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2008 War in South Ossetia
Part of Ossetian-Georgian conflict
Location of South Ossetia within Georgia (upper left box shows map of Georgia). Hatched area shows the territory controlled by Georgia prior to the conflict.
Date 1 August 2008 – present Location South Ossetia Status Conflict ongoing
Belligerents
South Ossetia Russia Russian ex officio troops 58th Army 4th Air Army Abkhazian volunteers	Georgia
Commanders and leaders
Eduard Kokoity (political) Dimitry Medvedev (political) Marat Kulakhmetov (commander of Russian troops)	Mikhail Saakashvili (political) Davit Kezerashvili Minister of Defence Zaza Gogava (Chief of Joint Staff)
Strength
: 3,000 : 150 tanks, unknown numbers of soldiers	: 29,000
Casualties and losses
10 Russian soldiers killed, 30 injured because of Georgian shelling in the start of the conflict. 1 Ossetian confirmed dead before August 7	10 confirmed dead before August 7, four tanks lost, along with many infantrymen on August 8. Georgian artillery surpressed.
Possibly several hundred civilians killed
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was receiving reports that villages in South Ossetia were being ethnically cleansed.

The 2008 War in South Ossetia started in August 2008 after days of heavy fighting in the region. On 7 August, Georgian troops launched an operation to take the town of Tskhinvali, the capital of the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia (internationally considered a breakaway region of Georgia). On 8 August, Russia moved its troops across the border, bringing tanks and artillery into Tskhinvali, allegedly to defend Ossetians who hold Russian passports. The president of Georgia on the other hand alleges his country is defending itself from "Russian agression" and that Russian forces are bombing its civilian population.

Background

The region broke away from Georgia in the 1991–1992 war. A peacekeeping force with 500 troops each from Russia, North Ossetia-Alania (part of Russia) and Georgia monitors a 1992 truce. Today, most of the residents of South Ossetia hold Russian passports.

Timeline

1 August – 7 August: "Sniper war"

Six people were reportedly killed and 21 injured as a result of one of the most intensive shootouts in years in the South Ossetian conflict zone late on 1 August and overnight on 2 August. Both sides have accused each other of opening fire first. On 3 August, the Russian government allowed South Ossetians to begin evacuation into Russia. On the first day, 20 bus-loads of refugees left the region.

Sporadic fighting continued every day since that event. On 6 August, shootouts increased and Georgia acknowledged it lost an armoured personnel carrier during the clashes. After a night of gunfire in which four people died, the shelling resumed at daybreak on Thursday 7 August. Residents were on the move, evacuating vulnerable areas of the South Ossetian capital. Georgia was reportedly moving tanks, artillery and troops to the border with South Ossetia.

However, by the close of Thursday, Mikhail Saakashvili had ordered a unilateral ceasefire. “A sniper war is ongoing against residents of the villages in the South Ossetian conflict zone and as I speak now intensive fire is ongoing from artillery, from tanks, from self-propelled artillery systems – which have been brought in the conflict zone illegally – and from other types of weaponry, including mortars and grenade launchers,” Saakashvili said in a live televised address made at 7:10 p.m. local time on 7 August. Up to 10 Georgian soldiers died in clashes on 7 August, the Georgian interior ministry reported.

7 August – 8 August: Georgian operation begins

The ceasefire was broken hours later. Georgia said it was beginning an operation to "restore constitutional order in the whole region." Interfax quoted South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity as saying his forces were confronting Georgians in the outskirts of the regional capital, Tskhinvali. "Fierce fighting is under way," he said. Georgian commander Mamuka Kurashvili, on the other hand, was quoted to have said, "Despite our call for peace and a unilateral cease-fire, separatists continued shelling Georgian villages. We are forced to restore constitutional order in the whole region." He did not specify the action Georgia planned to take but Tbilisi does not recognize the South Ossetian government and has pledged to restore its control over the province. On 7 August, hundreds of South Ossetian refugees crossed the border into Russia. At 00:53 on 8 August, Georgian forces began bombing the route along which refugees were being moved. At 02:47, Abkhazian leader Sergei Bagapsh said that volunteers are on the way to help the South Ossetians.

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session in New York City and released a statement] to express "serious concerns at the escalation of violence." The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported 1,100 refugees arrived in North Ossetia by bus to escape the violence.

At 4:02 GMT, Russian media reports said Georgia had launched a tank-led attack on the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali, with at least 15 civilians killed by the shelling. At 04:45, Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili announced that Tskhinvali was nearly surrounded, and that Georgia controlled two-thirds of South Ossetia's territory. At 04:53, it was announced that an unspecified number of Abkhazian army units had advanced to the border of the arms limitation zone between Abkhazia and Georgia.

According to the North Ossetian president Taimuraz Mamsurov, a number of Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft of the Georgian Air Force attacked what he described to be a humanitarian aid convoy en route from Vladikavkaz. Mamsurov, who had accompanied the convoy and witnessed the attack, was unharmed. Earlier, he told the Interfax news agency that hundreds of armed volunteers from North Ossetia were heading to the Tskhinvali area.

8 August – present: Russia becomes involved

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At 07:32 on 8 August, it was reported that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is in Beijing attending the 2008 Summer Olympics, condemned the "aggressive actions" by Georgia and said that Russia would be compelled to retaliate. At 09:30, it was reported that the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev had convened an emergency session of the government officials to consider a strategy in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.

At 10:00, Georgian sources reported that the three Russian Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft flew into the Georgian airspace and dropped two bombs close to a police station near the town of Kareli, which borders South Ossetia. The source also reported that the nearby city of Gori also suffered a brief Russian air strike, with no casualties reported. Russian authorities rejected these reports, and they have not been independently confirmed.

By 11:38, the president of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili had announced general mobilization of reserve troops amid what he referred to as "a large-scale military aggression" by Russia and called on Russia to stop "bombardment of the Georgian towns". At 13:58, The Russian Ministry of Defence denied Georgian reports that a Russian fighter plane had been shot down above Georgian territory, calling it "informational provocation".

A spokesman for the Russian forces in South Ossetia has said that Georgian shells directly hit barracks in Tskhinvali, killing several Russian soldiers.

According to records, Georgia has offered an three-hour ceasefire starting 15:00 local time (11:00 UTC), to let civilians leave the besieged capital of Tskhinvali. However, at 14:29 (10:29 UTC), Marat Kulakhmetov, commander of Russian forces in the region, said "these are further lies from the Georgian side. No corridor for civilians has been opened."

At 11:06 UTC news stated that column of Russian tanks of 58th Army is moving to Tskhinvali. Russian Ministry of Defense stated that they are sent for help to Russian forces. It is reported by Russian media that at 11:26 UTC Georgian army started to fall back from Tskhinvali.

Saakashvili said Russia moved a column of 150 tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other equipment into South Ossetia.

According to Georgian TV channel Rustavy-2 Russian Su-24 bombers and Su-27 fighters are attacking Georgian army forces on territory of South Ossetia. IA Regnum reported that the airspace above Tskhinvali is entirely controlled by Russian planes.

Russian General-major Marat Kulakhmetov said that as a result of heavy bombardment, Tskhinvali is almost totally destroyed. Gas pipes, a hospital, and other objects of infrastructure were hit.

According to France Press, at 12:00 UTC the National Security Council of Georgia (by the words of Council Secretary Alexander Lomaia) stated that if messages about Russian tanks in South Ossetia will be confirmed, Georgia will declare war on Russia.

At 12:14 UTC Russian tanks entered Tskhinvali, reported first by Russian media and later by CNN.

The Georgian Interior Ministry said that a Russian fighter dropped two bombs on a military base in Vaziani (near Tbilisi). According to Lenta.ru there are US military instructors there. At 16:55 UTC, Russian fighters bombed a military airfield in Marneuli, near Tbilisi.

Mikheil Saakashvili said that Georgia was pulling its 2,000-strong troops from Iraq.

At 12:24 UTC, Viktor Vodolatskiy, the Cossack ataman of the Don Republic, said that a "voluntary 429th Cossack division" will be created to help the fight in South Ossetia and that 450 people were already signed up.

About 13:30 UTC Eduard Kokoity, the President of South Ossetia, told the Interfax news agency in a phone interview, that the South Ossetian forces, together with volunteers, had recaptured parts of Tskhinvali and that the Georgians had suffered heavy casualties. However, Saakashvili has assured that Georgia is still in complete control of the city.

About 13:45 UTC Russian Ministry of Defence reported that Georgians had killed 10 Russian soldiers and wounded 30.

At 14:27 UTC Eduard Kokoity said that there are "hundreds of civilians killed in Tskhinvali" and called Saakashvili "a murderer." He also said that resistance was "mounting" in Tskhinvali and that four Georgian tanks had been hit in the railway station square.

At 14:53 UTC, South Ossetian Information and Press Committee reported that Russian armored vehicles had entered the northern suburb of Tskhinvali.

At 15:11 UTC, Georgian spokesman Shota Utiashvili said that "Russian armed forces are bombarding Tskhinvali" and that "We have lost control over some parts of the city". South Ossetian forces have begun to retake the city, with four Georgian tanks blown up in the city, the leader of South Ossetia's unrecognised government Eduard Kokoity said in a statement on the pro-South Ossetian website.

At 15:41 UTC, Georgia's Foreign Ministry claimed Russia has bombed Georgian military airfield Marneuli, damaging the runway, destroying several aircraft and wounding several airfield workers, as well as bombed the Bolnisi military airfield.

• International Red Cross urged the combatant sides to make a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the wounded and civilians from Tskhinvali.

The main city hospital is reported out of functioning, and ambulances can't reach the wounded. According to South Ossetia, Georgia continues to bomb the hospital. 22 wounded remain in the building, which has only two stories left.

August 9

From midnight, Russia cuts all air links to Georgia.

Cyberattacks

South Ossetian officials stated that two Ossetian news media sites were hacked. Dmitry Medoev, the South Ossetian secessionist envoy in Moscow, claimed that Georgia was trying to cover up reports of deaths.

Reactions

International organizations

• International Red Cross - The International Red Cross urged the combatant sides to make a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the wounded and civilians from Tskhinvali.
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO's official website posted the following statment from the NATO Secretary General: "The NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, is seriously concerned about the events that are taking place in the Georgian region of South Ossetia and said that the Alliance is closely following the situation. The Secretary General calls on all sides for an immediate end of the armed clashes and direct talks between the parties"
• United Nations - On August 7, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced grave concern over the escalation of violence and urged all parties to the conflict to "refrain from any actions that might jeopardize the situation further and pose threat to stability in the region". On August 8 at GMT 4 a.m. an emergency session of the UN Security Council was held to discuss the situation. The session was requested by Russia. The session failed to reach an agreement that would have called on Georgia and the separatists to immediately halt all fighting, but expressed its concern over the renewed conflict.

States

• China - China called for worldwide truce coinciding with the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
• Kazakhstan - Following Vladimir Putin's remarks, the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, said "The Georgian leadership was not right when it failed to inform on its actions toward South Ossetia and about higher tensions taking place there". Interfax also reported that Nazarbayev "agreed with Putin's view that countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States should make an assessment of the situation and undertake efforts to halt it".
• Lithuania - On August 7th, President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, received a phone call from the President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. Saakashvili asked Lithuania’s president to help inform heads of the European Union and other western states of the situation in the region. Adamkus assured that Lithuania would inform other European partners about the situation in Georgia and would seek adequate attention and assistance from the European Union in dealing with the situation. On August 8, Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Petras Vaitiekūnas was sent to Georgia. He will be there to inform the EU partners about the situation in Georgia.
• Russia - After the GMT 4:00 8 August UN Security Council meeting, Boris Malakhov, spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that he hoped it was still possible to prevent "mass bloodshed", adding, "It now became clear why the Georgian side was refraining under various pretexts from signing a legally binding document on non-use of force" Russian envoy Yuri Popov said Georgia's military operation showed it could not be trusted and NATO should reconsider its plans to grant membership to Tbilisi. Popov said, "Georgia's step is absolutely incomprehensible and shows that the Georgian leadership has zero credit of trust." He called Georgia's behavior treacherous." At 07:32 on 8 August, Vladimir Putin, in Beijing attending the 2008 Summer Olympics, condemned the "aggressive actions" by Georgia and said that Russia would be compelled to retaliate. Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, stated: "I must protect the life and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are," "We will not allow their deaths to go unpunished. Those responsible will receive a deserved punishment." he said. (many residents of South Ossetia are in fact Russian citizens)
• Sweden - Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt said in a statement: "The way in which the situation in South Ossetia has deteriorated is cause for profound concern. It is extremely important that all those involved show restraint and play their part in bringing about a political solution," ... "I am particularly concerned about the impact of the conflict on civilians. Georgia and Russia are dangerously close to war and there is a great risk of this spreading to other parts of the Caucasus."
• Ukraine - Ministry of foreign affairs of Ukraine called to all sides to stop fire immediately and to start solving the problem by negotiations. Ukraine has confirmed its position of support of Georgian territorial integrity and sovereignty. It was stated that Ukraine is ready to make its contribution to peaceful resolution of the region's conflict within the framework of international diplomatic efforts. Ukranian president Viktor Yushchenko, has sent his special representative Kostyantyn Yelisyeyev to Tbilisi as a result of phone conversation of Georgian President M.Saakashvili. The aims of the visit are consultations with Georgian authorities and representatives of OSCE, investigation of the situation in the region and presenting of the Ukrainian position on peaceful solvation of conflict.
• United Kingdom - The Foreign and Commonwealth Office states on its website 'We are monitoring developments in Georgia following news that there has been heavy fighting between Georgian forces and South Ossetian separatists.We urge an immediate ceasefire in the fighting in South Ossetia and for a resumption of direct dialogue between all parties.'
• United States - After the GMT 4:00 8 August UN Security Council meeting, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, however, said it appeared that the South Ossetians were the provokers of the violence. Fried said, "We have urged the Russians to urge their South Ossetian friends to pull back and show greater restraint. And we believe that the Russians ... are trying to do just that." White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said on 8 August, "All sides should bring an immediate end to the violence and engage in direct talks to resolve this matter peacefully." United States Presidential candidate John McCain urged Russia to immediately withdraw from Georgia and said the United States should call for an emergency United Nations session.

Non-recognized states

• Abkhazia - On August 5, Abkhazia's separatist foreign minister, Sergey Shamba, announced that Abkhazia's army may open a second front against Georgia if it launched a full-scale attack against Ossetia.

Weapons

Both armies are equipped with predominantly Soviet-made weapons. However, Georgia has recently also been acquiring a plethora of western made weaponry, particularly for the army special forces and special police units.

References

1. Вооруженные силы Грузии, Lenta.ru.
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External links

• Timeline: Georgia-Ossetia armed conflict (Russia Today)

• Current events
• South Ossetia
• Wars involving Georgia (country)
• Wars involving Russia
• Georgia (country)–Russia relations