Caucasus Crisis

[Philip]

MK Bhadrakumar IFS,former ambassador,has this incisive piece describing the undercurrents and strategic dimensions that lie behind this crisis.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/11/stories ... 580800.htm
Monday, Aug 11, 2008
U.S. sets bear trap in the Caucasus

M.K. Bhadrakumar

The master plotters in Washington and London will keenly watch how Dmitry Medvedev’s leadership handles the crisis.

Anyone who thought Beijing Olympics had to be Friday’s lead news story on CNN and BBC was in for surprise. It gave way to the Caucasus developments.

There is no reason to doubt CNN and BBC’s judgment that the killing of tens of hundreds of people in the Caucasian region of South Ossetia on Friday may turn out to be a landmark event in post-Soviet Russia's relations with the West. The Caucasus lies deeply embedded in Russian collective consciousness. Their history and culture and indeed the security of Mother Russia are inextricably linked with the Caucasus. Anyone who lived among Russians would know there is not a living room in the whole of Russia with a book shelf that wouldn’t have Leo Tolstoy’s Kavkazsky Plennik [A Prisoner in the Caucasus]. Zhilin is a household name in Russia, the officer in the Czarist army posted in the Caucasus who took leave of absence and ran into high adventure as he left for home upon receiving a letter from his mother who wrote, “I am getting old, and should like to see my beloved son before I die. Come and say good-bye to me, bury me, and then return to service, God willing. I have found a girl for you, who is sensible and good and landed too. If you like her, you might marry her and stay for good.”

Moscow finds itself in an unenviable situation. Russia cannot avoid an intervention and is obliged to intervene, as the majority of South Ossetians are Russian citizens. The Georgian attack was intended as a provocation. The attack killed 13 Russian soldiers and injured 150 and took over 2,000 civilian lives, mostly Russian citizens. The South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali has been razed to the ground. Over 30,000 refugees have crossed the Russian border.

We feel as if on a time machine back in cold war. The master plotters in Washington and London will now keenly watch how Medvedev’s leadership in the Kremlin handles the crisis. They will look for clues whether Mr. Medvedev has Mr. Putin’s iron fist and steely nerves. When Mr. Putin took over in 2000, a similar test awaited him in Chechnya. He set about doing what Russia had to do. But times have changed. Chilly winds have begun blowing in East-West relations.

Mr. Medvedev acted swiftly. He ordered humanitarian aid for the affected civilians, and dispatched military reinforcements. He asserted Moscow’s intent to fulfil its “paramount task” historically as the “guarantor for the security of the peoples of the Caucasus.” He condemned Georgian action as an “act of aggression” against the Russian peacekeeping force, a gross violation of international law and U.N. mandates. Stating his “duty to protect the lives and dignity of Russian citizens,” he promised that “perpetrators will receive the punishment they deserve.” In a statement from Beijing, Mr, Putin added, “of course, it will lead to a response.”

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned Georgia shouldn’t feel safe from Russian retaliation. Indeed, by Saturday, Russian paratroops have driven Georgian troops out of Tskhinvali. But the question remains: what next? Of course, an enormous humanitarian catastrophe needs to be averted as a large number of Ossetian civilians lie buried in the debris left behind by Georgia’s large-scale offensive supported by tanks, combat aircraft, heavy artillery and infantry.

Meanwhile, Russia must act with one hand tied behind its back. Western propaganda is raring to go. The think tank Stratfor, which echoes U.S. intelligence community, has already portrayed that a “defining moment” has come in post-Cold War era and the world is witnessing “the first major Russian intervention since the fall of the Soviet Union.” It visualised that former Soviet republics bordering Russia would now be “terrified of what they face in the long run.” Tbilisi also switched tack to rhetoric. The U.S.-educated Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili said, “This is not about Georgia anymore. It is about America, its values.” Faraway in Beijing, U.S. President George W. Bush promptly agreed.

Mr. Bush said he’s “deeply concerned” and that Russian intervention is a “dangerous escalation… endangering regional peace.” He added, “We call for an end to the Russian bombings, and a return by the parties to the status quo of August 6.” It may sound well-meaning, but Mr. Medvedev brushed aside Mr. Bush’ sophistry. On Thursday, Russia tried to have the United Nations Security Council call on Georgia and South Ossetia to immediately lay down weapons. But Washington was disinterested. As the Russian ambassador to the U.N., Vitaly Churkin put it, there was an “absence of political will” within the Security Council. It seems Washington expected that a quid pro quo could be worked out as well on a new U.N. Security Council resolution imposing tougher sanctions on Iran, which the U.S. has been pressing for, and Russia hitherto resisting.

Actually, a splendid case study offers itself for Indian strategic thinkers (and politicians) who cogitate over our capability to hold the long arm of American diplomacy and our own tryst with destiny as a “self-confident” great power. The irony is, Russia is also the U.S.’s “strategic partner.” It was only in April that Mr. Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush met in the Black Sea resort of Sochi and signed a “strategic framework” pact, reiterating the hopes of a dynamic forward movement in the relationship. Again, it is not even that there is an equivalent of the Hyde Act operating on the geopolitics of the Caucasus. It is also not as if post-Soviet Russians lack “self-confidence.” The issue boils down to the vagaries and uncertainties bordering on the futility that Russia or any country — including even a close ally — ultimately faces in pursuing an equitable and balanced relationship with the U.S.

Apart from pressuring Moscow to fall in line on the Iran nuclear issue, what is the U.S. game plan? To begin with, Saakashvili, of course, is a progeny of the “colour revolution” in Georgia, which was financed and stage-managed by the U.S. in 2003. Georgia and the Caucasus constitute a critically important piece of real estate for the U.S. since it straddles a busy transportation route for energy — like, say, the Indian Ocean or the Persian Gulf. It can be used as a choke point. Simply put, keeping it under control as a sphere of influence is highly advantageous for the pursuit of U.S. geopolitical interests in the Eurasian region. A rollback of Russian influence therefore becomes a desirable objective.

Two, a flashpoint in the Caucasus at this juncture suits Washington. Any perception in the Western capitals of Moscow “bullying” Tbilisi at once lends itself as an emotive factor that strengthens Washington’s case for inducting Georgia into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation [NATO]. Washington needs to overcome the resistance within the NATO on Georgia’s membership, ahead of the meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers in December, which will also be the last major NATO event of the Bush era. Georgia has been a pet project of the Bush administration, and its induction into NATO makes a fine legacy. Indeed, the strategic implications are far-reaching.

With the induction of Georgia, NATO crosses over to the approaches to Asia. The arc of encirclement of Russia gets strengthened. The NATO ties facilitate the deployment of the U.S. missile defence system in Georgia. The U.S. aims to have a chain of countries tied to “partnerships” with NATO brought into its missile defence system — stretching from its allies in the Baltic and Central Europe, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, India, and leading to the Asia Pacific. The ultimate U.S. objective is to neutralise the strategic capability of Russia and China and to establish its nuclear superiority. The National Defence Strategy document issued by the Pentagon on July 31 portrays Washington’s perceptions of a resurgent Russia and a rising China as potential adversaries. (Curiously, the 29-page document singles out India as a unique “stakeholder” in the U.S. strategy!)

Three, from Washington’s perspective, there is nothing like getting Russia bogged down in the Caucasus if it saps Russia’s capacity to play an effective role on the world stage. Moscow dreads a full-blown war erupting in the Caucasus and is averse to a confrontation with the West. That leaves scope for “bear-baiting.” Conceivably, at some point Moscow would lose patience. If Moscow accedes to the long-standing demand by South Ossetia to become part of Russian federation, it becomes fodder for Western criticism that a “revanchist” Kremlin annexes territories. But if Moscow remains passive, the Caucasus could become Russia’s “bleeding wound” and Russia’s prestige in the post-Soviet space diminishes.

To be sure, Moscow must act warily, but even then pitfalls remain, as Zhilin found out. Tolstoy wrote, “It was a time of war in the Caucasus. The roads were not safe by night or day. If any of the Russians left the fortress and ventured to ride or walk any distance away from his fort, the Tartars killed him or carried him off to the hills.”

(The writer is a former ambassador belonging to the Indian Foreign Service.)

PS:Mr.Bhadrakumar's analysis is on the spot,as the speed and "noises" with which Ukraine EU/NATO applicant is making regarding "blocking" Russian naval vessels that might partake in the Georgian operations,smacks of a concerted move to assist Georgia,backed by strong US support.Russia will operate from Sevastopol until 2017,as Ukraine with obvious outide pressure wants Russia to vacate the base by then.If Ukraine does try to enforce its threat ,we may see the Caucasus crisis leading to a much wider conflict,echoing the plot to "trap the Bear" that Bhadrakumar writes of.

Details below:

http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/2007-122-24.cfm
Ukraine insists on Russian naval base withdrawal by 2017
KIEV, May 30 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's defense minister reiterated Wednesday that Russia must withdraw its naval base from Ukraine's Crimea Autonomy by 2017, in compliance with a previous bilateral agreement.

Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in 1997 stipulating that the Black Sea Fleet's main base in Sevastopol, on the Crimean Peninsula, be leased to Russia for 20 years, with the possibility of extending the term.

The annual rent of about $100 million is deducted from Ukraine's debt for Russian energy supplies. In addition to the main base, the Black Sea Fleet maintains two airfields and a ship re-supply facility on the Crimean Peninsula.

"The Black Sea fleet must leave the Crimea by 2017. Period," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry quoted Anatoly Hrytsenko as saying.

[Deans]

a fellowship from the United States State Department (via the Edmund S. Muskie/FREEDOM Support Act (FSA) Graduate Fellowship Program).

ahem ahem...harvard, yale, columbia, univs in washington seem very plugged into
such program.

no doubt other progs exist to support the wards of the indian elites

Besides, Sakashvilli's wife is Dutch. The man himself only speaks English on TV, I wonder if he can even speak fluent Georgian.

[Shivani]

this dude stands out of the rest of Georgian soldiers.
he has no patches, wears sun glasses, boonie hat. Looks like a Blackwater type.

Did you totally forget to notice his rifle!?

[Philip]

Great analysis of the pics! Kudos to the BRites for spotting the same.Do you remember the picture "Wag the Dog" with Dustin Hoffman plotting a little war to divert attention from a US president's indiscretions?In the film,the same technique was used to "fake" war damage and civilian casualties to fool the world.Has this conflict been orchestrated to enhance John McCain's chances of winning November's election?I think so very much. A "strong" war hero president is required during times of international crisis,especially one involving old enemy "Commie" Russia.It's also a wonderful method of diverting attention fromn the US's economic woes.John McCain is to be the new Reagan of the 21st century,saving America from the "evil empire"!

[vina]

I wouldn't make too much of that picture. The Georgians bought M16 rifles from Unkil as part of their weapons shopping from western countries exercise.

[Singha]

but still, the general ambience of the guy and the way he is carrying his rifle sloped
down across the chest is very regulation amirkhan style....could be some pvt "consultant"
could be a green beret could be some retired mercenaries sent in by amirkhan to help out...
witness he has some sidearm holster strapped to the thigh...looks at pix of american
pvt consultants in iraq for comparison.

[Igorr]

I wouldn't make too much of that picture. The Georgians bought M16 rifles from Unkil as part of their weapons shopping from western countries exercise.

They broadley demonstrated M16 but indeed if looking on fighting troops they have new AK-74M or Bulgarian copies.

Video:
Chechen spetznaz Vostok in S.Osetia:
http://life.ru/video/4966

[Singha]

BBC:

From Tbilisi, Georgia said up to 50 Russian fighter jets attacked targets inside Georgia overnight, with targets including a missile base and a radar station.

Georgia said the town of Gori, close to the South Ossetian border and used as a jumping-off point for Georgia's push into South Ossetia, also came under overnight attack.

Meanwhile Russian media reported that Georgian forces shelled South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, killing three peacekeepers.

And in Abkhazia, a second separatist region of Georgia, reports said a Russian general issued an ultimatum to Georgian forces to pull out of Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge or Russian would send in its troops. Earlier, reports in Moscow said 9,000 Russian troops were being deployed to Abkhazia.

On Sunday, separatist leaders in Abkhazia announced a full mobilisation in order to drive Georgian troops from part of the region, and gave them a deadline to leave.

Georgia has accused Russia of landing 4,000 more troops in Abkhazia via the Black Sea. The separatists said Georgia had deployed a similar number of soldiers south of the Abkhaz border.

[Shankar]

Georgians cannot be so stupid
but they really are

Russia is not a soft state irrespective of who is the president

The provocation of killing the peace keepers and Russian civilians was bound to attract retaliation and it has .I am surprised it was not in even larger scale

Looks like the Georgians got taken in by too much western propaganda to think Russian bear will stand and watch its people murdered - a gross miscalculation
we should have acted the same way when BSF guys got killed in Bangladesh border but again we are not Russia

The nett result -destruction if their military machine and some of their economic infrastructure in a matter of days

[Singha]

WSJ - the president of georgia seems to have time on his hands to write op-eds in
middle of a war

OPINION

The War in Georgia
Is a War for the West
By MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI
August 11, 2008; Page A15

Tbilisi, Georgia

As I write, Russia is waging war on my country.

On Friday, hundreds of Russian tanks crossed into Georgian territory, and Russian air force jets bombed Georgian airports, bases, ports and public markets. Many are dead, many more wounded. This invasion, which echoes Afghanistan in 1979 and the Prague Spring of 1968, threatens to undermine the stability of the international security system.


Why this war? This is the question my people are asking. This war is not of Georgia's making, nor is it Georgia's choice.

The Kremlin designed this war. Earlier this year, Russia tried to provoke Georgia by effectively annexing another of our separatist territories, Abkhazia. When we responded with restraint, Moscow brought the fight to South Ossetia.

Ostensibly, this war is about an unresolved separatist conflict. Yet in reality, it is a war about the independence and the future of Georgia. And above all, it is a war over the kind of Europe our children will live in. Let us be frank: This conflict is about the future of freedom in Europe.

No country of the former Soviet Union has made more progress toward consolidating democracy, eradicating corruption and building an independent foreign policy than Georgia. This is precisely what Russia seeks to crush.

This conflict is therefore about our common trans-Atlantic values of liberty and democracy. It is about the right of small nations to live freely and determine their own future. It is about the great power struggles for influence of the 20th century, versus the path of integration and unity defined by the European Union of the 21st. Georgia has made its choice.

When my government was swept into power by a peaceful revolution in 2004, we inherited a dysfunctional state plagued by two unresolved conflicts dating to the early 1990s. I pledged to reunify my country -- not by the force of arms, but by making Georgia a pole of attraction. I wanted the people living in the conflict zones to share in the prosperous, democratic country that Georgia could -- and has -- become.

In a similar spirit, we sought friendly relations with Russia, which is and always will be Georgia's neighbor. We sought deep ties built on mutual respect for each other's independence and interests. While we heeded Russia's interests, we also made it clear that our independence and sovereignty were not negotiable. As such, we felt we could freely pursue the sovereign choice of the Georgian nation -- to seek deeper integration into European economic and security institutions.

We have worked hard to peacefully bring Abkhazia and South Ossetia back into the Georgian fold, on terms that would fully protect the rights and interests of the residents of these territories. For years, we have offered direct talks with the leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, so that we could discuss our plan to grant them the broadest possible autonomy within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia.

But Russia, which effectively controls the separatists, responded to our efforts with a policy of outright annexation. While we appealed to residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia with our vision of a common future, Moscow increasingly took control of the separatist regimes. The Kremlin even appointed Russian security officers to arm and administer the self-styled separatist governments.

Under any circumstances, Russia's meddling in our domestic affairs would have constituted a gross violation of international norms. But its actions were made more egregious by the fact that Russia, since the 1990s, has been entrusted with the responsibility of peacekeeping and mediating in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Rather than serve as honest broker, Russia became a direct party to the conflicts, and now an open aggressor.

As Europe expanded its security institutions to the Black Sea, my government appealed to the Western community of nations -- particularly European governments and institutions -- to play a leading role in resolving our separatist conflicts. The key to any resolution was to replace the outdated peacekeeping and negotiating structures created almost two decades ago, and dominated by Russia, with a genuine international effort.

But Europe kept its distance and, predictably, Russia escalated its provocations. Our friends in Europe counseled restraint, arguing that diplomacy would take its course. We followed their advice and took it one step further, by constantly proposing new ideas to resolve the conflicts. Just this past spring, we offered the separatist leaders sweeping autonomy, international guarantees and broad representation in our government.

Our offers of peace were rejected. Moscow sought war. In April, Russia began treating the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as Russian provinces. Again, our friends in the West asked us to show restraint, and we did. But under the guise of peacekeeping, Russia sent paratroopers and heavy artillery into Abkhazia. Repeated provocations were designed to bring Georgia to the brink of war.

When this failed, the Kremlin turned its attention to South Ossetia, ordering its proxies there to escalate attacks on Georgian positions. My government answered with a unilateral cease-fire; the separatists began attacking civilians and Russian tanks pierced the Georgian border. We had no choice but to protect our civilians and restore our constitutional order. Moscow then used this as pretext for a full-scale military invasion of Georgia.

Over the past days, Russia has waged an all-out attack on Georgia. Its tanks have been pouring into South Ossetia. Its jets have bombed not only Georgian military bases, but also civilian and economic infrastructure, including demolishing the port of Poti on the Black Sea coast. Its Black Sea fleet is now massing on our shores and an attack is under way in Abkhazia.

What is at stake in this war?

Most obviously, the future of my country is at stake. The people of Georgia have spoken with a loud and clear voice: They see their future in Europe. Georgia is an ancient European nation, tied to Europe by culture, civilization and values. In January, three in four Georgians voted in a referendum to support membership in NATO. These aims are not negotiable; now, we are paying the price for our democratic ambitions.

Second, Russia's future is at stake. Can a Russia that wages aggressive war on its neighbors be a partner for Europe? It is clear that Russia's current leadership is bent on restoring a neocolonial form of control over the entire space once governed by Moscow.

If Georgia falls, this will also mean the fall of the West in the entire former Soviet Union and beyond. Leaders in neighboring states -- whether in Ukraine, in other Caucasian states or in Central Asia -- will have to consider whether the price of freedom and independence is indeed too high.

Mr. Saakashvili is president of Georgia.

[ASPuar]

Shakashvili is an idiot.

"This war is about the type of Europe our children will live in. Its about the future of Europe."

Georgia isnt in Europe.
That stupid EU flag he's propped up without sanction from any European Union authority is bogus. And imagining that producing a large variety of soundbytes for the US media to swallow will save him from the Russians capturing him and having him shot, is wishful thinking.

He should have known better than to tread on the bear. But this yuppie is about to get his.

[Raju]

this dude stands out of the rest of Georgian soldiers.
he has no patches, wears sun glasses, boonie hat. Looks like a Blackwater type.

Did you totally forget to notice his rifle!?

No I did not. He is American, he is carrying an M4 and wearing digital camouflage, more specifically Marine MARPAT and a USMC issue load bearing vest. He is also wearing his wedding ring on his right hand, as continental Europeans do.

[Philip]

Independent UK

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/co ... 90250.html

Bruce Anderson: The West must share the blame for war in Georgia

Our diplomatic weakness rests on the shoulders of a longer-term strategic incompetence

Monday, 11 August 2008

Leading article: A small war in the Causasus which has huge implications

Tskhinvali is not Sarejevo in 1914. South Ossetia will not be the start-line of the Third World War. But it is a ghastly mess, all the more depressing because the West is partly to blame. In diplomacy, strategy and geopolitics, our political leaders have been guilty of multiple failures over many years.


First, diplomacy. President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia is a headstrong fellow. Reference has been made to his Harvard education as if that should ensure sound judgement. Alas, however, the President's tutor was not the greatest of Harvard diplomatists, Henry Kissinger – but Anthony Eden at Suez. Mr Saakashvili has only one defence against the charge of criminal irresponsibility: a plea of insanity.

So where were the Western diplomats with straitjackets and hard words? It may be that the President was so headstrong as to be beyond counsel, but it would have been worth trying: pointing out to him that his intended actions would have inevitable consequences and that Georgia would be facing them on its own. Even if it might not have worked, it should have been tried. Yet just when the game was in a crucial phase, British and American diplomats took their eye off the ball.

There is a further diplomatic problem. Georgia would like to join Nato, for obvious if naive reasons. Most Georgians have persuaded themselves that if they were Nato members, we would defend our freedoms shoulder to shoulder with theirs, on the Georgian-Russian frontier. That is nonsense. The moment Nato extended guarantees to Georgia or the Ukraine would be the moment Nato either ceased to exist as a credible defensive alliance or – more likely – turned into an organised hypocrisy. It would become a two-tier structure, in which new members were invited to contribute troops but not offered protection when they most needed it.

Alas, however, all the talk about Nato encouraged Georgian adventurism. It helped President Saakashvili to think that he could behave like a founder member. He concluded that he could provoke Russia with impunity. The Russians concluded that it was time to teach him a lesson.

That should not have been necessary. Rather than waiting for the Russians to instil the fear of death, the West should have taught Georgia the facts of life. We ought to have reminded them that they were living in a dangerous neighbourhood. A small nation that has only recently become independent from a neighbouring superpower still resentful at many of the changes which have overtaken it must tread warily. Eighty per cent of Georgians would like to join Nato. One suspects that a similar percentage of Taiwanese would like to become fully independent. Neither country is in the position to conduct its foreign affairs by writing letters to Santa Claus.

Over time, the Taiwanese have come to accept this; the Georgians should have been helped to do so.

The West's diplomatic weakness rests on the shoulders of a longer-term strategic incompetence. We failed to think through the consequences of our victory in the Cold War. As a result, we have not done enough to consolidate our gains. We failed to build on the geo-strategic triumphs of the Reagan-Thatcher era. In 1979, Mrs Thatcher was threatened by socialism at home – abetted by Soviet fellow-travellers – and by Finlandisation on the Continent. That latter contest was equally important to the Americans. The West won, and our victory was even more impressive for costing so little in blood.

But that was not the sole diplomatic achievement of the great Reagan-Thatcher era. Both the President and the Prime Minister were alert to changing circumstances. They recognised Mr Gorbachev as a bridge to a new era, even before he had decided to cross it. They understood the Churchillian maxim: "In victory, magnanimity."

By 1990, there was a powerful case for scrapping the West's Cold War concepts while keeping our weapons systems, just in case. Despite their reputation for intransigence, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher would have been ready to exploit new opportunities. They would have understood the need to move beyond Nato, now that it had served its original purposes. By the early 1990s, there was a need for a new system of collective security in Europe, embracing the Russians. Once Moscow had renounced the ill-gotten gains of 1944-45, we should have welcomed the Russians back to a Europe which had been spiritually impoverished by their absence.

On a practical level, we should have pressed on with Mr Reagan's offer to share anti-ballistic missile technology with the Russians: why not employ some of their scientists in the research work? Once the Communist threat was lifted and the Soviet Empire dismantled, we had no quarrel with Russia. A sustained peace-making effort over the past 15 years would have created a diplomatic means of solving the Georgian question before it became one.

Instead, we have a sullen and truculent Russia demanding respect with menaces. It is possible to make some excuses for all this. The Russian version of history moves from the sacrifices of the Great Patriotic War to the voluntary renunciation of Empire, neither of them receiving adequate gratitude from the West. More recently, on a smaller scale, there is the independence of Kosovo. If Kosovo, why not South Ossetia or Abkhazia? Most Russians do not accept that they have done anything wrong. The Putin-Medvedev administration has a higher popularity score than George Bush and Gordon Brown put together.

The excuses only go so far. The Russians are not fighting Georgia to defend the rights of small nations. They also want to remind Europe where much of its energy comes from. A secure pipeline through Georgia would enable the West to receive oil supplies from Azerbaijan which did not pass through Russian territory. That pipeline is no longer secure, which is why Georgia is more than a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing.

This brings us to the failure of geopolitical thinking. Whichever brute or blaggard made the world, he has a black sense of humour. Much of the oil on which the West depends is located in countries upon whom no one would wish to depend. But this is not a new problem. It has been apparent for two decades, which is why the French in particular have moved so heavily into nuclear power.

We in Britain, less far-sighted, have a choice between clapped-out power stations, fantasies about renewable energy and the vagaries of the international oil market. Our failure to find a nuclear alternative is comparable to our failure to rearm in the late 1930s. Now, as then, it could open us to blackmail and condemn us to appeasement.

Those are longer-term questions, which is no excuse for not addressing them as a matter of urgency. In the short-run, Britain, the EU and above all the US will have the task of bringing some relief to the battered people of Georgia. There is little that we can do beyond calling for restraint, urging a ceasefire, begging all men of goodwill etc. The Georgians will have to give up the struggle to hold on to South Ossetia and they may as well prepare themselves to lose Abkhazia as well. If only that were the end of the problem.

[Gerard]

Poor Saakashvili



He asked his friend Bush to spank putin but Dubya thought he meant pootang



Go Dubya

[Gerard]

The BBC is running a clip of the Georgian President in Gori. A Russian fighter appears and the bodyguards rush him down a street and cover him with BPJs. He then gets up and is rushed away to a vehicle. He looks back, up at the sky, with a look of sheer terror on his face...

[Philip]

Cheney threatens Russia! We now know who the real architect of the "Georgian Gambit" is! So Cheney wants Russian ass kicked,but by whom? Is he going to emulate a former US president and "speak soflty and carry a big Dick"?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 90563.html

The US Vice President Dick Cheney says Russia's military actions in Georgia "must not go unanswered".

His comments came after a conversation with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Mr Cheney's press secretary, Lee Ann McBride, said: "The Vice President expressed the United States' solidarity with the Georgian people and their democratically elected government in the face of this threat to Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

He had told Mr Saakashvili: "Russian aggression must not go unanswered, and that its continuation would have serious consequences for its relations with the United States, as well as the broader international community."

In other developments today:

* Up to 50 Russian fighter jets attacked Georgia overnight, Georgia's foreign ministry said.

A foreign ministry statement said: "Several dozen Russian bombers are in the Georgian skies and have been attacking throughout the country over the past several hours.

"Overnight, as many as 50 Russian bombers were reported operating simultaneuosly over Georgia."


* Nato Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer accused Russia today of using excessive force and violating Georgia's territory after military action spread beyond the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia.

Nato spokeswoman Carmen Romero said: "He is seriously concerned about the disproportionate use of force by the Russians and the lack of respect for the territorial integrity of Georgia."

Nato leaders declared in April that Georgia would one day be a member of the US-led military alliance, angering Moscow. A diplomatic source said Georgia's foreign minister would meet Nato ambassadors in Brussels tomorrow to discuss the conflict.

* On the Russian side, the country's Interfaxe news agency cited local officials as it reported that Georgian forces shelled the South Ossetian capital early today - killing three Russian peacekeepers and wounding 18 others.

A Reuters photographer in Tskhinvali said shelling was heard in the early hours today and local troops said that people had been killed and injured by the shelling. But there was no immediate confirmation to the reports of deaths and injuries.

* Russian troops today issued an ultimatum to Georgian forces in a zone near the breakaway region of Abkhazia to disarm or face attack, but Georgia rejected the demand, Interfax news agency reported.

Interfax quoted the head of the Russian peacekeeping force in Abkhazia, Sergei Chaban, as saying that the ultimatum had expired at 0600 GMT. He had warned: "If the ultimatum is rejected all necessary enforcement measures will be used."

A Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman said Georgian forces would not disarm, and rejected the ultimatum.

[Deans]

2 Georgian Fast Attack boats reported to have been sunk. 1 of these (confirmed) was a Russian built Missile boat (type 206). The only other missile boat they have is equipped
with Exocet's.
Is this the first Naval action since the 1982 Falklands war ?

[Raj]

livestation.com 's russia today English channel
Russia Today:
Putin criticizes US for the airlift of Georgian forces from Iraq to Georgia.

Russian Foreign Ministry:Boris Malakhov press conferance:
Around 300 Russian civilians are being harassed/detained by Georgian. Remember how Americans landed in Grenada because of about 110 American medical students, the interests of Russian citizens are no less important to us.
Our citizens will never be left without protection.
Saakashvili will be held responsible for this bloodshed.
Regime change is American expression. We want to find a settlement to this issue.
War crimes tribunal should be set up for trying the war crimes.
Our conditions are : Pulling back all troops and signing no use of force agreement.
The western media is biased. But many nations understand Russia's actions.

[Philip]

Great cartoon here!
http://www.independent.co.uk/

[Raj]

Russian foreign ministry, press conferance :
1600 Civilians killed in South Ossetia.

[Deans]

So far, Russian logistics has performed well. I don't know if anyone has realised it, but there is only 1 road leading from North to South Ossetia (thru the mountains). If a single tunnel on
the way is blocked, there goes the Russian supply route.
Moving a brigade sized force on this road, at short notice, with streams of refugees fleeing in the other direction, seems to be commendable. Keep in mind for e.g. the amount of ammunition required to be transported for artillery bombardments.
When this happened, the Russians also did not have clear air superiority.

The same goes for airlifting their airborne troops, with no real airfields in the whole of South Ossetia.

[Shankar]

Moscow/Tbilisi(Georgia), Aug 10 (DPA) Russia Sunday intensified airstrikes and a naval blockade against Georgia, as international diplomats were exploring ways to establish a ceasefire in the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.

Three Russian air force Su-25 bombers struck an airfield adjacent to a military aircaft factory outside the Georgian capital Tbilisi shortly after dawn, causing damage but inflicting no casualties, a senior Georgian official said.

Russian bombers also struck a Georgian military base near the town of Bolnisi and in the remote Kodori valley near the border of Abkhazia, Georgia's Rustaveli-2 television reported.

The war widened Saturday with Abkhazia, like South Ossetia a separatist Georgian province supported by Moscow, attacking Georgian forces.

Warships from Russia's Black Sea fleet by Sunday morning had clamped down a naval blockade on Georgia's coast line, turning back "several civilian ships," said Aleksander Lomaia, Georgia's national security council chief, in a statement.

Among freighters halted with warning shots was a Moldovan-flagged vessel carrying wheat to the port Poti, threatening Georgia's food supplies, Lomaia claimed.

Georgian intelligence gave the elements of the Russian squadron as three amphibious assault vessels, two anti-submarine warfare vessels, a reconnaissance ship, two minesweepers, two missile boats, and a missile cruiser.

The Russian flotilla is substantially larger than Georgia's tiny navy, currently bottled up in Poti, military observers said.

The site of the fiercest ground fighting over the last three days, the unofficial South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, saw infantry battles throughout the night as Russian forces engaged Georgian troops holding heights overlooking the town.

Heavy artillery fire on the city, a feature of fighting since the war's outbreak, had practically halted by early Sunday morning, according to a South Ossetia army statement.

Some civilians remained trapped in the city, most of whose buildings are now badly damaged or destroyed, witnesses said.

Corpses in some cases three days old still were lying in Tskhinvali's streets, as artillery fire from both sides made burial impossible, the Interfax news agency reported.

Georgia gave its military losses as of Saturday at some 50 men dead and 450 wounded. Russia had admitted to 12 men dead and 150 injured.

Estimates of civilian dead in the fighting have exceeded 1,600 people. The Tskhinvali town hospital alone as of Sunday morning was treating 200 injured and had more than 50 dead in its morgue, according to the report.

Some 2,000 Russian paratroopers and Spetsnaz special forces infantry backed by artillery and tanks threw Georgian forces out of the town Saturday in intense house to house fighting.

Russian ground forces in Ossetia numbered in excess of 6,000 men with the strength expected to rise as the Kremlin rushed more reinforcements to the region, Georgian officials said.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a Saturday visit to Russia's 58th Army headquarters in Vladkavkaz said the Kremlin's intention was to push out or destroy all Georgian forces in South Ossetia.

He justified the Russian offensive as part of a peacekeeping operation.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili the same day accused Russia of conducting all-out war against Georgia, pointing to airstrikes and a naval blockade outside the South Ossetia region.

The international community has failed to produce any practical means towards reaching a ceasefire in the four-day-old conflict. The UN's Security Council Saturday met in emergency session on South Ossetia and, for the third day in a row, was unable to decide even on a position statement, because of differences between Russia and the US.

Russia's government was by the weekend moving quickly towards establishing even tighter links with the South Ossetia regime, with Putin announcing Moscow would spend a half billion dollars to rebuild Tskhinvali, and provincial Russian agencies offering aid to an estimated 34,000 refugees from the fighting.

Russia not only would provide the refugees food and shelter, but make sure that children now living in temporary housing or with relatives on the Russian side of the border, would start their school year on time, Putin said during a Sunday visit to the Russian city Gorkiy.

Georgia Saturday said it was recalling a 2,000-man infantry brigade currently serving in Iraq and accounted the Georgian army's most effective fighting force.

Its return home would, however, be problematic, with a Russian blockade likely to prevent shipment of the brigade's heavy equipment home by sea, and the Russian air force potentially able to intercept any passenger flight from Iraq to Georgia.

Georgian media reported that US aircraft might carry the Georgian infantrymen home, placing Washington and Moscow on a collision course.

Another potential flashpoint for a widening of the war was in the Black Sea near the Georgian port Batumi, where Turkish warships had taken up station. There had been no reports by Sunday of contact between the Turks, and elements of the Russian navy operating further south.

Georgia's Olympic team Sunday reversed a Saturday decision to quit the Beijing Olympics and would compete in China as planned, according to an Interfax report.

Russia's actions in South Ossetia well-founded: Putin

Moscow, Aug 10 (Xinhua) Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said his country's actions in South Ossetia are legitimate and well-founded.

"From the legal point of view our actions are absolutely justified and legitimate," Interfax news agency quoted Putin as saying Saturday during a meeting in Vladikavkaz, regional capital of North Ossetia in southern Russia.

He flew to Vladikavkaz from Beijing after attending the Olympic Games opening ceremony after Russian troops entered Gerogia's breakaway province South Ossetia to repel a Gerogian military offensive.

South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, suffered damage in the onslaught. Russia said at least 12 of its peacekeepers along with 2,000 South Ossetian civilians had lost their lives.

"In line with effective international agreements, including the 1992 agreement, Russia not only performs peacekeeping functions but in case of violation of the ceasefire agreement by one side is obliged to protect the other, which we did in this case with regard to South Ossetia," Putin said.

According to the prime minister, 34,000 refugees crossed from South Ossetia to Russia Aug 2-9. He said destruction was massive in the breakaway region, describing the situation as "the humanitarian catastrophe".

Russia has sent humanitarian aid to the region, including medical specialists, a mobile field hospital and 16 tonnes of medical supplies as well as food for South Ossetian refugees.

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstyp ... stid=88270

[enqyoob]

Interesting topography

If Russia encircles the town of Gori and drives tanks some 10 miles south, they reach another mountain range, and beyond that is another valley, bordering Armenia. Then the western half of Georgia is kaput, caught between Abkhazia and Russia. The east contains Tbilisi, which would then be some 20 miles from the border, within artillery range from 3 sides.

So Georgia had 7 Su-25s, now probably down to zero, and no radar or airfields functional any more. So Russia has achieved air superiority, which means in another 3 days the Georgia Army and Navy and all their fuel and ammo supplies are kaput. I do hope the Russians are not stupid enough to stop the war until they have taken the pipeline, which is through the valley south through the mountains.

I don't buy the grand "Western Master Strategists" sitting and giving tests to poor little Mevedev. This is typical desi dhimmi diplo-mat thinking - like doormats. The Georgian dictator (apparently most people agree that the Georgian "democracy" claim is only between Dubya's ears) thought he could sneak one in while no one was looking. The Russians will be very stupid if they now stop this war before Abbkazia is totally "liberated", Gori is taken over, and Russian toll-booths are established across Georgia, running from the South Ossetian border to the Armenian border.

[Gerard]

The War in Georgia Is a War for the West
By MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI
August 11, 2008; Page A15

This conflict is therefore about our common trans-Atlantic values of liberty and democracy.

[enqyoob]

The stupid mass murderer doesn't seem to have a clue that he ain't nowhere near the Atlantic. Seems like his Harvard training didn't include the ability to use GOOGLE MAPS and figure out that Georgia, Caucasus is not the Georgia that's on the Atlantic coast.

[Singha]

here is the cartoon Philip spoke of. sums it up.

http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia ... 43676a.jpg

[vina]

Err. EnqYoob saar. It seems that he got his law degree from you favorite bugbear, the Peepur's Lepubric of Corumbia Univelsity. and not Haarbird Law School. Dang! the Columbia Law types I knew were smart, corporate law focused, carpet bagging types, but this one seems to be an exception.

[Singha]

excerpt from the Independent article: Rus seems to have responded to this mass murder by unleashing
various militias and volunteers from the neighbouring region including the feared and brutal Vostok force
of chechnya. the geneva convention is probably quite low on their to-do list

----

In the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, the human suffering in the wake of the Georgian attack and Russian counter-attack was horrifyingly evident. Corpses were dotted about the city, burnt-out tanks littered the roads, and every other building showed bomb or mortar damage, with many simply smouldering ruins. Where once 10,000 people had roamed, there was barely a soul. Many residents have fled across the border into North Ossetia, and those left were the walking wounded, some heavily bandaged, others limping along on crutches.

Russian television spoke of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in South Ossetia, with more than 2,000 people dead and thousands homeless. President Dmitry Medvedev – who has largely taken a back seat to the Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, who sped from Beijing to North Ossetia on Saturday – termed the Georgian action a "genocide" and ordered officials to document the crimes.

[Singha]

vina, Columbia being in NYC is also a haven for NGO/HR/uberliberal desis from elite families in delhi and
mumbai. there's a SAJA type org there called Indian Progessives Study Group based there.

read their bile here:

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/8216/

[Nayak]

Feels nice to read about the bear b!tchslapping the georgians. Freerepublic is frothing at its mouth, wailing about how the Ivan's teeth is still sharp. The bile against Putin and the Russkies is poisonous to say the least. Go Pootie!!

[Raju]

Armed Cossacks pour in to fight Georgians
Neighbours mobilise in anger at Tblisi's attack on enclave

Tom Parfitt in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia
The Guardian, Saturday August 9 2008

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of volunteer fighters from Russia were mobilising to enter the war in Georgia's breakaway republic of South Ossetia last night.

Units of armed Cossacks from across the North Caucasus region which borders Georgia were poised to join the battle for the separatists' capital, Tskhinvali.

In North Ossetia, the region of Russia which shares cultural links and a border with South Ossetia, lists of men willing to fight against Georgian forces were drawn up. Vitaly Khubayev, 35, from the capital, Vladikavkaz, told the Guardian: "There are already two busloads of fighters leaving for Tskhinvali every day. They give you a uniform on the way and you get issued with weapons once you arrive. If I didn't have three children I'd have gone."

The two Ossetias are historically inseparable and residents of the northern republic were furious yesterday at what they described as the "Georgian fascist attack" on their neighbours.

Many said they were willing to take up arms and travel to defend their relatives across the border in South Ossetia. Valentin Tekhti, 67, a teacher, said: "Our Ossetian brothers are dying. If we get the call, every man who can stand on two legs will go to fight."

Amiran Khubetsov, a doctor, said: "A nation is under bombardment in the land it has occupied for hundreds of years. The world must not ignore this aggression."

At a special meeting of the UN security council yesterday morning, the United States called on the Kremlin to prevent irregulars entering South Ossetia via the 4km Roki tunnel, the republic's only link with Russia. But at a meeting with the US president, George Bush, in Bejing, the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, admitted "many volunteers" were heading to South Ossetia and it would be "very hard to maintain peace".

Under Russia law, Cossacks - the descendants of runaway serfs and outlaws who in the past were employed to protect the country's southern border - are allowed to carry arms and carry out policing functions in cooperation with interior ministry forces.

At the headquarters of the Terek Cossacks in Vladikavkaz yesterday a group of men sat under portraits of fierce looking warriors with drooping moustaches watching television coverage of Georgian artillery shelling Tskhinvali. One man said there would be a meeting today to discuss forming volunteer units.

In Volgograd the leader of the Don Cossacks, Viktor Vodolatsky, called on all Cossacks under 40 to volunteer. Reports said 100 men from the region had already left for Tskhinvali. "We must help our South Ossetian brothers," he said.

Irregular troops from the north Caucasus played an important role in the conflicts that saw both Georgia's breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, secede in the early 1990s.

In Abkhazia, Cossack and Chechen units fought side by side against Georgian troops, despite being historical enemies. Abkhazia has promised to help South Ossetia in its conflict with Georgia.

Ossetians in Vladikavkaz yesterday said they were hoping for a decisive strike by the Russian army to drive Georgia's forces out of South Ossetia. There were emotional scenes in the city, as hundreds of protesters, mostly women, gathered outside the regional government headquarters and shouted, "Russia, save us!"

Aelita Dzhioyeva, 41, a lawyer who fled Tskhinvali on Thursday evening, showed text messages on her mobile phone from relatives still sheltering in a basement in the city. One message read: "We are dying. Ask the government for help."

Dzhioyeva said: "Our men will stay and fight until the last drop of blood, but our old people and children must be saved. We are calling on the Kremlin to intervene and create a humanitarian corridor for them to escape."

Shota Kochiev, 60, said: "This is America's doing. They are supporting Georgia's mad lust for new land - our land."
About 2,000 refugees from South Ossetia, mostly women and children, have so far been bussed to Russia and are staying in hotels around Vladikavkaz.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/au ... a.georgia1

[Igorr]

Georgia-vs-Russia poll:
http://georgia-vs-russia.com/

The attack against Georgian radar station:
http://life.ru/video/4978

[enqyoob]

vina: From the "Independent of UK" (see Philip's post above):

First, diplomacy. President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia is a headstrong fellow. Reference has been made to his Harvard education as if that should ensure sound judgement. Alas, however, the President's tutor was not the greatest of Harvard diplomatists, Henry Kissinger – but Anthony Eden at Suez. Mr Saakashvili has only one defence against the charge of criminal irresponsibility: a plea of insanity.

Of course his propensity to commit genocide shows that he MUST be a Kissinger alumnus.

[enqyoob]

t a special meeting of the UN security council yesterday morning, the United States called on the Kremlin to prevent irregulars entering South Ossetia via the 4km Roki tunnel, the republic's only link with Russia.

Like the US and UN prevented Pakistani sex-offenders from entering Kashmir in 1948, 1965, 1971, 1989, 1999, 2008 and all the years in between?

[NRao]

That oil pipeline, I bet, is the Russian "goal". That bear has a huge paw!!!

(As an aside: why can not RU build a Black Sea base within RUian territory, instead of depending on the Ukarain?)

[sugriva]

(As an aside: why can not RU build a Black Sea base within RUian territory, instead of
depending on the Ukarain?)

Sevastopol, the base that is leased from Ukraine, is traditionally Russian territory, captured in
medieval times from the Crimean Tatars. During the 1950's Khrushchev "gifted" Sevastopol to
Ukraine.

[svinayak]

Georgia Asks China for Help with Russia
By Daniel Schearf
Beijing
11 August 2008
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-08-11-voa32.cfm

Georgia has asked China to use its influence to push for a resolution to a territorial flare-up with Russia. Georgian troops have pulled out of the breakaway province of South Ossetia after being overwhelmed by Russian forces. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.

Afterwards, Ambassador Begashvili held a briefing for a small group of foreign and Chinese journalists.

Begashvili would not say how the Chinese responded to the call for help. But, flanked by several embassy staff and supporters wearing red arm bands that read "Stop Russia!" he said he hoped China, as a great power, would make the right conclusion.

He says he is sure that China recognizes Georgia's borders, that it is as an independent state, and that it is a member of the United Nations. He says he is sure that China, as a member of the U.N. Security Council, will express its opposition to this aggression against an independent state.

[Raj]

Russian troops invade Georgia and take the city of Gori

Russian forces overran the strategic Georgian city of Gori today as troops prepared to defend the capital Tbilisi from what one official called a "total onslaught".

Georgian soldiers fled Gori, 17 miles from the border with rebel South Ossetia, in panic and disarray, clinging to the sides of cars and vehicles as they sped out of town. A Georgian armoured personnel carrier was in flames on the street, a victim of the sudden rout.

Alexander Lomaia, secretary of the Georgian security council, said that the Georgian army had been told instead instead to concentrate its efforts on holding Mtskheta, 15 miles from the capital.

[Baljeet]

I am with Russia on this one. Russians kick some ass royally, don't let some pubic nation pin prick you. Remind them in no uncertain terms nobody comes in our backyard and plays spoilsport.
Having said that, this crisis might put a damper on N-deal in NSG. If India sides with US, Russia will make sure this deal is burned, if India sides with Russia, US will burn it. If India stays silent it will get spanked from both sides.

[NRao]

A bad miscalculation on somebodies part. I find it very hard to believe that the Georgians themsleves would have goofed it so bad.

CNN :: Russian military pushes into Georgia

TBILISI, Georgia (CNN) -- The Russian military advanced into Georgia on two fronts Monday, entering cities outside the breakaway provinces that have been the centers of fighting.

A CNN crew in Gori saw Georgian forces piling into trucks and leaving the city at high speed.

The streets of Gori were nearly empty Monday. Over the weekend the city came under repeated aerial attack from the Russian military.

Russia's Interfax news agency cited an official with the Russian Defense Ministry saying troops were in Senaki to "prevent attacks by Georgian military units against South Ossetia." Senaki is home to a Georgian military base.

Georgia's interior ministry said Russia had also seized control of Zugdidi -- a city on the route between Abkhazia and Senaki.

Georgia launched a crackdown Thursday against separatist fighters in South Ossetia. Russia, which supports the separatists and has peacekeepers in the region, sent its military into South Ossetia on Friday.

The Georgian government said it was recalling the army to Tbilisi "to defend the capital." Watch a report from Gori as Georgian troops pull out »

Russia has not threatened to enter Tbilisi and says its operations are peacekeeping but Georgia fears it's an invasion.

Monday's military developments came as Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili said he had signed an internationally-brokered cease-fire proposal that will be taken next to Moscow.

Saakashvili said the cease-fire proposal would be taken to Moscow by the French Minister Bernard Kouchner and Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb.

They were to make their way to Moscow on Monday evening after meeting with Georgian officials. Watch as Saakashvilli signs the cease-fire proposal »

A Georgian National Security Council official said the document signed by Saakashvili called for an unconditional cease-fire, a non-use of force agreement, a withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territory, including the South Ossetia region, and provisions for international peacekeeping and mediation.

Saakashvili said: "We are trying to stop this as soon as possible."

Saakashvili abruptly ended his conference call with reporters Monday saying: "We have to go to the shelter because there are Russian planes flying over the presidential palace here, sorry."

Video showed a chaotic scene outside the palace, with the president being rushed away under heavy security. Watch Georgia's president run for cover »

Saakashvili later accused Russia of ethnic cleansing -- a charge the Russians have repeatedly leveled at Georgia, and which both sides deny.

He said Georgian troops had downed "18 or 19" Russian warplanes, killed hundreds of Russian troops and repelled a Russian assault on the Georgian city of Gori, in Georgia near South Ossetia.

Saakashvili claimed Russia had 500 tanks and 25,000 troops inside Georgia. A Russian defense ministry said only four planes had been lost. Watch more on Russian bombing »

Russia insists it has no interest in interfering with Georgia's affairs but wants to protect its peacekeepers and the residents of South Ossetia

Russian Defense Ministry Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said Georgian troops in South Ossetia but were being driven out.

"At the moment, our troops are pushing out, capturing and disarming groups of Georgian law enforcement agencies which have been surrounded in the capital of South Ossetia," Nogovitsyn said.

"This is a matter of principle," he said. "The 1992 treaty which Georgia signed, among others, clearly defines the limits of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, and is doesn't have any tasks of invading the Georgian territory."

Russia controls the sky

The skies over the breakaway regions and Georgia belonged to the Russians, he said, as the Georgian air force was not flying.

They had "inflicted damage on operational systems, troops and military facilities of Georgia," but Nogovitsyn denied Russian bombers had attacked a civilian radar installation at the Tbilisi International Airport.

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.

A Georgian Foreign Ministry statement said "several dozen Russian bombers" were over Georgia Monday afternoon "intensively bombing Tbilisi, Poti, villages in Adjara, and elsewhere."

"Overnight, as many as 50 Russian bombers were reported operating simultaneously over Georgia, targeting civilian populations in cities and villages, as well as radio and telecommunications sites," the statement said.

"During their mop-up operations in South Ossetia, Georgian commandos have thrown hand grenades into the basements where civilians were hiding," he said. "That's what we call genocide."

South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, lay in smoldering ruins after four days of fighting. Each side accused the other of killing large numbers of civilians. Russia said at least 2,000 people had been killed in Tskhinvali.

Georgia began withdrawing its forces from Tskhinvali early Sunday.

Georgia, a pro-Western ally of the U.S., is intent on asserting its authority over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, both of which have strong Russian-backed separatist movements.

The situation in South Ossetia escalated rapidly from Thursday night, when Georgia said it launched an operation into the region after artillery fire from separatists killed 10 people. It accused Russia of backing the separatists.

South Ossetia, which has a population of about 70,000, is inside Georgia but has an autonomous government. Many South Ossetians support unification with North Ossetia, which would make them part of Russia.

Russia supports the South Ossetian government, has given passports to many in South Ossetia, and calls them Russian citizens.