who fled to Russia after Georgia’s military assault. 1820 of them are children. (Russia today's timeline of the conflict)
07:55 GMT – Georgians in South Ossetia who fled during last week's fighting will not be allowed to return to their homes in the breakaway republic, according to South Ossetia President Eduard Kokoity. (Russia today's timeline of the conflict)
09:28 GMT - A senior Russian military official said that five U.S. Air Force C-17 planes have landed at Tbilisi airport, bringing unknown cargo to Georgia. (Russia today's timeline of the conflict)
09:40 GMT - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has blamed Georgia for provoking hostilities in its breakaway region of South Ossetia and criticised Western states for backing Tbilisi. (Russia today's timeline of the conflict)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, meets Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the Russian resort town of Sochi. (BBC's timeline of the conflict)
On Sochi meeting Mr Medvedev says Georgia should sign the ceasefire immediately but he cannot see the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia wanting to be a part of Georgia now. Moscow is not against the idea of having international peacekeeping forces in the two regions, he says, but the people living there only trust Russian peacekeepers. (BBC's timeline of the conflict)
At the same time, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tbilisi for talks with Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili, in a show of US support for the Georgian government. She brought with her the formal ceasefire agreement brokered by French and current European Union leader Nicolas Sarkozy. It is hoped Mr Saakashvili will sign the agreement. (BBC's timeline of the conflict)
Amidst what the Associated Press described as "intense diplomacy to persuade Russia to pull troops out of Georgia", "tensions soared" after Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn was quoted by the Interfax News Agency as saying that by accepting a US missile battery Poland "is exposing itself to a strike".
The Georgian Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that Russia had destroyed a major railway bridge in the Kaspi district
responsible for bisecting Georgia from east to west and linking the hinterland to seaports on the Black Sea. Russian denied blowing up the bridge.
According to the International Herald Tribune, Russian military units advanced to Igoeti, their closest approach yet to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The newspaper said the move "opened a new security vacuum between Gori and [Igoeti], creating fresh targets" for "looters and armed gangs in uniform - many of them apparently Ossetians, Chechens and Cossacks - [who] have operated behind the army's path, ransacking villages largely vacated by fleeing civilians."
The IHT also noted that "Russian soldiers remained in Zugdidi and Senaki in western Georgia, and another armored patrol roamed the roads to Abasha, near Kutaisi. A large contingent still held Gori, astride the country's most important road."
A Georgian Foreign Ministry statement claimed that Russian forces and separatist units had taken 13 villages in the buffer zone along the border of the separatist region of Abkhazia that was created at the end of the 1992-1993 war over the region. The statement went on to claim that temporary administrations had been set up in those villages. A power plant was also claimed to have been taken in the maneuver. The statement indicated that the effect of this action was to shift the border of Abkhazia toward the Inguri River.
According to the Associated Press, Russian forces were "digging in" at Igoeti, which is about 30 miles west of Tbilisi.
accused the Russian army
of destroying a key railway bridge and starting massive fires in the scenic Borjomi Gorge
, in violation of a new cease-fire agreement between the two countries. The BBC
's Richard Galpin, who has spent the past two days travelling from the Black Sea port of Poti to Tbilisi, says Georgian forces seem to be surrendering control of the highway to the Russians (BBC).
The UK Guardian said that South Ossetian forces had captured Akhalgori
while the New York Times reported that Russia had deployed SS-21 Scarab missile launchers to South Ossetia, an accusation that Russia denies.
Russia's president Medvedev nonetheless said Russian troops would begin pulling out of Georgia on Monday.
-correspondent Olaf Bock hadn't heard of any independent observers reporting either troop movement out of Gori or troops coming into North Ossetia from South Ossetia.
Four armored vehicles appeared in the village of Igoeti, intending to move towards the village of Lamiskana. Georgian police resisted the Russians and made a barrier with their vehicles; however, the soldiers received an order from their general to drive over the police vehicles and so they did. The police managed to get out of the cars and no one was injured.
Late on afternoon, Russian units were still operating in the center of the country. Russian military convoys continued to move in and out of Gori, about 40 miles northwest of Tbilisi, including tanks and an anti-aircraft gun. The situation was the same in western Georgia, the second flank of the Russian offensive. There was no evidence of a Russian pullback by mid-afternoon in and around Zugdidi, near Georgia's border with the rebel province of Abkhazia. As they had the day before, Russian tanks occupied the regional police compound there. In the morning, a convoy of 12 Russian military vehicles, including three tanks, rolled south toward the key Black Sea port of Poti. In Senaki, Russian forces continued to occupy a Georgian air base and other positions in the city, located along Georgia's main east-west highway.
According to RIAN
, Russian troops were pulling out of the South Ossetian capital Tskinvali.
, rendering "another big blow to Georgia's economy." An Azeri news source quoted a Poti port official as saying, "workers were expelled from the port".Russian forces reportedly commandeered the Georgian missile boat, Tbilisi, and sank it.
NATO countries convened for an "emergency summit" in Brussels
to find some consensuses on a response towards Russia in regard to the conflict in Georgia. While, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov levelled accusations at NATO of being "unobjective and biased" in maintaining support for a "criminal regime" that is "failing."
The United Nations Security Council
met to hear a briefings about the situation, including brief statements about human rights abuses and relief shipments to the area, and the promise of a permanent Russian military base in South Ossetia. The Georgian ambassador reported cases of destruction of their civilian and military infrastructure and alleged a Russian backed cyber attack. The Russian ambassador accused other parties of engaging in propaganda.
Despite selective Russian fortification in some areas, some Russian forces were seen heading north, out of the area that the French-brokered cease fire signed between Russia and Georgia demanded Russia leave. There was question as to whether or not Russian forces would have left the area fully by Friday, as they had stated they would since Tuesday. There were reports of Russian forces looting civilian property and of civilian starvation in Gori.
Russia has announced its promised troop pullout from Georgia is complete. Russia says it will keep a permanent military presence in a large buffer zone bordering Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. According to a White House spokesman, American President Bush and French President Sarkozy have agreed that Russia is not in compliance with the cease fire that Sarkozy brokered between Georgia and Russia. The Kremlin, however, says in a formal announcement, that President Sarkozy, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Medvedev
, has shown satisfaction with the Russian withdrawal.
The Georgian pilotless flying machine is shot down( Southern Ostetii Michael Mindzaev has informed the Ministry of Internal Affairs).
held a meeting to hear briefings about the humanitarian implications of the conflict, and for both sides to state their positions on the issue.ref>
and Khob followed.
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
began on August 7, 2008 and involves Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Russian Federation, South Ossetia
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
and Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
.
Military conflict - timeline
The tensions have been escalating through the year of 2008, but the countdown to the open hostilities starts with a bombing of a Georgian police car near the Eredvi village east of TskhinvaliTskhinvali
Tskhinvali , is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region which has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru, and is regarded by Georgia and the rest of the world as part of the Shida Kartli region within Georgian sovereign territory.It is located...
, with five policemen wounded by the blast. According to one source, the bombing happened on the 31st of July, another names the date of August the 1st. A chain of reactions and counter-reactions followed.
Overview timeline
Events prior to August 2008 are described in Georgian–Ossetian conflict.- July 31 - Two roadside bombs made out of 122 mm shells hit a Georgian police Toyota SUV near the Georgian village of Eredvi. Six Georgian policemen were wounded.
- August 1 - Late evening, intense fighting began between Georgian troops and the forces of South Ossetia. Georgia claimed that South Ossetian separatists had shelled Georgian villages in violation of a ceasefireCeasefireA ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
. South Ossetia denied provoking the conflict. A South Ossetia leader and Russian command of peacekeepers reported that a South Ossetia militiaman was killed by sniper fire from Georgia at 6:17pm and the at least 3 other people were killed by sniper fire around 9pm. - August 2 - South Ossetians started to evacuate into Russia.
- August 5 - Russian ambassador Yuri Popov warned that Russia would intervene if conflict erupted. Dmitry Medoyev, a South Ossetian presidential envoy, declared in Moscow: "Volunteers are arriving already, primarily from North Ossetia" in South Ossetia.
- August 6 - Evacuation of South Ossetian women and children is finished.
- August 7 - President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered Georgian troops to cease fire.
According to Georgian military, despite the declared ceasefire, fighting intensified. Hours after the declaration of the ceasefire, in a televised address, Mikheil Saakashvili vowed to restore Tbilisi's control by force over what he called the "criminal regime" in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and reinforce order. - August 8 - During the night and early morning, Georgia launched a military offensive to surround and capture the capital of separatist Republic of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali thus breaking the terms of the 1992 ceasefire and crossing into the security zone established therein. According to Russian military, some Russian peacekeepers have been killed during this attack. The heavy shelling, which included Georgian rockets being fired into South Ossetia left parts of the capital city in ruins, causing a humanitarian crisis which Russian government sources claimed amounted to genocide. The news of the shelling was extensively covered by Russian media prior to the military reaction that followed, as Russia claimed to have responded in defense of South Ossetians against what they called "a genocideGenocideGenocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
by Georgian forces." There were claims that casualties may amount up to 2,000 dead in Tskhinvali following the Georgian shelling. President Saakashvili later claimed that the Russian side has deployed tanks into the disputed region before he gave the order for Georgian forces to attack, but before UN Georgia will claim that Russian forces have entered South Ossetia only on August 8 in 05:30 am http://www.undemocracy.com/S-PV-5952/page_2. At Russia’s request, the United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
held consultations on 7 August at 11pm (US ESTEastern Time ZoneThe Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
time), followed by an open meeting at 1.15am (US EST time) on 8 August, with Georgia attending. During consultations, Council members discussed a press statement that called for an end to hostilities. They were unable, however, to come to a consensus. In the morning, Georgia announced that it had surrounded the city and captured eight South Ossetian villages. An independent Georgian TV station announced that Georgian military took control of the city.
Russia sent troops across the Georgian border, into South Ossetia. In five days of fighting, the Russian forces captured the regional capital Tskhinvali, pushed back Georgian troops, and largely destroyed Georgia’s military infrastructure using airstrikeAirstrikeAn air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
s deep inside the smaller country's territory.
- August 9 - An action in the Black Sea off Abkhazia resulted in one Georgian missile boatMissile boatA Missile Boat is a small craft armed with anti-ship missiles. Being a small craft, missile boats are popular with nations interested in forming an inexpensive navy...
being sunk by the Russian Navy. The Russians claimed that the Georgian ships entered the security zone of the Russian war ships, and the action of the Russian Navy was in accordance with international law. After the skirmish, the remaining Georgian ships fled in defeat.
A second front was openedBattle of the Kodori ValleyThe Battle of Kodori Valley was a military operation in the Upper Kodori Valley, during the 2008 South Ossetia war, the only part of Abkhazia, which remained under Georgian control after the War in Abkhazia from 1992 to 1993. Hostilities started, during the 2008 South Ossetia war, the Abkhazian...
by the military of the Georgia's separatist Republic of Abkhazia in the Kodori ValleyBattle of the Kodori ValleyThe Battle of Kodori Valley was a military operation in the Upper Kodori Valley, during the 2008 South Ossetia war, the only part of Abkhazia, which remained under Georgian control after the War in Abkhazia from 1992 to 1993. Hostilities started, during the 2008 South Ossetia war, the Abkhazian...
, the only region of Abkhazia that was, before the war began, still in effective control of Georgian loyalists.
Most international observersInternational reaction to the 2008 South Ossetia warThe international reaction to the 2008 South Ossetia war covered many nations, NGOs, and non-state actors. The conflict began in August 2008 over South Ossetia but eventually the violence spread elsewhere in Georgia as well...
began calling for a peaceful solution to the conflict. The European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and the United States expressed a willingness to send a joint delegation to try and negotiate a cease-fire. - August 11 - Russia ruled out peace talks with Georgia until the latter withdrew from South Ossetia and signed a legally binding pact renouncing the use of force against South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On that night, Russian paratroopers deployed in Abkhazia carried out raids deep inside Georgian territory to destroy military bases from where Georgia could send reinforcements to its troops sealed off in South Ossetia. Russian forces entered and left the military base near the town of SenakiSenakiSenaki is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around .From 1935 to 1976 it was called Tskhakaya in honor of the Georgian Bolshevik revolutionary leader Mikhail Tskhakaya....
outside Abkhazia on the 11th, leaving the base there destroyed. Gori was shelled and bombed by the Russians as the Georgian military and most of residents of the Gori District fled. Since Gori is along Georgia's main highway, its occupation by Russian forces, combined with destruction of a railway bridge, cut Georgia's lines of communication and logistics in two. - August 12 - Russian President Medvedev said that he had ordered an end to military operations in Georgia. Later on the same day, Russian president Medvedev approved a six-point peace plan brokered by President-in-Office of the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, Nicolas SarkozyNicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, in Moscow; both sides were to sign it by the 17th.
Russian troops drove through the port of PotiPotiPoti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
, and took up positions around it. - August 13 - All of the remaining Georgian forces, including at least 1,500 civilians in the Kodori Valley, had retreated to Georgia proper.
Russian tanks were seen at Gori. Russian troops were seen on the road from Gori to Tbilisi, but turned off to the north, about an hour from Tbilisi, and encamped. Georgian troops occupied the road six miles (about 10 km) closer to Tbilisi. - August 14 - Efforts to institute joint patrols of Georgian and Russian police in Gori broke down due to apparent discord among personnel.
- August 15 - Reuters stated that Russian forces had pushed to 34 miles (54.7 km) from Tbilisi, the closest during the war; they stopped in Igoeti 41°59′22"N 44°25′04"E, an important crossroads. According to the report, 17 APCs and 200 soldiers, including snipers, participated in the advance; the convoy included a military ambulance, and initially, three helicopters. A Reuters witness said the Russian military convoy advanced to within 55 km (34.2 mi) of Tbilisi on Friday. That day, United States Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
also traveled to Tbilisi, where Saakashvili signed the 6-point peace plan in her presence. - August 16 - The Russians had occupied Poti, as well as military bases in Gori and Senaki.
- August 17 - the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Richard Galpin, who has spent the past two days travelling from the Black Sea port of Poti to Tbilisi, says Georgian forces seem to be surrendering control of the highway to the Russians. According to BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Gabriel Gatehouse, there is a "much-reduced" Russian military presence in Gori and lorries can be seen delivering humanitarian aid. But he says Russian soldiers still control the town's key entry and exit points.
Referring to a major ground exercise Russia held in July, just north of Georgia’s border, Dale Herspring (an expert on Russian military affairs at Kansas State University) described Russia's intervention as being "exactly what they executed in Georgia just a few weeks later... a complete dress rehearsal". - August 19 - The Russian forces in Poti took prisoner 21 Georgian troops who had approached the city. They were taken to a Russian base at Senaki; there is dispute whether they were later released.
Some Russian armour left Gori for an uncertain destination. On the same day, Russian and Georgian forces exchanged prisoners of war. Georgia said it handed over 5 Russian servicemen, in exchange for 15 Georgians, including two civilians.
- August 22 - At least 40 Russian armoured personnel carriers left Gori; other Russian troops remained in Georgia proper and dug in the outskirts of Poti with a checkpoint manned by 20 men on the main road, while a Reuters reporter apparently saw a checkpoint in Karaleti 6 km north of Gori. At a news conference Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn insisted "These patrols were envisaged in the international agreement, Poti is outside of the security zone, but that does not mean we will sit behind a fence watching them riding around in Hummers." French President Nicolas SarkozyNicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
thanked President Medvedev for fulfilling commitments concerning the withdrawal of Russian troops. While stressing the importance of early withdrawal of Russian military presence on the axis Poti / Senaki. - August 23 - Russia declared the withdrawal of its forces to lines it asserted fulfilled the six points: into Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and the "security corridor" around South Ossetia. The bulk of its forces left Georgian soil altogether; yet, checkpoint installations remained on the main road from Tbilisi to Poti where it passed within 8 kilometers of South Ossetia; two Russian outposts remained outside Poti.
August 1 – August 6: buildup
Beginning late on August 1, intense fighting began between Georgian troops and paramilitary soldiers of South Ossetia, causing the deaths of six people and injuring 21 others. The six killed were Ossetian militiamen, taken down by the big-caliber sniper rifles used for the first time by the Georgians. Each side accused the other of commencing the fighting. On August 3, the Russian government and the head of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, instructed South Ossetians to begin evacuationEmergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
into Russia, which resulted in twenty bus-loads of refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s leaving the region on the first day. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
reported 1,100 refugees arrived in North Ossetia by bus to escape the violence.
On August 4, it has been rumored that five battalions of the Russian 58th Army
58th Army (Russia)
The 58th Army is a field army; first of the Soviet Union's Red Army and subsequently of the Russian Ground Forces....
were moved to the vicinity of Roki Tunnel
Roki Tunnel
The Roki Tunnel is a mountain tunnel of the Transkam road through the Greater Caucasus Mountains, north of the village Upper Roka. It is the only road joining North Ossetia-Alania in the Russian Federation into South Ossetia, a breakaway republic of Georgia...
that links South Ossetia with North Ossetia.
On 5 August, Russian ambassador-at-large Yuri Popov reiterated the Russian claim that the country would intervene in the event of military conflict. The Ambassador of South Ossetia to Moscow, Dmitry Medoyev
Dmitry Medoyev
Dmitry Nikolayevich Medoyev , born 15 May 1960, is the Ambassador of South Ossetia to the Russian Federation. Previous to recognition of South Ossetian independence by Russia on 26 August 2008, he was the secessionist envoy to Moscow for the Republic of South Ossetia...
, declared that volunteers were already arriving, primarily from North Ossetia, in the region of South Ossetia to offer help in the event of Georgian aggression.
On August 6, Georgia said it had lost an APC
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
and that three Georgian peacekeepers had been wounded. Four people were killed that night and Georgia resumed shelling at daybreak. Residents once again began evacuating areas of South Ossetia and Georgia moved tanks, artillery, and troops to the border. The Georgian Interior Ministry
Vano Merabishvili
Ivane Merabishvili is a Georgian politician who has served as the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs since December 18, 2004...
reported that as many as ten Georgian soldiers had died in the clashes throughout August 7.
August 7: Georgian attacks of Tskhinvali
According to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
investigation Georgia provided intercepted cellphone records which according to Georgian side were recorded on August 7 morning and provide evidence that some parts of 135th Regiment of 58th Russian Army moved through the Roki tunnel that morning. The regiment is a supplier of Russian peacekeepers at the region. Western intelligence determined independently that two battalions of the 135th Regiment moved through the tunnel to South Ossetia either on the night of August 7 or the early morning of August 8, according to a senior American official. General Uvarov, the senior Russian official, said that as the Georgians began their attack, about 100 reserve peacekeepers from the 135th Regiment were put on alert and moved close to the tunnel. They were ordered through the tunnel to reinforce forces in Tskhinvali around dawn on August 8.
Authorities of breakaway South Ossetia said number of injured persons as a result of overnight and early morning intensive fire increased to eighteen on its side. And the Georgian Interior Ministry said two from the Georgian battalion of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces were injured after the Georgian villages of Eredvi, Prisi, Avnevi, Dvani and Nuli came under mortar fire late on August 6. The South Ossetian side reported that 18 persons, including one 88-year-old man and four women, were injured after the Ossetian villages of Khetagurov, Dmenisi, Sarabuki, and Ubiat, as well as the outskirts of the capital Tskhinvali, came under “massive shelling.” Initially the South Ossetian side said early on August 7, that six persons were injured. The South Ossetian side has also claimed that the shootout resumed in the region at about 10am local time on August 7. It said that the South Ossetian village of Ubiat in the Znauri district came under fire.
Around 2 p.m. on this day, Ossetian artillery fire resumed, targeting Georgian positions in the village of Avnevi in South Ossetia. The barrage continued for several hours. Two Georgian peacekeepers were killed, the first deaths among Georgians in South Ossetia since the 1990s, according to Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze.
The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that "mercenaries and military hardware" are moving through the Roki Tunnel
Roki Tunnel
The Roki Tunnel is a mountain tunnel of the Transkam road through the Greater Caucasus Mountains, north of the village Upper Roka. It is the only road joining North Ossetia-Alania in the Russian Federation into South Ossetia, a breakaway republic of Georgia...
, which joins Russia's North Ossetia to South Ossetia, to support the separatists. South Ossetia claimed on Thursday afternoon that large numbers of Georgian troops were moving towards the breakaway republic's de facto border.
At 19:10 Georgian President Saakashvili, ordered a unilateral ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
. Saakashvili called for talks "in any format," reaffirmed the long-standing offer of full autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
for South Ossetia, proposed that Russia should guarantee that solution, offered a general amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
, and pleaded for international intercession to stop the hostilities. Georgia reiterated that it was prepared to engage in direct talks with the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
government of South Ossetia without any preconditions.
Following Saakashvili’s address, according to Jamestown Foundation report , attacks on Georgian villages intensified. The village of Avnevi was almost completely destroyed, Tamarasheni and Prisi shelled, and the police station in Kurta, seat of the Sanakoyev administration, smashed by artillery fire. Civilians began fleeing the villages. South Ossetia denies any such late-night bombardment. OSCE monitors group in Tskhinvali did not record outgoing artillery fire from the South Ossetian side in the hours before the start of Georgian bombardment, and NATO officials attest to minor skirmishes but nothing that amounted to a provocation, according to Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
.
At 10:35 p.m. Georgian forces began another artillery assault on Tskhinvali. The Georgians used 27 rocket launchers, including 152-millimeter guns. Three brigades began the nighttime assault. The official reason given for this, according to the commander, Mamuka Kurashvili, was to respond to the above-mentioned attacks against Georgian villages. Kurashvili stated that the purpose of the operation was to restore constitutional order in the region. This caused an increased number of refugees to cross into Russia. Interfax quoted South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity
Eduard Kokoity
Eduard Dzhabeyevich Kokoity is the de facto President of South Ossetia.-Early life:Eduard Kokoity was born on 31 October 1964 in Tskhinvali, in the Georgian SSR, a part of the Soviet Union at the time. Kokoity was a member, and champion, of the Soviet Union's national wrestling team...
as saying his forces were confronting Georgians in the outskirts of Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali , is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region which has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru, and is regarded by Georgia and the rest of the world as part of the Shida Kartli region within Georgian sovereign territory.It is located...
, the capital of South Ossetia; he noted that fierce fighting was under way. In a televised address, Georgian President Saakashvili has vowed to restore Tbilisi's control over what he called the "criminal regime" in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and reinforce order.
At 23:30 on August 7, according to one of the sources at Georgian Government, about 100 Russian armored vehicles and Russian troops invade Georgia, crossing the Roki Tunnel from Russia into Georgia
http://embassy.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=461&info_id=7484 but before UN Georgia will claim that Russian forces have entered South Ossetia only on August 8 in 05:30 am http://www.undemocracy.com/S-PV-5952/page_2. Another sources at Georgian Government agree with the later time.
Around 00:53 on August 8 (local time, 20:53 August 7 UTC), according to Russian sources, Georgian forces began shelling the route along which refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s were being moved from the city. As the day progressed, Russian media reported that at least fifteen civilians had been killed in Tskhinvali. The Georgian Army crossed the border of South Ossetia
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
on the early hours of August 8 after overnight bombardment of Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali , is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region which has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru, and is regarded by Georgia and the rest of the world as part of the Shida Kartli region within Georgian sovereign territory.It is located...
by heavy artillery (howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
s), 122 mm multiple-launch rocket systems "Grad", and large-caliber mortars
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
. Tanks and APC
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
supported by artillery launched a thrust towards Tskhinvali. Opposed by South Ossetian forces, Georgians advanced and by the end of August 8 controlled a significant portion of the city. At 04:45 (00:45 UTC), Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili announced that Tskhinvali was nearly surrounded, and that Georgia controlled two-thirds of South Ossetia's territory. The result of Georgian night-day offensive was more than 1,600 civilians killed according to South Ossetian sources, but only about 100 according to Georgian.
According to the President of North Ossetia-Alania
North Ossetia-Alania
The Republic of North Ossetia–Alania is a federal subject of Russia . Its population according to the 2010 Census was 712,877.-Name:...
, Taimuraz Mamsurov
Taimuraz Mamsurov
Taymuraz Dzambekovich Mamsurov is the Head of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Russia. He succeeded Alexander Dzasokhov, who voluntarily quit his post on May 31, 2005.- Biography :...
, a number of Sukhoi
Sukhoi
Sukhoi Company is a major Russian aircraft manufacturer, headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, famous for its fighters...
Sukhoi Su-25
Sukhoi Su-25
The Sukhoi Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975...
ground attack aircraft of the Georgian Air Force
Georgian Air Force
The Georgian Air Force is the air arm of the Georgian Armed Forces. Currently, it has 2,971 military and civilian personnel, fixed wing aircraft , helicopters of different types and air defense missiles of the "surface-to-air" class. The Air Force was founded in 1991 in the wake of the break-up...
attacked what he described to be a humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
convoy en route from Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
. Mamsurov, who had accompanied the convoy and witnessed the attack, was unharmed. Earlier, he told the Interfax news agency that hundreds of armed volunteers from North Ossetia were heading to the Tskhinvali area.
Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
n leader Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh was the second President of the Republic of Abkhazia. He was Prime Minister from 1997 to 1999 and was later elected as President in 2005. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election...
said that volunteers from Abkhazia were on the way to help the South Ossetians.
It was later announced that an unspecified number of Abkhazian army units had advanced to the border of the arms limitation zone between Abkhazia and Georgia.
August 8: Russian involvement
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
at 1:15am (New York time) where an exchange of accounts was made with the ambassador for Georgia. After the meeting there was a stakeout outside of the Security Council for journalists. Churkin explained that he had brought a short statement to the Council asking for its approval. He reported that council members were willing to call on the parties to the conflict to stop the hostilities but that some of the members would not agree to the renunciation of the use of force, as Russia was asking. Churkin said he had warned the council over the past few days about a Georgian military
Military of Georgia
The Georgian Armed Forces , is the name of the unified armed forces of Georgia. The Georgian military is a defence force consisting of the Georgian Land Forces, Georgian Air Force and a paramilitary organization Georgian National Guard...
buildup in South Ossetia and condemned Tbilisi's refusal to renounce the use of force to settle its dispute with its breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On the morning of 8 August, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, who was in Beijing attending the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, condemned the "aggressive actions" by Georgia and said that Russia would be compelled to retaliate. By 09:30, President Medvedev convened an emergency session of government officials to consider Russia’s options regarding the conflict.
Half an hour later, Georgian sources reported that three Russian Sukhoi
Sukhoi
Sukhoi Company is a major Russian aircraft manufacturer, headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, famous for its fighters...
Su-24
Sukhoi Su-24
The Sukhoi Su-24 is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. This variable-sweep wing, twin-engined two-seater carried the USSR's first integrated digital navigation/attack system...
attack aircraft flew into the Georgian airspace and dropped two bombs close to a police station near the town of Kareli
Kareli, Georgia
Kareli is a town in Shida Kartli, Georgia, located on the right bank of the Mtkvari , 94 km west of the nation’s capital of Tbilisi....
, which borders South Ossetia. The source also reported that the nearby city of Gori
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
suffered a brief Russian air strike, with no casualties. Russian authorities rejected these reports, but a Daily Telegraph correspondent later reported that he saw unidentified jets near Gori, and the Georgian military described them as "Russian warplanes".
By 11:40, Saakashvili mobilised the Georgian reserve troops amid what he referred to as "a large-scale military aggression" by Russia and called for Russia to stop "bombardment of the Georgian towns". Contradicting a Georgian report, the Russian Ministry of Defence
Russian Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation exercises operational leadership of the armed forces of Russia.The Russian Minister of Defence is the nominal commander of all the armed forces, serving under the president of the Russian Federation, in whom executive authority over the military is...
denied that a Russian fighter plane had been shot down above Georgian territory, calling it "informational provocation". A spokesman for the Russian forces in South Ossetia said that Georgian shells directly hit barracks in Tskhinvali, killing 12 Russian soldiers and wounding 30.
According to General Uvarov, the senior Russian official, the first Russian combat unit — the First Battalion of the 135th Regiment — did pass through the Roki Tunnel at 2:30 p.m. The battalion, he said, did not reach Tskhinvali until the next evening, having met heavy Georgian resistance. Georgia disputes that account, saying it was in heavy combat with Russian forces near the tunnel long before dawn.
Georgia reported that they offered a three-hour ceasefire starting 15:00 local time (11:00 UTC), to let civilians leave the besieged capital of Tskhinvali. However, at 10:29 UTC, Marat Kulakhmetov
Marat Kulakhmetov
Marat Minyurovich Kulakhmetov is a Major General of the Russian Army and commander of the Combined Peacekeeping Forces in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia...
, commander of the Russian forces in the region, said that "these are further lies from the Georgian side. No corridor for civilians has been opened."
The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that the Georgians had killed at least 10 Russian soldiers and wounded 30 in the first shelling of their base at the city; later that number was revised to 13 killed and 70 wounded. A column of Russian tanks from the 58th Army
58th Army (Russia)
The 58th Army is a field army; first of the Soviet Union's Red Army and subsequently of the Russian Ground Forces....
began moving to Tskhinvali to help. Saakashvili said that the Russian column consisted of 150 tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and other equipment. A press video from 8 August showed Russian T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
tanks, BMP-2
BMP-2
The BMP-2 is a second-generation, amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following the BMP-1 of the 1960s....
infantry fighting vehicles, and 152 mm 2S3 self-propelled howitzers moving south into the conflict zone.
Russian media reported that the Georgian army was falling back from Tskhinvali and Russian Su-24 bombers and Su-27 fighters were in complete control of the airspace above Tskhinvali. Kulakhmetov said that as a result of Georgian heavy bombardment, Tskhinvali is almost totally destroyed. Gas pipes, a hospital, and other objects of infrastructure were hit. According to France Press, at 12:00 UTC the National Security Council of Georgia (through a statement of Council Secretary Alexander Lomaia) declared that if messages about Russian tanks in South Ossetia are confirmed, then Georgia would declare war on Russia. Russian tanks entered Tskhinvali shortly after, and by nightfall Russian and South Ossetian forces controlled a large part of the city.
The Georgian Interior Ministry said that a Russian fighter dropped two bombs on the Vaziani Military Base
Vaziani Military Base
The Vaziani Military Base is located about twenty kilometers outside Tbilisi at Latitude 41.6947 Longitude 45.0467, Georgia. The main base is spread over 10,000 hectares....
, near Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
. Russian fighters also bombed a military airfield in Marneuli
Marneuli
Marneuli is a small city in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia and administrative center of Marneuli District that borders neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia.-Population:...
, near Tbilisi. At least four people were killed and another five wounded in the air strike in Marneuli, while three Georgian soldiers were killed at Vaziani. According to the source in the Russian Ministry of Defense, "the warplanes attacked only military targets: military base in Gory' Vaziani and Marneuli airfields, where [Georgian] Su-25 and L-39 airplanes are based, and the radar station 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) from Tbilisi". When asked why Russian warplanes entered Georgian airspace well before Russian government approved the involvement in Southern Ossetia conflict, the officer responded, "According to the orders from the higher command."
Saakashvili initially said that Georgia was pulling its 2,000-strong troop contingency from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The head of Georgia's Security Council, Kakha Lomaia, later clarified that only 1,000 troops were being redeployed, telling Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, "We have already communicated to our American friends that we are going to withdraw half our contingent of soldiers in Iraq within days because we are under Russian aggression." According to Georgia, the United States will provide the aircraft for transportation - a move that could risk U.S. involvement into the conflict; U.S. officials only said that all transportation options were being explored.
After the opening ceremonies in Beijing for the Olympics, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
said to U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
that a real war had begun in Ossetia, to which Bush replied that no one wanted war, and Putin added that it is difficult to maintain peace in the Caucasus.
In New York a second emergency session of the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
was convened by the ambassador for Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
where he detailed the "premeditated military intervention" following Russia's "well-calculated provocation". The Russian ambassador responded with news of the "treacherous attack on South Ossetia" by Georgian forces and reports of ethnic cleansing in the villages
Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
refused to support a Russian-backed resolution in the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
calling for an end to the fighting because of its opposition to a clause calling on all sides to "renounce the use of force". This persuaded Russia that Washington was backing Georgia's "right" to take military action.
August 9: Escalation
Russian media reported heavy gunfire between Russian and Georgian troops continued through the night, and CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
stated that an airfield near Tbilisi was bombed in the early hours of the day.
Before morning Russian planes bombed the Senaki military base killing 13 Georgian soldiers and wounding another 13. The base itself was mostly destroyed.
At 5:00 AM, A Russian unit broke through the Georgian encirclement of the Russian peacekeepers and began evacuating wounded.
At 06:27 UTC, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reported that two Russian fighters had bombed Georgian artillery encampments near Gori
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
. The Georgian government reported that 60 civilians were killed when at least one bomb hit an apartment in Gori. According to the Russian military, three bombs hit an armament depot and the façade of one of the adjacent 5-storey apartment buildings suffered as a result exploding ammunition from the depot. At 07:41 UTC, Lenta.Ru
Lenta.Ru
Lenta.Ru is a Moscow-based news website in Russian language, owned by Rambler Media Group which belongs to Prof-Media. It is considered one of the most popular Russian language online resources with over 600 thousand visitors daily....
reported that units of the 76th Airborne Division
76th Airborne Division (Russia)
The 76th Guards Air Assault Division is a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based in Pskov.-History:The 76th Air Assault Division was originally established in 1939 as the 157th Rifle Division. On 1 March 1943 it became the 76th Guards Rifle Division...
of the Russian Airborne Troops from Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
had moved to Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali , is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region which has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru, and is regarded by Georgia and the rest of the world as part of the Shida Kartli region within Georgian sovereign territory.It is located...
. According to Igor Konashenkov, commander of the Russian Ground Forces, they were transferred to strengthen Russian ground forces in the South Ossetian capital. It was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defence's press service that units of the Ivanovo-based 98th Guards Airborne Division
98th Guards Airborne Division
The 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, stationed in Ivanovo. It took part in the 2008 South Ossetian War....
of the Russian Airborne Troops and Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
from the Moscow-based 45th Detached Reconnaissance Regiment
45th Detached Reconnaissance Regiment
45th Guards Separate Reconnaissance Regiment of VDV is a special reconnaissance and special operations unit within the Russian Airborne Troops, and based in Moscow....
would be moved to the conflict area.
At 07:57 UTC, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that its 58th Army had fully freed Tskhinvali of Georgian armed forces., and at 08:30 UTC, the Russian General Staff
General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the military staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and oversees operational management of the armed forces under the Russian Ministry of Defence.The staff is...
confirmed the loss of two jets: a Su-25 and a Tupolev Tu-22M
Tupolev Tu-22M
The Tupolev Tu-22M is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force....
; the latter was later claimed to be running aerial reconnaissance missions. The Georgian government claimed they had actually downed 10 Russian jets and captured 3 pilots. At 10:30 UTC, Russian paratroopers were deployed in South Ossetia. President Saakashvili called for a ceasefire in a speech. At 10:41 UTC, aerial attacks were carried out by Abkhazia in the eastern part of the Kodori Valley
Kodori Valley
The Kodori Valley is a river valley in Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, populated by Svans, was the only corner of the post-1993 Abkhazia, directly controlled by the central Georgian government, which officially styles the area as Upper Abkhazia...
; the only part of Abkhazia which, effectively, was under Georgian control. At 11:25 UTC, Georgian President Saakashvili asked his country's parliament to announce a state of martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
in Georgia. The parliament approved the request, declaring martial law in Georgia for a duration of 15 days; David Bakradze
David Bakradze
David Shekris Bakradze is a Georgian politician and diplomat who has been serving as the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia since June 7, 2008....
, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia is the supreme legislature of Georgia. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, from which 75 members are proportional representatives and 75 are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies...
, said that Georgia was in a de facto state of war with Russia.
At around noon local time on August 9, Saakashvili said he proposed a ceasefire and the separation of the warring parties. Georgia's Security Council secretary Alexander Lomaia said Saakashvili's proposal meant that the Georgian troops would withdraw from Tskhinvali, the provincial capital of South Ossetia, and stop responding to Russian shelling. Russia's ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin is a well-known Russian diplomat and popular politician, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia. In January, 2008, he became Russia's ambassador to NATO. He was a leader of the Rodina party until it merged with other similar Russian parties to form the...
said that Russia would start negotiations only if Georgian forces withdrew to the positions they held before the conflict began; the Russian Foreign Ministry added a requirement that Georgia should promise to never attempt to retake the territory. At 16:15 the Russian Defense Ministry said it had not received any ceasefire proposal from Georgia. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the only solution was for Georgian troops to leave the conflict zone.
A Russian armored column led by General Anatoly Khrulyov
Anatoly Khrulyov
Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov is a Russian general who was the commander of the Russian 58th Army in South Ossetia during the 2008 South Ossetia War. He was wounded when his military column moving into Tskhinvali was destroyed by Georgian special forces on 9 August 2008.- References :...
entering the city was ambushed by Georgian special forces. Russian Major Denis Vetchinov
Denis Vetchinov
Denis Vasiliyevich Vetchinov was a Russian Ground Forces major killed in action during the 2008 South Ossetia war and posthumuously awarded with Russia's highest military award, Hero of the Russian Federation, for his role in the conflict.-Biography:...
organized a defense. but was killed in the fighting. General Khrulyov himself was wounded, and Russian forces sustained heavy losses in the fighting. The entire column was almost completely wiped out, and only five vehicles escaped the ambush. In one of them, the entire crew except the driver and the mechanical engineer were killed. The Russians claimed that all of the Georgians were killed.
According to a source in the Georgian government, the Roki Tunnel
Roki Tunnel
The Roki Tunnel is a mountain tunnel of the Transkam road through the Greater Caucasus Mountains, north of the village Upper Roka. It is the only road joining North Ossetia-Alania in the Russian Federation into South Ossetia, a breakaway republic of Georgia...
used by Russians to bring in supplies and reinforcements was demolished. The Russian Ministry of Defense denied the report. Time Magazine reporter John Wendle later confirmed that the tunnel had not been destroyed. Lomaia reported that Russia had bombed the Black Sea port of Poti
Poti
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
and had started to bomb civil and economic infrastructure. There were also reports by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
of Russian ships patrolling the waters off Poti, though Russia denied they were implementing a blockade.
Lenta.ru reported that all Russian TV channels had been banned from broadcasting in Georgia, with Georgia alleging that Russia was conducting an ongoing information war
Information warfare
The term Information Warfare is primarily an American concept involving the use and management of information technology in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent...
. Meanwhile, Russia cut off all air connections with Georgia. On the same day, the United Nations once again failed to reach consensus on how to word any request for a cessation of hostilities.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that the Russian Federation begins operation "to force the Georgian side to peace".
The U.S. embassy in Georgia organized an evacuation convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
to leave for Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
on August 10 and a second one scheduled for August 11 and invited American citizens in the region to join them, while it also issued a travel warning.
August 10: Georgia begins withdrawing from Tskhinvali
Anatoly Khrulyov
Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov is a Russian general who was the commander of the Russian 58th Army in South Ossetia during the 2008 South Ossetia War. He was wounded when his military column moving into Tskhinvali was destroyed by Georgian special forces on 9 August 2008.- References :...
, was wounded by Georgian forces outside of Tskhinvali early Sunday morning.
Moscow Defense Brief
Moscow Defense Brief
Moscow Defense Brief is a bimonthly English-language defense magazine published by Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies , an independent defense think-tank.- Overview :...
reported that by the morning of August 10, the Georgians had captured almost all of Tskhinvali, forcing Russian and South Ossetian forces to retreat to the northern reaches of the city. However, the tide soon turned. Ossetian militia with the support of Russian forces took back several villages, and Georgian forces in several Georgian enclaves were eliminated. In the village of Zemo-Nikosi, Georgian forces stubbornly resisted a Russian armored attack, and managed to hold off the Russians for a period of time before being wiped out. The bulk of Georgian artillery was forced off positions from which it could shell Tskhinvali, including the key Prisi heights. Georgian forces began withdrawing from Tskhinvali. Georgian forces tried to push into Tskhinvali a third time, but were repelled by a very heavy Russian-led counterattack.
The Georgian Interior Ministry claimed that Russia had moved 6,000 soldiers into South Ossetia by land and another 4,000 into Abkhazia by sea in preparation to attack at dawn the next day. Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, after attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, flew to North Ossetia to oversee what he called a "humanitarian operation" and state that he believed it was now unlikely that South Ossetia could ever reintegrate within Georgia. He said the government was ready to earmark up to RUB
Russian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
10.1 billion (approximately US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
425 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
) for aid to the region. Putin's spokesperson gave assurances that the visit had no military component, and in the morning Putin left for Gorki
Gorki Leninskiye
Gorki Leninskiye is an urban locality in Leninsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, south of Moscow city limits and the MKAD. Population:...
outside Moscow to meet Russian president Medvedev.
There were conflicting reports as to the continuation of Georgian military actions. Georgia claimed that its forces were retreating from South Ossetia and the Foreign Ministry of Georgia announced that the government had declared a unilateral ceasefire. However, Russian troops refused to recognise a truce, claiming Georgian forces were not retreating, but merely regrouping. Georgia’s Internal Affairs Ministry spokesman, Shota Utiashvili, claimed that "Georgian troops have fully left South Ossetia", while according to Georgian Reintegration Minister Temur Yakobashvili, Georgian troops had pulled out of Tskhinvali and, according to her, Georgian "forces have relocated and assumed new positions." Russian peacekeeping spokesman Vladimir Ivanov, however, stated that "Georgia did not remove its forces from South Ossetia. Our observation posts have spotted Georgian law-enforcement units, as well as artillery and armoured vehicles."
Russia later acknowledged a withdrawal was in progress, with a spokesman noting, "Units of the Georgian armed forces have started withdrawing from Tskhinvali. The withdrawal has been spotted by the peacekeeping forces' intelligence."
Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh was the second President of the Republic of Abkhazia. He was Prime Minister from 1997 to 1999 and was later elected as President in 2005. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election...
, President of Abkhazia, said he had sent 1,000 troops to the Kodori gorge
Kodori Valley
The Kodori Valley is a river valley in Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, populated by Svans, was the only corner of the post-1993 Abkhazia, directly controlled by the central Georgian government, which officially styles the area as Upper Abkhazia...
and announced the mobilisation of reservists to reinforce its positions. He warned Abkhazia was ready to "enforce order" and would go further if there was resistance from Georgia.
At around 3:20 p.m. UTC, Georgia said that they ordered a ceasefire, and offered to start talks with Russia over an end to hostilities in South Ossetia. Russia confirmed receiving the offer but said that "the Georgian side has not stopped military actions in South Ossetia, Georgian troops continued shelling." However, Russian and Georgian foreign ministers spoke over the phone. The conversation ended with the Georgian minister promising to find out more about whether Georgian forces were withdrawn from South Ossetia.
Later in the day, Georgia reported that Tbilisi International Airport
Tbilisi International Airport
Tbilisi International Airport is the main international airport in Georgia, located southeast of the capital Tbilisi.-Overview:In February 2007, the reconstruction project was finished...
was the target of a Russian air strike, just a few hours before the scheduled arrival of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner is a French politician, diplomat, and doctor. He is co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde...
. The Russian Ministry of Defence dismissed the alleged bombing as "another disinformation" by Georgia. Georgian State Minister for Reintegration, Temur Iakobashvili also denied this, stating, "There was no attack on the airport in Tbilisi. It was a factory that produces combat airplanes."
The Russian Defence Ministry announced that the Russian Navy sunk a Georgian missile boat after two alleged attacks of such boats earlier that day. This was later confirmed by Russian Navy Commander Assistant Igor Dygalo. He said that four Georgian vessels were spotted sailing inside a 'security zone' established by the Russian Navy off Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
. The Russian fleet retaliated with a barrage of naval gunfire. One patrol boat was sunk and the remaining three retreated in the direction of the Georgian port of Poti
Poti
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
.
The ambassador for the United States convened an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
in which UN Under-Secretary-General B. Lynn Pascoe
B. Lynn Pascoe
B. Lynn Pascoe is the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Political Affairs.Pascoe was previously United States Ambassador to Indonesia after being nominated by President George W. Bush from 2004 to 2007, and to Malaysia from 1999 to 2001....
gave a briefing about the refugee situation and Edmond Mulet
Edmond Mulet
Edmond Mulet is a Guatemalan diplomat. He is currently the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of mission of MINUSTAH, having assumed the functions of acting head of mission in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, in which the previous head of mission, Hédi...
briefed about the situation relating to the mandate of UNOMIG.
Following statements by Georgia and the United States, the Russian ambassador said: "Unfortunately, I have to point out that the content of
the briefing by Mr. Pascoe shows that the Secretariat and its leadership have not been able to adopt an objective position showing a thorough grasp of the substance of this conflict, as should be expected from the leadership of such an authoritative international organisation". CNN reported that the Russian ambassador drew rebuke after making this comment.
The ambassador for the United States later added: "Foreign Minister Lavrov told United States Secretary of State Rice that the democratically elected President of Georgia — and I quote — 'must go'. I quote again: 'Saakashvili must go'. This is completely unacceptable and crosses the line." The Russian ambassador responded by saying "On Ambassador Khalilzad’s interesting reference to a confidential diplomatic telephone call between our Minister for Foreign Affairs and his Secretary of State, I must say at the outset that regime change is an American expression. We do not use such expressions."
According to Newsru
Newsru
NEWSru is one of the Russian online news sites. Originally it functioned as NTV's website under the address ntv.ru. The site remains part of Vladimir Gusinsky's media holding that includes a satellite TV broadcast company RTVi....
, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin later denied this, and rather said that Saakashvili "cannot be considered as a partner" because "no decent person would talk to him". He said that if an agreement of not using military force is signed, "peace will be restored whatever the fate of Saakashvili will be". He said Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
"misinterpreted" their phone conversation.
A Turkish TV crew was attacked while heading into South Ossetia and taken to Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
for interrogations. They were later released by Russian authorities.
August 11: Russian advances
In the early hours of August 11, Russian sources reported that Tskhinvali was again under fire from Georgian artillery. South Ossetia government representative Irina Gagloeva stated the morning of August 11 that Georgia opened the irrigation canal, supposedly in an effort to flood the basements of Tskhinvali buildings with an intention to prevent civilians from hiding from bombings.According to Georgian officials, large numbers of Russian ground forces had entered undisputed Georgian territory and were headed to Gori
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
. Western officials again reiterated their fears that Russia intends to overthrow the Georgian government. Russia denied any intention of occupying Georgia, "We have enough territory to think of, we don't need Georgia." said Aleksei Pavlov, a Kremlin spokesman. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia claims that Russia began "intensive combat" in Gori following prior air strikes. Georgian troops reportedly returned fire. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not confirm or deny the reports.
Russian forces moved into Senaki
Senaki
Senaki is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around .From 1935 to 1976 it was called Tskhakaya in honor of the Georgian Bolshevik revolutionary leader Mikhail Tskhakaya....
, which is 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) inland from the Black Sea, and seized police stations in Zugdidi, just outside the southern fringe of Abkhazia. Abkhazian allies took control of the nearby village of Kurga, according to witnesses and Georgian officials. An Associated Press reporter saw Russian troops in control of government buildings in Zugdidi
Zugdidi
Zugdidi is a city in the Western Georgian historical province of Samegrelo . It is situated in the north-west of that province. The city is located 318 kilometres west of Tbilisi, 30 km. from Black sea coast and 30 km. from Egrisi range. 100-110 metres above sea level. As of 2007, it had a...
just miles from the frontier and Russian troops were reported in nearby Senaki.
During the early morning Moscow time, Russia declared itself ready to make peace with Georgia. UN officials confirmed Georgia was prepared to negotiate with Russia by withdrawing troops from South Ossetia and create a safe travel zone. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Russia is "ready to put an end to the war," but also accused the UN secretary-general's office of taking Georgia's side. The agreement was confirmed by UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynne Pascoe during a briefing to the Security Council.
The United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
held a closed meeting on the issue at 5:30pm New York time.
Georgia declared it had received a Russian ultimatum that it must disarm troops near the breakaway province of Abkhazia or face Russian forces moving into Georgian-controlled territory. This demand was conveyed through UN military observers in the area. Russian assistant commander Alexander Novitskiy reported on the morning of August 11 that 9,000 Russian troops and 350 armoured vehicles had entered Abkhazia during the evening of August 10.
Later, Russian media reported that Russian Airborne Forces Commander lieutenant general Valeriy Evtukhovich arrived in Abkhazia.
Russian General Staff Second-in-Commander Anatoliy Nogovitsyn
Anatoliy Nogovitsyn
Anatoliy Alekseevich Nogovitsyn is the Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel General, most known for being the primary spokesman of the Russian Armed Forces during 2008 South Ossetia War and for warning Poland about the possibility of a nuclear strike...
confirmed in the briefing at noon that Russian Army lost another two Su-25 jets. Also he confirmed 18 soldiers dead, 14 missing (whereabouts unknown).
Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov
Alexander Bortnikov
Alexander Vasilyevich Bortnikov is a Russian official. He is Director of the FSB since May 12, 2008.-Career:In 1975–2004 he worked in KGB and its successors in Leningrad/Saint Petersburg. In June 2003 – March 2004 he was the Chief of the St...
reported that nine Georgian special services agents were arrested, and they "prepared for terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation". He said that all nine agents confessed to the allegations.
According to Anatoliy Nogovitsyn, 800 Georgian troops and 11 tons of cargo were moved from Iraq to Georgia by eight U.S. military transport flights. Early Georgian officials said that all moved Georgian troops will be sent to South Ossetia war conflict zone. Nogovitsyn also stated that Russia will take "adequate measures" in response to that, which would mean the increase of Russian troops in conflict zone. Prime minister Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
criticised the United States for help in redeploying Georgian troops from Iraq.
North Ossetian government officials said that several foreign mercenaries arrived at Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
hospital. Early at General Staff briefing Anatoly Nogovitsyn confirmed that there were black-skinned soldiers with non-Georgian passports among them; he did not specify their citizenship.
According to RIA Novosti, the earlier reports about
Russians not being allowed to leave Georgia were denied by the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that it received such reports from over 360 stranded Russian citizens.
The Georgian Minister of Defense announced that the Georgian military base in Senaki, outside Abkhazia, was captured by Russian armoured vehicles. UN officials B. Lynn Pascoe and Edmond confirmed this in a UN security meeting and said that Russian airborne troops were not meeting any resistance while taking control of Georgia's Senaki army base. The Georgian Interior Minister stated that police stations in Zugdidi
Zugdidi
Zugdidi is a city in the Western Georgian historical province of Samegrelo . It is situated in the north-west of that province. The city is located 318 kilometres west of Tbilisi, 30 km. from Black sea coast and 30 km. from Egrisi range. 100-110 metres above sea level. As of 2007, it had a...
had also been seized, which was later confirmed also by AP. According to witnesses and Georgian officials, Abkhazians also took control of the nearby village of Kurga.
According to Georgian officials, the city of Gori—76 kilometres (47.2 mi) from the Georgian capital—has fallen to Russian forces. Russian troops destroyed an empty military base which Georgian soldiers had previously fled and then took position just outside of the town. The Russian defense ministry denied the information, claiming there were no Russian troops in Gori. Russia's version of events was confirmed by Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reporters James Kilner and Margarita Antidze, who said that there is no "trace of troops or military vehicles, it is absolutely deserted". The Daily Telegraph (UK) reported that it witnessed "Georgians in a full scale disorganised and panicked retreat from Gori". Georgian troops were falling back to defend the capital city of Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, following their retreat from Gori. Later local journalist from Gori said to Guardian that "Russian troops had occupied the main road on the edge of the city, but had not moved towards the centre" and Guardians journalist confirmed that city were bombed.
Since Gori is along Georgia's main highway, its alleged occupation by Russian forces would have cut Georgia's lines of communication and logistics in two. Secretary of the Georgian Security Council, Alexander Lomaia, said that the Georgian Army had been told to stand fast and hold the city of Mtskheta
Mtskheta
Mtskheta , one of the oldest cities of the country of Georgia , is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Tbilisi at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. The city is now the administrative centre of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region...
, 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) from the capital. But note that several hours later, in the night of August 11 and August 12, reports of a wholesale Russian invasion or even an advance as far as Gori could not be confirmed by U.S. sources, based on on-the-ground intelligence. A U.S. defense official said he didn't see anything that supports that the Russians are in Gori and doesn't know why the Georgians were saying that.). A U.S. military official told CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
that Russian attacks on Georgia – including radars and communication systems – have devastated the country's command and control system to the point where Georgian leaders may not have a clear idea of the situation on the ground.
The Assistant Commander of Russian peacekeepers Alexander Novitsky claims that during a reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
mission the Russian Air Force
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...
shot down two Georgian helicopters at the air base of Senaki. The helicopters were identified as Mi-8
Mil Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....
and Mi-24 belonging to the Georgian Air Force.
Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed sending of two companies of Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
based special battalions Vostok ("East") and Zapad ("West")
Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad
Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad were two Spetznaz units of Russian military intelligence based in Chechnya. The overwhelming majority of personnel were ethnic Chechens, while the command personnel were mixed Russian and Chechens....
to South Ossetia.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv
Maariv
Maariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
reported that the United States was supplying Georgia with arms. According to the paper, the United States is hiring Russian-made freight planes belonging to UTI Worldwide Inc. to transport arms and ammunition to Georgia. The paper says the Pentagon is redirecting supplies to Tbilisi that were earmarked for Iraq.
According to Russia Today (RT): "The U.S. has begun evacuating the families of its diplomats from Georgia. They are being sent to Armenia as a precaution, according to the U.S. Embassy in the Armenian capital Yerevan. U.S. ambassador John Tefft and his team of diplomats will continue their work in Tbilisi."
Meanwhile Russian Defence Ministry said it has no plans to attack Tbilisi. "We do not have and have never had any plans to advance on Tbilisi," Interfax agency cites a source in Russian command. Russian troops left the Georgian military base at Senaki, which they took earlier this day.
August 12 - August 13: ceasefire
Authorities in South Ossetia said that Georgian troops had shelled the road being used for evacuating people from the conflict zone, according to Russian Interfax news agency. According to Russia TodayRussia Today
Russia Today may refer to:* Russia Today, an English language 24-hour television news channel from Russia. It was launched in 2005 and is not related to an online news service of the similar name operated by EIN News...
attacks continued in the South Ossetian region, despite claims from Georgia that it was imposing a ceasefire.
The Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
reported that U.S. defense officials said they were unable to corroborate the Georgian claims that Russian troops had moved out of South Ossetia into Georgia proper, occupying the city of Gori while Georgian troops were retreating to the capital. "We don't see anything that supports they are in Gori", said a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "I don't know why the Georgians are saying that." The official also said there was no obvious buildup of Russian forces along the border that signaled an intention to invade.
Russia has deployed a ship off the coast of Poti and is reportedly enforcing a 50-mile exclusion zone around the port. Georgia also accused Russia of sending troops into Poti though Russia claimed they had only sent in a reconnaissance mission, which visited city only for a short amount of time.
The Foreign Minister of Italy, Franco Frattini, said he would consider deploying Italian soldiers to the region in the event that French Foreign Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs ), is France's foreign affairs ministry, with the headquarters located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris close to the National Assembly of France. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of France is the cabinet minister responsible for...
Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner is a French politician, diplomat, and doctor. He is co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde...
recommends EU involvement after his mediation mission to Tbilisi and Moscow this week; however, Frattini stressed that Italy could not support the creation of a "European anti-Russian coalition" over the conflict. He also told ANSA
ANSA (news agency)
ANSA , is the leading wire service in Italy, and one of the leaders among world news agencies. ANSA is a not-for-profit cooperative, whose members and owners are 36 leading news organizations in Italy. Its mission is the distribution of fair and objective news reporting.-History:ANSA was founded on...
he was "optimistic" for a positive resolution to the crisis following telephone consultations with foreign ministers from the other G7 countries.
Vitaly Churkin, Russian representative at the United Nations declared to journalists that Russia would not accept the resolution on South Ossetia as prepared by the EU's presidency. It is not certain whether Churkin made the statement before or during negotiations over the resolution. The document proposes an immediate cease-fire, and restoring the territory of Georgia as it was before the beginning of the conflict.
A report from Interfax cited the Abkhaz defense headquarters as saying Abkhaz troops backed up with Russian paratroopers had launched an operation early in the day to push Georgian forces out of the northern part of the Kodori Gorge. According to The New York Times, Abkhaz Deputy Minister of Defense Garri Kupalba said on the previous day that there were 2,500 Georgian troops in the area, but 1,000 civilians had left the gorge through a humanitarian corridor which was opened for civilians and soldiers to get out safely before "the operation to eliminate Georgian troops will begin".
As said by Madina Shavlokhova, Gzt.Ru reporter, she saw ex-commander of Vostok
Vostok
Vostok may refer to one of the following.Spaceflight*The Soviet Vostok programme of human spaceflight.*The Vostok spacecraft used in that programme and also the basis of a reconnaissance satellite.*The Vostok rocket, used to launch the Vostok spacecraft....
special battalion Sulim Yamadayev
Sulim Yamadayev
Sulim Bekmirzayevich Yamadayev was a Chechen rebel commander from the First Chechen War who had switched sides together with his brothers Dzhabrail, Badrudi, Isa and Ruslan in 1999 during the outbreak of the Second Chechen War. He was de facto commander of the Russian military Special Battalion...
in South Ossetia within Vostok battalion. Later it was confirmed by his brother Isa Yamadayev, commander of 5th Company of Vostok. He said that 215 soldiers of Vostok are commanded by Sulim. Early, Sulim Yamadayev was declared as federal wanted for murder after conflict with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov is the President of Chechnya and a former Chechen rebel.Ramzan is a son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, assassinated in May 2004. In February 2007 Kadyrov replaced Alu Alkhanov as President, shortly after he had turned 30, which is the minimum age for the post...
. Isa Yamadayev said that he is in Gudermes
Gudermes
Gudermes is a town in the Chechen Republic, Russia, located on the Sunzha River east of Grozny. Population: 32,000 .Gudermes had a rural locality status until 1941. Later, it became a railroad junction between Rostov-on-Don, Baku, Astrakhan, and Mozdok. Gudermes is home for oil extraction...
and later will move to South Ossetia with 100 soldiers.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Russia, Colonel General Anatoliy Nogovitsyn
Anatoliy Nogovitsyn
Anatoliy Alekseevich Nogovitsyn is the Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel General, most known for being the primary spokesman of the Russian Armed Forces during 2008 South Ossetia War and for warning Poland about the possibility of a nuclear strike...
, said the remaining Georgian troops in South Ossetia were surrendering and leaving the area. Nogovitsyn also said Russia had gained full control over Georgian airspace.
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation reported that they had arrested the Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Georgia, according to RIA Novosti. According to the Russian special services, the Georgian agents were instructed to create centers of armed resistance to the authorities in southern Russia.
An Associated Press reporter has seen 135 Russian military vehicles, including tanks, driving toward the Kodori Gorge, held by Georgian forces. The acting Georgian ambassador to Britain has told Sky News that Russian jets are bombing civilian targets in Georgia despite Moscow's announcement that the war has ended. Sergei Bagapsh, the President of Abkhazia said Abkhaz forces had taken the towns of Ashara and Tchalta and were advancing to the Georgian border. He said Abkhazia controls most of the Upper Kodori Gorge. A group of 250 Abkhaz soldiers was reported to have clashed with Georgian forces in the Gorge at the edge of Abkhazia. Abkhazia's chief of the General Staff of the armed forces, Anatoly Zaitsev, stated that Abkhazia's armed forces have surrounded the Georgian troops in the Kodori Gorge. Zaitsev said 250 Abkhazian servicemen had landed near the settlement of Chkhalta, meeting resistance from Georgian units, who fired on them with small arms. The second Abkhazian unit is due to back up the first group of servicemen. The foreign Minister of Abkhazia, Sergei Shamba said that Abkhazian Air Force and artillery have been delivering missile and bomb strikes on military objects in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge. Units of the regular troops and reservists of the armed forces of Abkhazia are taking part in the operation.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Georgia would declare Russian peacekeepers occupiers and the breakaway states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia occupied territory. He also announced Georgia would withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
. Georgia has also filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice accusing Russia of carrying out ethnic cleansing in the 2008 conflict and in 1993. The deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
called for Russia to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent because of the conflict. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Malakhov said recognition would be "premature" before the crisis was resolved.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Secretary-General of NATO, said Georgia remains a candidate for NATO membership in spite of the conflict.
On August 13, a reporter for the UK Guardian claimed that "the idea there is a ceasefire is ridiculous", saying Chechen, Cossack and Ossetian irregulars were following advancing Russian lines near Gori
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
burning Georgian villages.
An Associated Press report at 16:00 UTC claimed that "Russian troops and paramilitaries thrust deep into Georgia on Wednesday, rolling into the strategic city of Gori" said that "an AP reporter later saw dozens of tanks and military vehicles leaving the city, roaring southeast." Sky News correspondents claimed that tanks were on the streets in Gori, adding that they and Norwegian journalists were robbed at gunpoint, apparently by South Ossetian irregulars.
The New York Times said Czech journalists were also robbed and claimed that "the Russian military had firmly occupied this leafy city" of Gori. A reporter from the Belgian national television station VRT also confirmed that about 30 Russian armoured vehicles entered Gori in the morning and then positioned themselves on the hills around the city.
Al Jazeera correspondents in Poti
Poti
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
reported "more and more Russian troops coming into the area all day" and the destruction of several Georgian vessels. Reporter Hoda Abdel Hamid claimed that "Russia is clearly on the offensive."
Russia, in turn, accused Georgia, saying "[d]espite the assurances from the Georgian side that they have ended all military activities, Russian troops shot down a second Georgian drone over Tskhinvali earlier today."
U.S. President George W. Bush ordered U.S. military aircraft and naval vessels to deliver humanitarian and medical supplies. At 17:25 UTC the first U.S. C-17 Globemaster
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
aircraft arrived in Tbilisi
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
signed a decree requiring that Russia seek the permission of Ukraine's armed forces "at least 72 hours prior to [Russian] ships or aircraft crossing the Ukrainian border."
According to RIA News deputy chief of Russian joint staff general-colonel Anatoly Nogovicin says: "With all responsibility I say: we don't have our tanks in Gori. Administration of Gori shameful leave town before we come to it. And we can't set dialogue with anyone of Gori administration."
August 14 - August 16: Russian offensive stops in Gori and Igoeti
Early on August 14, a reporter from the Belgian national television station VRT claimed that about 3 Russian armored cars were blocking a major road towards GoriGori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
. He also stated he saw tanks and snipers nearby.
A BBC correspondent claimed to have heard a series of explosions coming from hills around the town. The UK Telegraph said "South Ossetian irregulars continuing to loot and pillage in Gori and nearby Georgian villages, often with the encouragement of Russian troops".
According to Reuters, witnesses in Poti
Poti
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
claimed that Russian tanks had entered the town and were "looting" or destroying infrastructure. Russia denied that its troops were in Poti.
Although U.S. Secretary of State Rice said "[t]he provisional ceasefire that was agreed to really must go into place. And that means that military activities have to cease" and Defence Secretary Gates accused the Russians of going "far beyond reasserting the autonomy of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Gates nonetheless said that there was "no prospect" of US troops being deployed in the region.
According to Interfax, army of Russian Federation gave back control of Gori to army of Georgia. Russian minister of defence general-major Vyacheslav Borisov said: "All previous talks about damaged town and marauding do not correspond to reality". Secretary of National Defence Сouncil of Georgia Alexander Lomaya also agreed with this message and said in live broadcast on "Rustavi-2": "In whole situation in Gori is calm and now Russian army only keeps up the order".
Amid the ruins and tanks in the South Ossetian capital, the remaining residents shared scant goods and wondered why humanitarian aid promised by Russia has not arrived (Brisbane Times)
On August 15:
04:44 GMT – The Russian Federal Immigration Service has officially registered over 17,000 refugees from South Ossetia, who fled to Russia after Georgia’s military assault. 1820 of them are children. (Russia today's timeline of the conflict)
07:55 GMT – Georgians in South Ossetia who fled during last week's fighting will not be allowed to return to their homes in the breakaway republic, according to South Ossetia President Eduard Kokoity. (Russia today's timeline of the conflict)
09:28 GMT - A senior Russian military official said that five U.S. Air Force C-17 planes have landed at Tbilisi airport, bringing unknown cargo to Georgia. (Russia today's timeline of the conflict)
09:40 GMT - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has blamed Georgia for provoking hostilities in its breakaway region of South Ossetia and criticised Western states for backing Tbilisi. (Russia today's timeline of the conflict)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, meets Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the Russian resort town of Sochi. (BBC's timeline of the conflict)
On Sochi meeting Mr Medvedev says Georgia should sign the ceasefire immediately but he cannot see the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia wanting to be a part of Georgia now. Moscow is not against the idea of having international peacekeeping forces in the two regions, he says, but the people living there only trust Russian peacekeepers. (BBC's timeline of the conflict)
At the same time, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tbilisi for talks with Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili, in a show of US support for the Georgian government. She brought with her the formal ceasefire agreement brokered by French and current European Union leader Nicolas Sarkozy. It is hoped Mr Saakashvili will sign the agreement. (BBC's timeline of the conflict)
Amidst what the Associated Press described as "intense diplomacy to persuade Russia to pull troops out of Georgia", "tensions soared" after Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn was quoted by the Interfax News Agency as saying that by accepting a US missile battery Poland "is exposing itself to a strike".
The Georgian Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that Russia had destroyed a major railway bridge in the Kaspi district
Kaspi district, Georgia
Kaspi is a district of Georgia, in the region of Shida Kartli. Given a District status within Transcaucasian SFSR in 1930. District center is Kaspi....
responsible for bisecting Georgia from east to west and linking the hinterland to seaports on the Black Sea. Russian denied blowing up the bridge.
According to the International Herald Tribune, Russian military units advanced to Igoeti, their closest approach yet to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The newspaper said the move "opened a new security vacuum between Gori and [Igoeti], creating fresh targets" for "looters and armed gangs in uniform - many of them apparently Ossetians, Chechens and Cossacks - [who] have operated behind the army's path, ransacking villages largely vacated by fleeing civilians."
The IHT also noted that "Russian soldiers remained in Zugdidi and Senaki in western Georgia, and another armored patrol roamed the roads to Abasha, near Kutaisi. A large contingent still held Gori, astride the country's most important road."
A Georgian Foreign Ministry statement claimed that Russian forces and separatist units had taken 13 villages in the buffer zone along the border of the separatist region of Abkhazia that was created at the end of the 1992-1993 war over the region. The statement went on to claim that temporary administrations had been set up in those villages. A power plant was also claimed to have been taken in the maneuver. The statement indicated that the effect of this action was to shift the border of Abkhazia toward the Inguri River.
According to the Associated Press, Russian forces were "digging in" at Igoeti, which is about 30 miles west of Tbilisi.
August 17: Russians say withdrawal to begin August 18
On August 17, GeorgiaGeorgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
accused the Russian army
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
of destroying a key railway bridge and starting massive fires in the scenic Borjomi Gorge
Borjomi Gorge
Borjomi Gorge is a picturuesque canyon of the Mtkvari River in central Georgia. The Gorge was formed as a result of the Mtkvari River cutting its path through the Lesser Caucasus Mountains where the Trialeti and Meskheti Ranges meet. A significant portion of the Borjomi Gorge is covered by mixed...
, in violation of a new cease-fire agreement between the two countries. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Richard Galpin, who has spent the past two days travelling from the Black Sea port of Poti to Tbilisi, says Georgian forces seem to be surrendering control of the highway to the Russians (BBC).
The UK Guardian said that South Ossetian forces had captured Akhalgori
Akhalgori
Akhalgori or Leningor is a town in South Ossetia, partially recognized republic in the South Caucasus, formerly the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic...
while the New York Times reported that Russia had deployed SS-21 Scarab missile launchers to South Ossetia, an accusation that Russia denies.
Russia's president Medvedev nonetheless said Russian troops would begin pulling out of Georgia on Monday.
August 18: Russian pull-out claims
Anatoli Nogowizyn from the Russian General Staff said around noon that Russia had started to pull troops from Georgia. By 14:00 UTC - 5:00 PM in Georgia - ARDARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
-correspondent Olaf Bock hadn't heard of any independent observers reporting either troop movement out of Gori or troops coming into North Ossetia from South Ossetia.
Four armored vehicles appeared in the village of Igoeti, intending to move towards the village of Lamiskana. Georgian police resisted the Russians and made a barrier with their vehicles; however, the soldiers received an order from their general to drive over the police vehicles and so they did. The police managed to get out of the cars and no one was injured.
Late on afternoon, Russian units were still operating in the center of the country. Russian military convoys continued to move in and out of Gori, about 40 miles northwest of Tbilisi, including tanks and an anti-aircraft gun. The situation was the same in western Georgia, the second flank of the Russian offensive. There was no evidence of a Russian pullback by mid-afternoon in and around Zugdidi, near Georgia's border with the rebel province of Abkhazia. As they had the day before, Russian tanks occupied the regional police compound there. In the morning, a convoy of 12 Russian military vehicles, including three tanks, rolled south toward the key Black Sea port of Poti. In Senaki, Russian forces continued to occupy a Georgian air base and other positions in the city, located along Georgia's main east-west highway.
According to RIAN
Rían
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Rían was a woman of the First House of the Edain in the First Age. She was the daughter of Belegund of the House of Bëor and cousin of Morwen Edhelwen. Her son was Tuor Eladar and her great-grandson Elrond Half-elven.Rían was only a young child during...
, Russian troops were pulling out of the South Ossetian capital Tskinvali.
August 19: Russians shut down port of Poti; NATO meeting called
The Wall Street Journal said Russian forces had seized control of PotiPoti
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
, rendering "another big blow to Georgia's economy." An Azeri news source quoted a Poti port official as saying, "workers were expelled from the port".Russian forces reportedly commandeered the Georgian missile boat, Tbilisi, and sank it.
NATO countries convened for an "emergency summit" in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
to find some consensuses on a response towards Russia in regard to the conflict in Georgia. While, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov levelled accusations at NATO of being "unobjective and biased" in maintaining support for a "criminal regime" that is "failing."
The United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
met to hear a briefings about the situation, including brief statements about human rights abuses and relief shipments to the area, and the promise of a permanent Russian military base in South Ossetia. The Georgian ambassador reported cases of destruction of their civilian and military infrastructure and alleged a Russian backed cyber attack. The Russian ambassador accused other parties of engaging in propaganda.
August 20–22: Russian withdrawal
A claim was made by an official from the Poti port that the Russian military had withdrawn. However, Russian forces have remained in the port as of August 22, "excavating trenches, setting up mortars and blocking a key bridge with armored personnel carriers and trucks."Despite selective Russian fortification in some areas, some Russian forces were seen heading north, out of the area that the French-brokered cease fire signed between Russia and Georgia demanded Russia leave. There was question as to whether or not Russian forces would have left the area fully by Friday, as they had stated they would since Tuesday. There were reports of Russian forces looting civilian property and of civilian starvation in Gori.
Russia has announced its promised troop pullout from Georgia is complete. Russia says it will keep a permanent military presence in a large buffer zone bordering Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. According to a White House spokesman, American President Bush and French President Sarkozy have agreed that Russia is not in compliance with the cease fire that Sarkozy brokered between Georgia and Russia. The Kremlin, however, says in a formal announcement, that President Sarkozy, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
, has shown satisfaction with the Russian withdrawal.
August 24
On the 24th of August, with Russian forces still within the port of Poti, a US warship has arrived with supplies and aid.August 25
On the 25th of August, the Deputy Defense Minister of Abkhazia Anatoly Zaitsev claimed that 8000 Georgian troops were massing at the border with Abkhazia.August 26
Both houses of the Russian Parliament pass unanimous resolutions calling on President Medvedev to support the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.August 27
President Medvedev of the Russian Federation signed two Presidential decrees recognizing the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia as sovereign independent states to authorize the drafting of treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with the new states.The Georgian pilotless flying machine is shot down( Southern Ostetii Michael Mindzaev has informed the Ministry of Internal Affairs).
August 28
The United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
held a meeting to hear briefings about the humanitarian implications of the conflict, and for both sides to state their positions on the issue.ref>
September 9
Russia announced it would keep 7,600 troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia for the foreseeable future, asserting power in the breakaway regions even as it began a pullout from positions deeper in Georgia.September 12
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin insists to reporters that President Dmitry Medvedev had no choice but, to attack Georgia as Russia had been encircled on all sides. "(Georgia) attacked South Ossetia with missiles, tanks, heavy artillery and ground troops. What were we supposed to do? If his country had not invaded, he said, it would have been like Russia "getting a bloody nose and hanging its head down", and there would be a "second blow" into the north Caucasus," said Putin in defence of Russia's heavily criticized action.September 13
Russian troops start withdrawal from Georgia. By 11:00 MSK, all posts near Poti were abandoned, while withdrawals from SenakiSenaki
Senaki is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around .From 1935 to 1976 it was called Tskhakaya in honor of the Georgian Bolshevik revolutionary leader Mikhail Tskhakaya....
and Khob followed.