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August 8, 2008

Anton

Perviy Hah !!!

Why your channels don't show all videos from Georgia??? ONLY TANKS!!! I can give you links for other videos. I'm Russian, my best friend is Georgian. 60% people of Georgia hate Saakhashvili. My friend from Tbelisi said few days ago Georgia mobiled reserv soldiers. Tbilisi prepare this action. Russia is safe Russian citizens from GEORGIAN's AGRESSION!!!

August 8, 2008

Marek Swierczynski, journalist at TVP, Platinum Contributor (800)

Technically speaking, what was Georgia's internal matter - regardless of how painful and unacceptable - in terms of international law, provoked a foreign intervention or aggression, which international law also condemns. Technically it is Russia who violated territorial integrity of Georgia and unlawfully - i.e. without a mandate - rushed to fend off what it saw as unlawful violation of an ethnic minority's human rights. But you can't break the law in order to stop breaking the law and claim your innocence. Both sides are in deep trouble. Georgia perhaps deeper in the mud, as it is a weaker side of the conflict and in internal political crisis. Now, what the West can do about it? Certainly, Georgia's NATO bid has to be suspended, if it's not already over - and Russia is more than happy about it. But it is NATO that should offer a mediation - as Russia's and Georgia's friendly organisation. That should be also supported by the EU, Russia's and Georgia's other big friend. Both countries should be asked to withdraw military forces from South Ossetia, with sanctions applied if the request is refused. Russian peacekeepers, operating in South Ossetia under the CIS mandate should be called off and those should be replaced with international forces under the UN mandate, after the SC has dealt with the problem. That is more or less standard approach to resolving conflicts like the one. Whether Russia allows that to happen, I personally doubt. But that will also be a test for Russia's readiness to comply with international standards.

August 9, 2008

Vladimir Shaporenko

What bothers me is that Michael Saakashvili would have never started this conflict without the US authorization. Moreover, Condoleeza Rice just visited Georgia.

This also means that the United States can stop all this bloodshed any moment by telling Saakashvili to pull out troops and return to negotiating table with South Ossetia. Too bad, thousands already have been killed…

August 9, 2008

Grigol Ubiria, Australian National University, Silver Contributor (27)

What is difference between Soviet troops occupying Budapest (1956) and Prague (1968) and Russian ‘peacekeepers’ annexing the territories of Georgia? Russia’s claims that they are defending their citizens in breakaway republic of South Ossetia are ridiculous. What then Russian citizens are doing with tanks, heavy artillery and military helicopters on the territory of sovereign Georgia? There are more ethnic Georgians living in Moscow then total population of South Ossetia. Does it mean that Georgia has a right to send its troops to Moscow in order to defend its citizens from Russian skinheads? Most of those people who are in the government of separatist South Ossetia come from the different parts of Russia including Siberia. They have nothing to do with the region.

Georgia has a legal right to restore constitutional order in any parts of its country. There is no doubt about it. Russian aggression has to stop as soon as possible. Several hours ago, Russian jets bombed Poti sea port, western Georgia, which is 400km away from the conflict zone. Besides, they bombed 4 Georgian military bases in different parts of the country as well as city of Gori. In another breakaway republic of Abkhazia, separatists and Russian jets are attacking Georgian positions in Kodori valley. However, Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region don’t care about that.

At the moment, there is undeclared war between Russia and Georgia. West has to make its choice. It can pretend to be blind as it did during the occupation of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Baltic States and continue to enjoy receiving gas supplies from Russia. Or it can stand and strongly defend the country which is punished now for choosing the Western course.

August 9, 2008

valentine akishkin

The 8th of August Georgian troops using artillery, rockets, mortars, aircraft, started bombarding Tskhinvali residential districts leveling housing to the ground, so far the figure of killed is estimated as1400 civilians. Bodies of South Ossetia civilians killed in the bombarding are left lying in the streets; many people are still buried under ruined housing and there is limited chance to rescue them as Georgian snipers continue to target any movement. After intensive shelling of Tskhinvali, Georgian infantry entered the city and Saakashvili gloriously proclaimed that the city was ceased. 12 Russian soldiers from the peacekeepers contingent were killed in the first minutes of the onslaught. Six South Ossetia villages were captured by Georgian soldiers destroyed, burnt and mashed to the ground with tank tracks. Full scale ethnical cleansing of South Ossetia citizen has taken place in the villages and Tskhinvali. Wounded Russian soldiers and Ossetians were shot in cold blood.
By 10 o’clock the next morning Russia started bringing in part of its 58th army from the neighboring North Ossetia (Russian territory) to enforce the peacekeeping contingent. Russian aircraft began bombing airports where Georgian military aircraft were stationed to diminish further bombing of Tskhinvali, outgoing transport evacuating civilians to safety and Russian military forces entering South Ossetia. Georgian military positions overlaying Tskhinvali were suppressed by Russian tank units of the 58th army that entered South Ossetia. Presently, South Ossetia forces are liberating the city of Georgian intruders. Hopefully, the city will be freed of the Georgian invaders and help will be offered to the 30 thousand people that remain in the city without medical help, water or food.
It will take a long time and due resources before the people of South Ossetia will be able to return to Tskhinvali as the city has been totally devastated by Georgian bombardments and infantry attacks.
Many regions of Russia are offering and rendering all possible assistance to the displaced and wounded people of South Ossetia so deceitfully attacked. A call to international humanitarian organizations has been made by Russia to assist the South Ossetians in this grievous and distressful time. Abkhazia has announced that it will assist in defending South Ossetia. Volunteers from North Ossetia, Moldova are joining ranks and ready to assist
This is not the first time that full scale warfare was opened on South Ossetia. Gamsakhurdi began the slaughter in 1992, later it was carried on by Shevarnadze and now it is Saakashvili.
BBC showed the Georgian rocket attack on Tskhinvali and proceeded on to comment that 7 Georgian soldiers were killed. An ordinary person in Britain or elsewhere would have gathered that the squall of fire was of Russian origin. Regretfully the greater amount of information that reaches the ears and eyes of the ordinary people in the west is strongly sieved through western propaganda censorship.
Georgian has been seriously assisted in increasing its military might by a number of NATO countries. I am afraid that none of them ever imagined that they put arms into the hands of unmanageable schizophrenic and an arrant match to Hitler. The last thing Europe and NATO would ever dare to have in its ranks is a mislead Georgia led by a remorseless and rampant villain as Saarkashvili.

August 9, 2008

Dirk Feistauer, Student in Vienna, (2)

Russia:

- I assume, that the Russians try to destabilize and punish Georgia because of their west-orientation. Thus i doubt that the in Ossetia stationed troops prevent attacks from the Rebells.

South Ossetian Rebells:

- The escalation of the war could bring them russian support. They maybe hope, that this in the end brings them closer to independence.

Georgia

They`re foolish enough to try to control a province, which is lost. It seems, that their engagement was an overreaction due to South Ossetian attacks.

The West

The West want to bring Georgia under their sphere of influence, especially because of the geostrategic importance of the region. There also seems no interest in supporting the Ossetian independence, because this could stop georgian aspirations to join the West.


The best solution would be the withdrawl of the destruictiv russian army in Ossetia and to replace them with an international peace corps. In the long run, Georgia should give up the hopeless plan to regain the control over Ossetia. They should accept, that a vast majority of Ossetians don`t want to be part of Georgia.
Finally the West should try to compensate Georgia with economic help, to keep Georgia on their side.

Such a result would be a benefit for russia, but the West can try in the negotations to gain a stronger russian support on other topics, like Iran.

August 9, 2008

valentine akishkin

I dare to make the following proposals and predictions:

Russia will eventually liberate South Ossetia of any signs of Georgian troops. The massacre that has happened during the reign of all Georgian presidents in revolting territories bears witness to the fact that Georgia is not capable of offering any form of mutual existence within any Georgian jurisdiction. Georgia’s insistent and endless attempts to render a pliable status by militant means have achieved a reverse result. The heavy casualties that have occurred and will still occur on either side will hinder any form of coexistence for many generations to come. Russia will have no other choice, but to recognize the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent sovereign states following the precedent of Kosovo. To which, it is well know, Russia was formally strongly opposed.
The status of these territories can not remain endlessly undetermined leaving room for speculations or territorial claims, disputes, fierce clashes and unrest in the region leaving the citizens of these territories hostages to an unpredictable future.
Russia bore itself unquestionably and solely responsible for all the debts of the former Soviet Union, which it has paid in full, relieving all other former member countries plausibly agreeable. Other liabilities either moral, jurisdictional or of any other origin interrelated to the disintegration of the Soviet Union have never been denied by Russia. This being a recognized and unquestionable fact, there is little reason why Russia, being the sole heritor to the arduous consequences stemming out of the disintegration should not have a decisive say in resolving disputes that occurred due to the catastrophic annihilation of formerly integrated republics. In other words Russia should have a decisive say in sorting out this conflict, once a number of countries, now independent, can do nothing other than blame Russia for whatever happened in the former Soviet Union and hold it accountable. If Russia makes this choice there is nothing that people like Saakashvili can do other than wipe their nose and weep.
Conclusion:
I should assume that by providing the status of and independent countries, the agreement should foresee that neither Abkhazia nor South Ossetia have the right to formally integrate into Russia. The agreement should also foresee that sides could return to the question of integration into Georgia in 99 years time, when the wounds are healed and other people, hopefully more forbearing, become leaders of these warring territories.
Russia has no interest in integrating South Ossetia into Russia as combined with North Ossetia (Russian territory), future events might cause these combined territories – South Ossetia and North Ossetia, for some as yet unforeseeable reason, to seek independence from Russia.
Not the slightest breathe should be mentioned of any integration of Georgia into NATO, this must be set as an axiom for the whole period of those 99 years and be an inherent part of the agreement. This is apparent today in view of Georgia’s irresistible itching to settle the matter by fighting.
Georgian settlements on the territory of South Ossetia will have to be dealt with extreme care. These questions should better be negotiated with the people involved.
Russia would have to reconsider its policy towards passports issued to residents of South Ossetia or Abkhazia and make adequate limitations to receiving Russian citizenship in the future. The implication that South Ossetia be granted independence would render its passports liable for use outside the country.

Foreseeing the same cataclysms for the Ukraine; any talk of the Ukraine in NATO would seriously undermine it territorial integrity and abrogate the treaty concluded between Russia and the Ukraine with unpredictable consequences. There would be no objections to the Ukraine integrating into the EU, but exclusive of any military liabilities that could be interpreted by Russia as subverting its safety. Otherwise, the EU would be digging a hole beneath its own feet and get involved in problems that, until yet, are hidden from view, but remain unsolved and are bound to immerge after 2017.

August 10, 2008

Heinrich Bonnenberg, Energiewerke Nord
DGAP, Platinum Contributor (229)

If South Ossetia wants to leave Georgia, Georgia has to let them go. To forbid this leaving by military power is not acceptable.
The Russian invasion to South Ossetia is always not acceptable, as many invasions in the last decade by other countries at other places are not acceptable, too.

All troops, Georgian and Russian, should leave South Ossetia and South Ossetia should decide by itself about its future.

Last not least Georgia and Russia should pay war indemnity to South Ossetia and give help to rebuild the country.

August 10, 2008

Nazira Toktalieva, Center Polis Asia, Central Asia, Silver Contributor (35)

Before the US and UK call for Russia to withdraw from Ossetia, they and especially Georgia, should withdraw their troops from Iraq, and the US and UK from Iraq and Afghanistan.