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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russian tanks enter Gori |
| 2008-08-13 |
| Violence has flared up in Georgia, where Russian tanks have been seen patrolling the town of Gori, says the BBC's Gavin Hewitt near the scene. One witness told the BBC he saw a convoy of Russian vehicles on the road to the Georgian capital Tbilisi. People leaving the town say there is looting going on involving South Ossetian separatists. Another BBC reporter in the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, says many buildings have been totally destroyed. A ceasefire is in place, but it seems to be very fragile, correspondents say. In Gori, the Russian tanks seem to be dismantling and destroying Georgian army bases in the town, our correspondent says. It is not clear where the Russian convoy on the Tibilisi road is heading. There are reports of residents being stripped of their belongings at gunpoint on the entrances to the city. There is a pall of smoke over Gori's market, but it is not clear if any more fighting has been going on in the town Terrified residents have watched their houses being torched, and the situation may well be worse in outlying villages, our correspondent adds. There is also a Russian checkpoint with two Russian tanks outside Gori on the main road leading into the town from the Georgian capital Tbilisi, an eyewitness told the BBC. But the Russian foreign ministry says it has no Russian troops left in Gori, Reuters news agency reports. On Tuesday, Russian forces said their military activity in the area was completed after Georgian security forces were driven out of the town during fighting. In Tskhinvali, the main offices of the local administration are a blackened shell, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in the South Ossetian capital. There are apartment buildings all around with smashed windows, with bullet and shrapnel damage and gaping holes where there used to be windows. Two Georgian tanks stand on a square near what was the main base of Russian peacekeepers. Residents who are out trying to clear their wrecked homes say they have no water and no electricity. The streets are quiet now, but houses were on fire in villages along the route to the city, our correspondent adds. Tskhinvali itself is under Russian control now and there are no reports of any serious fighting, but there is no confirmation as to when the Russian troops will withdraw, a Russian military spokesman said. Foreign ministers from the European Union are holding emergency talks in Brussels on the crisis between Russia and Georgia. A key element calls for all forces to return to the areas where they were before fighting broke out last week. Some 100,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the conflict, which has created huge tensions in international relations. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #11 Historic town. Birthplace of Josef Issaronovitch Djugashvili. Big statue to KOBA there... |
| Posted by: borgboy 2008-08-13 19:26 |
| #10 mrp - probably use of incirlik as well |
| Posted by: superstitiousGalitizianer 2008-08-13 13:02 |
| #9 What happened to the total destruction of Tskhinvali? If the buildings around the government buildings are still intact enough to be standing, then maybe we were sold a bill of goods about Georgian "genocidal" bombardment? |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2008-08-13 12:57 |
| #8 Our military sources report that the US air corridor has a short distance to fly from US bases in Italy and Turkey. If true, this means that Turkey has approved using its airspace (and probably road/rail networks) as a supply corridor(s) to the intact Georgian government in Georgia. |
| Posted by: mrp 2008-08-13 12:51 |
| #7 finally... Bush orders US Air Force-Navy humanitarian airlift to Georgia DEBKAfile Special Report August 13, 2008, 7:07 PM (GMT+02:00) Bush starts to remove the gloves He demanded that Russia open all routes to these deliveries and to civilian transit. DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the strong military actions a furious US president George W. Bush ordered Wednesday, Aug. 13, after seven days of Russian-Georgian warfare, amount to a bid to break the sea, land and air blockade Russia still maintains against Georgia in violation of the EU-brokered ceasefire. The first direct US-Russian military clashes in Georgia are now possible if the Russians fail to give way when challenged by US air transports and vessels heading for Georgia. For seven days, Russia has exerted exclusive mastery of Georgia’s skies, sea and land routes. Flanked by the secretaries of state and defense, Bush said that Robert Gates as head of the military had already sent the first US Air Force transport with humanitarian and medical aid on its way to Georgia. Our military sources report that the US air corridor has a short distance to fly from US bases in Italy and Turkey. The US president accused Moscow of violating the less than one-day old ceasefire fire in its conflict with Georgia, by sending Russian tanks and APC’s to the east of the Georgian town of Gori, threatening the capital Tbilisi, bombing the Black Sea port of Poti and sinking Georgian vessels. Bush reiterated US support for Georgia’s democratically-elected government and territorial integrity and declared Russia must cease all military acts and withdraw to positions held before the conflict flared. Russian must keep its word and act to end this crisis, if it wants to achieve its aspirations in the international community. The Bush statement Wednesday followed reports of Russian tanks entering Gori after the ceasefire, and some 15 armored personnel carriers heading out of the devastated ghost city and blocking the highway connected South Ossetia to the rest of Georgia. Russian “irregulars” were reported killing, burning and looting in Gori and destroying ammunition dumps. A Georgian checkpoint has been placed outside Tbilisi. Russia was also said to have shot down two Georgian spy drones over the breakaway province. |
| Posted by: Legolas 2008-08-13 12:22 |
| #6 but...but...didn't the Messiah-in-Chief (In Waiting) end all the violence with his Grand Diplomacy?? What if just TALKING about stopping aggression isn't enough to actually get a country to STOP BEING AGGRESSIVE??? Could the Obama-zod be wrong??? I know...that's crazy talk. |
| Posted by: Justrand 2008-08-13 10:50 |
| #5 They say the advances were halted. Therefore it is not happening and these troops don't exist. The Russians have said that they will attack any Georgian forces that may threaten their positions. It appears that Gori will be in the demilitarized buffer zone patrolled by UN peacekeepers. The Russians will not reduce their forces to pre-Aug 7th levels. Georgia will have to surrender the Kodori gorge as well. Sarkozy was very evasive at the Kremlin news conference yesterday. Looks like he will be feeding Saakashvili a very bitter pill today. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-13 09:53 |
| #4 Looks like they were not headed to Tblisi after all. Halpin said that the column turned off the Tbilisi road after about 20km and headed east to the village of Orjosani, where the Russians appeared to be preparing some kind of supply base. Many of those with the column were Ossetian irregulars identified by a piece of white cloth tied around their right arms. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-13 09:46 |
| #3 OK, something does not add up. Russian leaders trying to cheat? They say the advances were halted. Therefore it is not happening and these troops don't exist. Which means some other troops/planes/whathaveyou would not exist while shredding these advances into smithereens. Is the Pentagon listening? |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-08-13 09:42 |
| #2 Russian-backed separatist forces took advantage of the Georgian military's collapse to attack Kodori. More than 100 Russian military vehicles entered the gorge on Tuesday forcing the Georgian retreat. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-13 09:31 |
| #1 A column of Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers (APCs) on Wednesday left Gori and headed in the direction of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, an AFP journalist witnessed. (UPDATED) The convoy, comprised of about 60 tanks, APCs and other vehicles, was seen 10 kilometers (six miles) outside Gori heading in the direction of Tbilisi, the journalist said. Russian soldiers leaned out of the windows of the trucks shouting "Tbilisi! Tbilisi!" and waving Russian flags. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-13 09:01 |