Georgia and Russia Get Their War On

Georgia bombed separatists in the country’s South Ossetia region Tuesday evening, killing 25; Russia rolled an estimated 150 tanks into Georgia in retaliation, ostensibly to defend the region’s high Russian immigrant population. Georgia pleads its case as a “freedom-loving” nation to garner U.S. support; any semblance of logic retreats.

For a more analytical approach to the current state of Russian/Georgian relations, read the excellent “Why they are fighting” Q&A, also available on the Guardian’s Web site.

The Guardian:

Georgia and Russia were today on the brink of war after Russian tanks rolled across the border to back separatists in the breakaway South Ossetia region.

The Russian incursion began after Georgia launched a major military offensive to retake control of South Ossetia, which has enjoyed de facto autonomy since the early 1990s but officially remains part of the country.

The Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili, called on the US—a key ally—to intervene, saying it was in Washington’s interests to help his “freedom-loving” nation.

“Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory,” he told CNN. “We are a freedom-loving nation that is right now under attack.”

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guardian.co.uk

Georgian soldiers enter South Ossetia after a bombardment by Georgian planes devastated Tskhinvali, the regional capital.