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Battle of Tskhinvali
Part of 2008 South Ossetia war
Movements of opposing forces around Tskhinvali. Blue arrows show Georgian movements, red show Russian.
Date August 8 - August 10, 2008 Location Tskhinval, South Ossetia (Georgia) Result Russian-Ossetian victory, Georgian withdrawal
Belligerents
Republic of South Ossetia Russian Federation	Georgia
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Anatoly Khrulyov of the 58th Army (WIA) 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, 7 missing and 150 wounded (Russian claim)	180 killed (Georgian claim)
Possibly more than 2,000 civilians killed (Russian claim)

The Battle of Tskhinvali was a battle for the city of Tskhinvali, the capital of the Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia, fought over three days in August 2008 as the main engagement in the 2008 South Ossetia War. The city of Tskhinvali has been 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 (32 km) of each other. The Georgian military was based at Gori, while Tskhinvali was the primary objective of the Georgian forces. It was suggested by Civil Georgia that the ultimate goal of the Georgian forces was to control the Roki Tunnel, which is the sole major land route from Russia to South Ossetia.

The Georgian Army entered the province of South Ossetia during the early hours of August 8, 2008 after a prolonged artillery onslaught on the city of Tskhinvali. By 04:45am Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili announced that Tskhinvali was nearly surrounded by the Georgian forces. After hours of artillery bombardment, Georgian forces moved into the city and were heading toward the city center, where they were met with fierce resistance from South Ossetian rebels but kept advancing, burning the separatist presidential palace. In the end, the Georgian army managed to take control of the city after a few hours of intense urban warfare. Hand-to-hand fighting occured and half a dozen Georgian tanks were burning in the city streets after being hit by RPG fire. However, despite the Georgian claim that Tskhinvali was captured and Georgia now controlled two-thirds of South Ossetia's territory, reports were coming out of the city that there were still some pockets of separatist resistance.

At this time the Russian Ministry of Defence also reported that at least 10 Russian soldiers were killed and 30 were wounded in the initial Georgian shelling of the Russian peacekeeping force base at Tskhinvali;, this number was later revised to 13 killed and 70 wounded.

During the afternoon of August 8, Russian ground forces, with air support, crossed the international border into South Ossetia from the Russian republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The Russians reportedly reached Tskhinvali several hours later with two armored battalions of the 58th Army. Both sides (Russia and Georgia) used armoured vehicles and artillery during the fight for the city. On August 9, the Russian 58th Army commander Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov was wounded in a Georgian ambush which reportedly inflicted heavy losses on the Russian spearhead column.

After the Russians and South Ossetian fighters drove the Georgians out of the outskirts of Tskhinvali, the Georgian units regrouped with armored reinforcements from Gori. On the later half of August 9, the regrouped Georgian forces reportedly launched a new offensive against South Ossetian and Russian defenders of Tskhinvali using heavy artillery (howitzers), GRAD rocket launchers, and large-caliber mortars. Heavy fighting was underway on the city outskirts, as at least three Georgian tanks were reported hit. Just before midnight a five-hour artillery onslaught on the city ended, but the fighting with the Georgian infantry in the south of Tskhinvali continued. Civilians still remained in the basements with no food or water. The South Ossetian forces complained that Georgia had not yet provided a peace corridor to evacuate the civilians caught up in crossfire.

By August 10, the joint Russian and South Ossetian forces regained control over the city 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 residential areas were hit by Russian aircraft.

Confused reports of a Russian occupation of Gori and a Georgian retreat to the capital Tibilisi had emerged. Russia denied having troops in Gori. Gori lies on the most important east west transportation route from the Black Sea Coast to Tiblisi. The fall of Gori, the Georgian military and logistics center, would most likely mark the end of the Battle of Tskhinvali in terms of conventional ground warfare.

Casualties

The number of total civilian casualties in Tskhinvali remains unknown, as no official investigation took place, and no independent third-part estimates has been reported; Russian officials asserted on August 9 that more than 2,000 civilians have died (the pre-war population being around 30,000). Russian bombing raids also killed and injured a number of civilians elsewhere. Several journalists were reported to be among the casualties, including the two who were embedded with the ambushed Russian armoured column in which General Khrulyov was wounded.

Military losses are also unknown or unclear, with the Russian claim of 25 Russians soldiers dead or missing and 150 wounded by the afternoon of August 10. Alexander Lomaia, secretary of Georgia's National Security Council, stated that 200 Georgian soldiers were killed in both the battle for Tskhinvali and the air raids on military bases in other parts of Georgia. A South Ossetian official claimed that "foreign mercenaries" were found among the dead Georgian soldiers, some described as being black. This had not been confirmed by Georgia.

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, Moskovskiy Komsomolets, 10.08.2008
4. ^ Template:Ru icon Посол России в Грузии заявил о двух тысячах погибших жителях Цхинвали, Lenta.Ru, 09.08.2008
5. http://www.effedieffe.com/content/view/4120/183/
6. ^ 2,000 civilians dead in Tskhinvali fighting-Ifax, Reuters, 09 Aug 2008
7. MIA: Java and Roki Tunnel are Next Targets, Civil.Ge, 9 Aug.'08
8. Georgian MLRS launched rockets on Tskhinvali - BBC video
9. Tskhinvali almost surrounded - Georgian official, Itar-Tass, 8 August 2008.
10. Bodies are lying everywhere. It’s hell, The Sunday Times, August 10, 2008
11. Template:Ru icon Минобороны РФ заявило о расстреле российских миротворцев, Lenta.ru, 08.08.2008
12. Russian tanks 'rolling into Georgian breakaway', CNN, August 8, 2008
13. Template:Ru icon Russian tanks entered Tskhinvali, Lenta.Ru, 08.08.2008
14. Georgia Army Launches New Offensive on South Ossetia Capital Tskhinvali, Sofia News Agency, 9 August 2008
15. Russia expands Georgia blitz, deploys ships, Associated Press, Aug 10, 2008
16. Georgia 'calls Ossetia ceasefire', BBC News, 10 August 2008
17. Russian jets attack Georgian town, BBC News, 9 August 2008
18. Russians seize town in Georgia --Georgian official
19. Russian troops invade Georgia and 'take the town of Gori'
20. Georgia conflict: Screams of the injured rise from residential streets, Sunday Telegraph, 10 Aug 2008
21. http://www.effedieffe.com/content/view/4120/183/
22. 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