Russia Invades Geogia

As I reported yesterday, Russia has indeed invaded Georgia. More specifically, a section of Georgia called Ossetia.











Here is a video made just after the invasion had begun, and told from a Russian point of view:

Georgians protest the Russian invasion of Georgia:



And, here, a brief BBC report from a Georgian town under air attack by Russian Aircraft:



And here is B-Roll of scenes of a Georgian SU-25 hitting the ground after being shot down, and scenes of street fighting in the capital of South Ossetia:



Georgia has been advancing steadily toward having a more stable form of government, and has been making overtures about joining NATO, and even the EU. Here is a report from FOX:

August 08, 2008
By Yulia Latynina

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has handed his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, a victory over the "siloviki" in Russia. And if Medvedev is able to take advantage of the fruits of this victory, the consequences will be significant not so much for Tbilisi as for Moscow.

So, why is this a victory over the siloviki -- those in the Russian ruling elite with close ties to the state security organs? Because there is no way the regime in South Ossetia can be in any sense called "separatist." Who there is a separatist? The head of the local KGB, Anatoly Baranov, used to head the Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Russian Republic of Mordovia. The head of the South Ossetian Interior Ministry, Mikhail Mindzayev, served in the Interior Ministry of Russia's North Ossetia. The South Ossetian "defense minister," Vasily Lunev, used to be military commissar in Perm Oblast, and the secretary of South Ossetia's Security Council, Anatoly Barankevich, is a former deputy military commissar of Stavropol Krai. So who exactly is a separatist in this government? South Ossetian "prime minister" Yury Morozov?

However, alas, I also cannot say this regime is "pro-Russian." On the contrary, all the recent actions of Eduard Kokoity, the leader of the breakaway South Ossetian government, have run counter to the interests of Russia in the Caucasus -- beginning with his embarrassing Russia in the eyes of the international community and ending with his ratcheting up the tensions in the very region where Russia might begin to come undone. South Ossetia is not a territory, not a country, not a regime. It is a joint venture of siloviki generals and Ossetian bandits for making money in a conflict with Georgia. For me, the most surprising thing in this entire story is the complete lack of any strategic goals on the part of the South Ossetians.

Source: Global Security

Remember the Clinton campaign ad in US Democratic primary about the 3 a.m. call in the White House. What an irony that the Russian attack on Georgia came almost at about that time. Clinton is no longer in the race but an international crisis has erupted that will have far reaching consequences and that will not subside quietly and on its own. What is at stake here is a post cold war world order. At stake is the credibility of NATO as a military alliance, the U.S. as a credible ally and, for better or for worse, the EU’s survival. One has to understand, that most people from Eastern and Central Europe joined the EU not so much because of economic reasons – many of the countries had much freer and open economies then we have now under Brussels – but because it was hoped that the EU offers security against Russia. If NATO, America and the EU can/will not pressure Russia into ending its aggression against Georgia, the EU will lose its ultimate value in the eyes of Eastern Europeans. It will have proved that EU’s major countries are so spineless, willfulness and badly dependant of Russian gas and oil that they will allow Russia impunity against all atrocities and all aggressions. If the West allows Russia to have its way with Georgia, next in line will be Ukraine and third in line will be the Baltic countries. We are once again on the firing line with backstabbers behind us. Allowing Russia to continue will invite untold mayhem into international security and global economy.

Source: Brussels Journal

Commentary

I did not see this one coming. And I suppose that is the point of the calculation of Russia to invade while the rest of the world was focused elsewhere, on the Olympics, on Iran, on Lebanon, on Hamas. They invaded on a Friday when Congress was adjourned, and most other world legislative bodies were out for summer vacation.Perhaps their short-term objectives include a swift military action, where they can present the world with a fait acompli before any serious counter moves can be made.

As noted above, this is a critical test of NATO, EU, and whether or not the United States can be counted on to be an ally in a time of need. This is also a test by Russia to see if they can return to their age-old ambition of world domination.