• Shit in Georgia/Russia is about to hit the fan
    3,108 replies, posted
First this: [quote]New battle in Georgian rebel region, fears of war (Updates with Russian deputy minister; details) By Margarita Antidze MEGVREKISI, Georgia, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Heavy fighting erupted between Georgian forces and separatists in breakaway South Ossetia on Thursday, following nearly a week of clashes that have deepened fears of full-blown war in the Caucasus. Loud explosions and automatic gunfire could be heard from villages around the breakaway capital Tskhinvali, 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of the Georgian capital Tbilisi towards the mountainous Russian border. A security source said Georgian special police units and the 5th mechanised army brigade had been moved to the town of Gori, on the doorstep of South Ossetia. A military field hospital was being set up on the main road and buses filled with Georgian soldiers stood in convoy. Russia said Georgia was readying for war, a charge Tbilisi denied. Some frightened locals said they were leaving for Gori. "We urge the Georgian leadership to show common sense and stop irresponsible military activities in South Ossetia," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told the Interfax news agency. "We view the situation as extremely dangerous. It has indeed reached a stage of unprecedented drama," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying. Fifteen years since South Ossetia and the Black Sea region of Abkhazia fought to break away from Georgian rule, soaring tensions and increasingly intense clashes have raised the spectre of full-blown conflict. The two regions enjoy the political and financial backing of Moscow, which has peacekeepers in both, but Georgia's pro-Western leadership has pledged to restore Georgian control over its entire territory and steer the country towards NATO membership. "WAR PREPARATIONS" Russia and the West are vying for influence over the region, which is home to vital energy transit routes. "Confrontation is not in Georgia's interests and I hope and I'm sure that the continuation of confrontation is not in Russia's interests either," Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili told reporters during a brief visit to Gori. The Georgian Interior Ministry told Reuters that separatists were trying to attack the Tbilisi-controlled village of Avnevi in South Ossetia and had destroyed a Georgian armoured personnel carrier (APC). Three soldiers were wounded. "They (the separatists) are trying to attack Avnevi. The fighting is ongoing," said spokesman Shota Utiashvili. Official separatist web site www. cominf.org said Georgians were shelling the village of Khetagurovo from Avnevi. "Guns from APCs, mortars and machine-guns are being used," the site said. The separatists said 18 people were wounded overnight in what they described as heavy artillery bombardment of Tskhinvali and separatist-controlled villages. Washington has urged calm but Moscow has said it would not remain indifferent if violence on its border escalated. "Concern was expressed that the action of the Georgian side around Tskhinvali can be regarded as war preparations," the foreign ministry said after a telephone conversation between Karasin and South Ossetia leader, Eduard Kokoity. A senior Georgian minister travelled to South Ossetia for talks with the separatists at a Russian peacekeeping base but left at the end of the day with no sign of progress. (Additional reporting by Matt Robinson in Tbilisi, James Kilner and Oleg Shchedrov in Moscow; writing by Matt Robinson; editing by Jon Boyle)[/quote] Then this: [quote]Russian, Abkhaz volunteers head for South Ossetia: Ifax MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hundreds of volunteers from Russia and Abkhazia headed for Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia on Friday to join separatists fighting Tbilisi forces, Interfax news agency reported. It quoted Taimuraz Mamsurov, the head of Russia's province of North Ossetia bordering South Ossetia, as saying: "Hundreds of volunteers from North Ossetia are on their way to South Ossetia. We cannot stop them or prevent them from going." Interfax also quoted Sergei Bagapsh, the head of Georgia's other breakaway province of Abkhazia, as saying: "About 1,000 Abkhaz volunteers are leaving for South Ossetia." (Writing by Oleg Shchedrov; editing by Andrew Dobbie) [/quote] from [url]http://www.reuters.com/news/international[/url] Looks like shit might go down in the Caucasus real soon, hopefully the U.S. won't get involved militarily. Or Russia for that matter, if Russia moves on Georgia I can see NATO throwing a fit over it, because it will call on NATO to do something about it considering Georgia wants to join NATO.
[QUOTE=Pvt. Ryan] Looks like shit might go down in the Caucasus real soon, hopefully the U.S. won't get involved militarily.[/QUOTE] They're too busy playing around in the Middle Eastern sandbox to worry about this, even if it does get out of hand. Unless an intervention would secure them these 'vital energy transit routes' and would benefit them in the long run.
[QUOTE=Pvt. Ryan]First this: Then this: from [url]http://www.reuters.com/news/international[/url] Looks like shit might go down in the Caucasus real soon, hopefully the U.S. won't get involved militarily. Or Russia for that matter, if Russia moves on Georgia I can see NATO throwing a fit over it, because it will call on NATO to do something about it considering Georgia wants to join NATO.[/QUOTE] The US couldn't get involved militarily without a draft. Hopefully it won't come to that though.
breaking news [quote]Georgia pounds breakaway capital, ceasefire ends MEGVREKISI, Georgia (Reuters) - Georgia pounded the capital of its breakaway South Ossetia province with heavy weapons on Thursday after a ceasefire broke down within hours and separatists said they were under siege. "Georgian troops are storming Tskhinvali (the capital). They are bombing the city," South Ossetia's separatist leader, Eduard Kokoity, told Russian news agencies. A Reuters reporter saw intense fire from heavy weapons at different locations skirting Tskhinvali. The reporter heard heavy fighting coming from the direction of the city. The night sky was lit up blue and red by explosions and Georgian forces appeared to be firing Katyusha rockets. "We have an operation under way to neutralize separatist positions from which they are shelling Georgian villages," a senior interior ministry official told Reuters in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The commander of Georgian peacekeepers in South Ossetia, Mamuka Kurashvili, told Georgian television: "We are forced to restore constitutional order in the whole region." Skirmishes since the weekend have deepened fears of full-blown conflict in the Caucasus, which is emerging as a vital energy transit route and where Russia and the West are vying for influence. South Ossetia and a second rebel Georgian region, Abkhazia, --both of which unilaterally broke away from Georgia at the beginning of the 1990s -- enjoy Russian political and financial backing, ex-Soviet Georgia has allied itself with the West and is pushing for NATO membership.[/quote] Now Georgia's shelling the seperatist capital.
Bleh, curse my american geography education.. I thought it was our state georgia they were fighting over when I read the first few sentences. ..Well, they can have it anyway. :argh: Here we go! Thanks google. [img]http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/968/wsadawdiu8.png[/img]
[QUOTE=Fadeaway]They're too busy playing around in the Middle Eastern sandbox to worry about this, even if it does get out of hand. Unless an intervention would secure them these 'vital energy transit routes' and would benefit them in the long run.[/QUOTE] Georgia's been wanting to join NATO, and even if technically NATO isn't obliged to do anything about it, if Russia were to declare war on Georgia, it might call into question NATO's role in this.
[QUOTE=Electroclan]Bleh, curse my american geography education.. I thought it was our state georgia they were fighting.[/QUOTE] Yes, because the state of Georgia is located near Russia.
better map of the region where this is taking place: [img]http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/georgia/images/georgia-area.gif[/img]
[QUOTE=Pvt. Ryan]better map of the region where this is taking place: [img]http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/georgia/images/georgia-area.gif[/img][/QUOTE] Where is Tskhinvali?
[QUOTE=yawmwen]Where is Tskhinvali?[/QUOTE] Southern border of S. Ossentia. [b]Edit:[/b] just went up on BBC, should be up on American media within the hour [quote] Heavy fighting in South Ossetia [B] Georgian forces and South Ossetian separatists have been exchanging heavy fire just hours after agreeing to a ceasefire and Russian-mediated talks.[/B] Fighting broke out after a brief lull in a day of heavy fighting in which 12 people were reportedly killed. Russia, which has close ties with South Ossetia, has claimed Georgia is ready to overrun the breakaway province. The head of Georgian peacekeepers in South Ossetia said they were going to "restore constitutional order" there. "We had demanded that [the separatists] sit at the negotiating table but all of this was met with a backwards reaction and there was constant shooting," said Brig Gen Mamuka Kurashvili. "The Georgian power-wielding bodies decided to restore constitutional order throughout the whole region." 'Perfidious step' South Ossetian rebel leader Eduard Kokoity told Moscow-based Interfax news agency Georgia had launched an all-out attack on the town of Tskhinvali, in what he called "a perfidious and base step". Up to 10 Georgian soldiers died in Thursday's clashes, the Georgian interior ministry told AFP news agency. Separatist authorities claimed on their website two civilians had been killed after coming under Georgian attack. Days of fierce conflict have raised fears of new war in the volatile Caucasus. In a televised address, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili earlier called for the bloodshed to end, but also warned the separatists not to try Tbilisi's patience. A truce was later announced, with emergency talks set for Friday, but by nightfall, both sides were trading heavy fire. Georgia accuses Russia of arming the South Ossetian authorities - who have been trying to break away since the civil war in the 1990s. Moscow denies the claim. President Saakashvili has vowed to restore Tbilisi's control over South Ossetia and another breakaway province, Abkhazia. The Ossetians have traditionally had good relations with Russia, and North Ossetia is part of the Russian Federation. Russia is hostile to Georgia's ambition to join Nato and has accused Georgia of building up its forces around the breakaway regions, where Russian peacekeeping troops are deployed. [/quote] Bolded for emphasis Apparently shit started going south just after a ceasefire was signed...
Shit's being going on here since the 1910's.
Sweet, It's about time we seen Russia get in some action. Lets put their post Cold War army to the test.
[QUOTE=T1L_Goose]Sweet, It's about time we seen Russia get in some action. Lets put their post Cold War army to the test.[/QUOTE]What army?
[QUOTE=L0LIMB0RED]What army?[/QUOTE] MY BAN HAMM- wait i'm not a moderator. :( anyway, Go Russia! Blow these mother fuckers back to the stone age! FOR MOTHER RUSSIA!
[QUOTE=T1L_Goose]Sweet, It's about time we seen Russia get in some action. Lets put their post Cold War army to the test.[/QUOTE] Well, since Georgia probably has all of the USSR's equipment, it's gonna be like the USSR vs. Russia. 30 year difference is all that stands between their technology!
[QUOTE=L0LIMB0RED]What army?[/QUOTE] The army that contain the fuckers who are trained to do back flips and throw shovels.
Weren't the Georgians the ones with a combine police force? [img]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/11/07/world/07geor.ms.650.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Aegis°]Weren't the Georgians the ones with a combine police force? [img]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/11/07/world/07geor.ms.650.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] "Pick up that can." *shudder*
I can already see it the U.S. gets involved just because we have to stick out noses in everything join Russia's side and blows them to hell.:D increasing friendliness with Russia and increasing the worlds all around peace.
If Russia did go to war it'd just be a steamroller. Hell I was born in Russia i know what they're like.
I doubt the US will get involved, it seems like it would adversely affect us more than it would help.
[QUOTE=Aegis°]Weren't the Georgians the ones with a combine police force? [img]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/11/07/world/07geor.ms.650.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Why is he holding what looks like an automatic grenade launcher?
[QUOTE=chris0132]Why is he holding what looks like an automatic grenade launcher?[/QUOTE] To shoot tear gas at people, it also explains the mask
[QUOTE=chris0132]Why is he holding what looks like an automatic grenade launcher?[/QUOTE] For tear gas I think
[QUOTE=chris0132]Why is he holding what looks like an automatic grenade launcher?[/QUOTE] Because protests and riots in Eastern European countries are totally hardcore?
[QUOTE=chris0132]Why is he holding what looks like an automatic grenade launcher?[/QUOTE] To make Russians shit bricks.
Anyone think this might end up like another Grozny?
[QUOTE=Hydro566]I can already see it the U.S. gets involved just because we have to stick out noses in everything join Russia's side and blows them to hell.:D increasing friendliness with Russia and increasing the worlds all around peace.[/QUOTE] hope you're trolling
[QUOTE=Pvt. Ryan]hope you're trolling[/QUOTE] I think he's just a dumbass
[quote=chris0132]Why is he holding what looks like an automatic grenade launcher?[/quote] A launcher of sorts. It shoots CS gas, or tear gas - whichever you prefer to call it. I'd fucking move out of a country where police were allowed to have grenade launchers. What's the military get then? LaZ0Rz!
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