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Battle of Tskhinvali
Part of 2008 South Ossetia war
Movements of opposing forces around Tskhinvali. Blue arrows show Georgian, red show Russian.
Date August 8 - August 10, 2008(?) Location Tskhinval, South Ossetia (Georgia) Result Georgian withdrawal
Belligerents
South Ossetia Russian Federation	Georgia
Commanders and leaders
Anatoly Khrulyov of the 58th Army (wounded) Marat Kulakhmetov of the former peacekeeping forces	Unknown
Strength
Unknown 1,700 troops formerly serving as peacekeepers and several thousand troops from Russia	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown 18 killed and 150 wounded (Russian claim)	Unknown (believed to be over 200 dead)
Possibly about 2,000 Ossetian and 15 Georgian civilians killed (Russian claim)

The Battle of Tskhinvali was a battle for the city of Tskhinvali, the capital of the Georgia's breakway province of South Ossetia, that was being fought for over three days in August 2008, as the main engagement in the 2008 South Ossetia War. While details of the control of Tskhinvali are controversial, sources confirm that the capital of South Ossetia has been almost completely (over 70%) devastated in the fighting.

The battle

The cities of Tskhinvali and Gori are located in the valley of the Greater Liakhvi River within about 20 miles from each other. The Georgian military was based at Gori, while Tskhinvali was the primary objective of the Georgian forces. It has been suggested that the ultimate goal of the Georgian forces was to control the Roki Tunnel, which is the only important land route from Russia to South Ossetia.

The Georgian Army entered a province of South Ossetia during the early hours of August 8, 2008 after a prolonged artillery onslaught on the city of Tskhinvali. Then, Georgian mechanized forces, further supported by artillery fire, launched an attack towards the city. The Georgian forces kept advancing despite strong opposition from the South Ossetian defenders, and by the end of the day established control over most of the city.

During the afternoon of August 8, Russian ground forces, with air support, crossed the international border into South Ossetia from the Russia's republic of North Ossetia-Alania and reached Tskhinvali several hours later. On August 9, the Russian 58th Army commander Anatoly Khrulyov was wounded in a Georgian ambush which reportedly inflicted heavy losses on the Russian forces. By August 10, the joint Russian and South Ossetian forces regained control over the city center as the Georgian forces withdrew as Russia had demanded. However, according to the Russians some Georgian snipers and mobile infantry groups still remained in Tskhinvali.

While there was no ground fighting in Gori, the launch point of the Georgian military, the city was attacked from the air and large areas associated with or nearby the Georgian military were heavily damaged.

Casualties

According to the Russian officials' estimate about 1,500-2,000 civilians have died (considering the pre-war population being around 30,000). A South Ossetian official claimed that "foreign mercenaries" were found among the dead Georgian soldiers (that information has not been confirmed by Georgia). Several journalists were reported to be among casualties, including the two who were embedded with the ambushed Russian armoured column.

References

1. Georgia pulls out of Tskhinvali, Al Jazeera, August 10, 2008
2. ^ Journalists Suffered Combat Losses, Kommersant, Aug. 11, 2008
3. ^ Template:Ru icon Трое суток в эпицентре войны
4. ^ Template:Ru icon Посол России в Грузии заявил о двух тысячах погибших жителях Цхинвали
5. Bodies are lying everywhere. It’s hell, The Sunday Times, August 10, 2008
6. MIA: Java and Roki Tunnel are Next Targets
7. Georgian MLRS launched rockets on Tskhinvali - BBC video
8. Georgian troops pull out of South Ossetian capital
9. Georgia 'calls Ossetia ceasefire', BBC News, 10 August 2008
10. Eyewitness: Mood shifts in Gori, BBC News, 10 August 2008
11. 2,000 civilians dead in Tskhinvali fighting-Ifax, Reuters, 09 Aug 2008
12. Dead Mercenaries Found in Tskhinvali, Kommersant, Aug. 10, 2008

External links

Videos

• Russian convoy moving towards Tskhinvali, 06:20
• Destruction in Tskhinvali, 01:36
• Casualties in Tskhinvali, 05:17
• Damaged hospital building in Tskhinvali, 02:17

• 2008 in Georgia (country)
• Battles of the Modern era
• Battles involving Georgia (country)
• Battles involving Russia