Georgia Declares War
by John Little on 9/08/2008The scale of this event is deeply troubling:
Georgia declared a state of war Saturday as fierce battles with Russia military over the breakaway region of South Ossetia entered their second day.
Russia has launched a full-scale military invasion of Georgia, President Mikhail Saakashvili said during a brief news conference Saturday afternoon.
“We are dealing with absolutely criminal and crazy acts of irresponsible and reckless decision makers, which is on the ground producing dramatic and tragic consequences,” Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili compared the Russian invasion, which he called unprovoked, to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Overnight fighting was intense:
Overnight, Russian warplanes bombed the Vaziani military base on the outskirts of the Georgian capital and near the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said. He also said two other military bases were hit, and that warplanes bombed the Black Sea port city of Poti, which has a sizable oil shipment facility.
Georgia, meanwhile, said it has shot down 10 Russian planes, including four brought down Saturday, according to Kakha Lomaya, head of Georgia’s Security Council.
The first Russian confirmation that its planes had been shot down came Saturday from Russian Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the General Staff, who said two Russian planes were downed. He did not say where or when.
Our response to this crisis, and any moves made to secure Georgia after the conflict, will likely effect our relationship with Russia for years to come:
Georgia’s reintegration minister, Temur Yakobashvili, told France’s Le Figaro newspaper’s website that Western diplomats would have a huge say over the outcome of the conflict.
Asked what will happen next in the Caucasus, he said, “much will depend on the reaction of the West.”
The Washington Post called the situation in South Ossetia Saturday “a grave challenge to the United States and Europe.”
The newspaper said in an editorial it was unrealistic to expect UN Security Council action because of a likely Russian veto.
“Thus, the United States and its NATO allies must together impose a price on Russia if it does not promptly change course,” the editorial concluded.
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