Escalation conflict over South Ossetia
11 August 2008
Georgia moved into South Ossetia on August 7 in a large-scale operation to regain control of the region, following days of clashes in which both sides exchanged gun and mortar fire. Each side accuses the other of initiating the hostilities. The offensive sparked a furious reaction from Russia, which sent troops, military aircraft, and tanks to repel Georgian forces.
Russia has backed Georgia's two separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia since they broke away from central Georgian government control in the 1990s. President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia will not allow the deaths of Russian citizens to go unpunished.
Russia's Defense Ministry says its troops have advanced from the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia further into Georgia proper. Russian warplanes, meanwhile, continued to pound Georgian targets on August 11, hitting targets near the capital, Tbilisi , and the Black Sea port of Poti. On 9 August reportedly 28 civilians were killed by bombs in Gori. Numbers of casualties vary.
Speaking to reporters in Tbilisi, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner spelled out the framework of a peace plan backed by the European Union. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer deplored what he called Russia's use of excessive force and lack of respect for Georgia's territorial integrity.
Source: www.rferl.org
