[R-G] Battle over Georgian republic pits Russia vs. U.S.

[Anthony Fenton]

Battle over Georgian republic pits Russia vs. U.S.
Aug. 8, 2008.
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/475206
Aug 09, 2008 04:30 AM
Megan K. Stack
Los Angeles Times

MOSCOW–Russian tanks rumbled into the breakaway Georgian republic of  
South Ossetia yesterday, and volunteer Russian fighters reportedly  
made their way over the border, pushing Moscow closer to a full-blown  
war against U.S.-backed Georgia. The fighting that erupted among  
Georgia, Russia and Ossetian rebels over the mountainous sliver of  
land killed an unknown number of civilians and threatened to provide a  
battleground for long-simmering tensions between Moscow and the West.

At nightfall, each side was calling in reinforcements and pumping out  
its own, radically unique versions of the day's events.

Fighting continued overnight, with Georgia's interior ministry saying  
early today that planes attacked three Georgian military bases and key  
facilities for shipping oil to the West.

A terrified stream of people fleeing South Ossetia capital Tskhinvali  
reported bodies on the streets, in cars, in bombed buildings.

"It was impossible to count them," said Lyudmilia Ostayeva, 50.

A sharp escalation began earlier yesterday, when Georgia launched a  
large-scale, pre-dawn military operation meant to seize control of the  
rebel region, whose de facto autonomy and ties to Russia have long  
been an irritant to Georgian leaders. Backed by warplanes, Georgian  
troops plunged into South Ossetia and waged a hard battle throughout  
the day for control of the republic's capital

Officials on both sides reported civilian deaths but estimates could  
not be confirmed. South Ossetian officials said that some 1,400 people  
had been killed in the battles. Georgia didn't say how many casualties  
it had caused but reported that the Russian bombardment killed 30  
people.

The fighting broke out as much of the world's attention was focused on  
the start of the Olympics and many leaders, including Russian Prime  
Minister Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush, were in  
Beijing.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili agreed the timing was not  
coincidental, but accused Russia of being the aggressor. "Most  
decision makers have gone for the holidays," he told CNN. "Brilliant  
moment to attack a small country."

At the Pentagon, a senior defence official said yesterday that  
Georgian authorities have asked the U.S. for help getting their troops  
out of Iraq. Georgia has about 2,000 troops serving with the coalition  
forces there, making it the third-largest contributor after the U.S.  
and Britain. A source told The Associated Press the U.S. will likely  
support the troop withdrawal.

Last night each side blamed the other for violating a shaky ceasefire  
and throwing the republic back into fighting. And both claimed that  
victory was almost theirs.

Tskhinvali's status remained unclear late yesterday. Both sides, by  
turns, claimed to have seized control of most of the city. Russian  
troops reported that many of the buildings had been destroyed, and  
that the Parliament building burned to the ground. Aid organizations  
warned that civilians were hiding out in basements without water,  
electricity or medical help.

"We will remember this tragedy for the rest of our lives,'' said  
Sarmat Laliyev, 28, after arriving in Dzhava, a town near the border  
with Russia. "They are killing civilians, women and children, with  
heavy artillery and rockets."

The United Nations Security Council called its second emergency  
session in less than 24 hours in an attempt to prevent war, but by  
last night diplomats remained unable to reach an agreement on a  
statement calling for negotiations and an end to violence.

The Russian army reported 12 of its troops killed and 30 wounded in  
the fighting. Russia's defence ministry said it was sending in  
reinforcements.

At the Kremlin, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev vowed to protect his  
country's citizens.

"In accordance with the constitution and federal law, I, as president  
of Russia, am obliged to protect lives and dignity of Russian citizens  
wherever they are located," Medvedev said. "We won't allow the death  
of our compatriots to go unpunished."

In Beijing, White House press secretary Dana Perino said the United  
States, which "supports Georgia's territorial integrity," was calling  
for an immediate ceasefire. The Pentagon has about 200 troops in  
Georgia training units deployed to Iraq, officials said.

The Georgian foreign ministry, meanwhile, issued a statement calling  
on the international community to "give Russia the message that  
invading the territory of a sovereign state and bombing its territory  
is unacceptable in the 21st century."

South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity called the fight a "genocide."

"The latest tragic developments should become the last step toward the  
recognition of South Ossetia's independence," he told Interfax. "I am  
sure that the independence of South Ossetia will be recognized in the  
near future."

Pitting Russia against U.S.-backed Georgia, the conflict could  
escalate quickly – and prove difficult to quell. From Chechnya to  
Abkhazia, Russian-sponsored volunteers were encouraged to join South  
Ossetia's fight against Georgia, raising the threat of a war that  
could engulf the historically bellicose Caucasus.

Last night a military convoy left the Abkhaz capital and headed for  
South Ossetia to join the battle, Interfax reported.

The region is strategically important for its oil and gas pipelines,  
and has emerged as a sort of post-Cold War proving ground where the  
United States and Russia jockey for influence. Relations between the  
two countries have chilled under the leadership of Putin, as an  
increasingly strong, wealthy Russia tries to regain superpower status.

Georgia is a key player in that contest. A small, mountainous and poor  
country on Russia's southern flank, Georgia has deeply distressed  
Moscow by allying itself with the U.S., fighting in Iraq and  
campaigning for NATO membership.

But Georgia has long been bedevilled by the breakaway republics of  
South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Both republics fought bloody wars for de  
facto independence following the Soviet collapse, and have depended  
upon Moscow for everything from passports to political cover. Russian  
peacekeeping forces have been stationed in the republics for years.

With files from Associated Press