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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| US to deliver aid to tense Georgian port of Poti |
| 2008-08-26 |
| In a direct challenge to Russia, the United States announced Tuesday it intends to deliver humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Georgian port city of Poti, which Russian troops still control through checkpoints on the city's outskirts. The aid will be delivered Wednesday by ship, a U.S. embassy spokesman said. While Western nations have called the Russian military presence in Poti a clear violation of an EU-brokered cease-fire, a top Russian general countered Tuesday that using warships to deliver aid was "devilish." "The heightened activity of NATO ships in the Black Sea perplexes us," Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said in Moscow. Many of the Russian forces that drove deep into Georgia after fighting broke out Aug. 7 in the separatist region of South Ossetia have pulled back, but hundreds at least are estimated to still be manning checkpoints that Russia calls "security zones" inside Georgia proper. Two of those checkpoints are near the edge of Poti, one of Georgia's most important Black Sea ports. The Russian military is also claiming the right to patrol in the city. An AP cameraman was treated roughly by Russian troops Sunday when he tried to film Russian movements around Poti. Other AP journalists have reported on Russian looting in the city. Georgian officials have said much of the port's infrastructure — radar, Coast Guard ships, other equipment — was destroyed by the Russians. ... |
| Posted by:ed |
| #19 The only restraint Putin will show is if he is getting his army demolished. THe Javelin strategy will do this if he pressses his invasion. Destroy his armor and officer corps at a rate he cannot afford to sustain. Same goes for the Ukranians. Set up roving hunter-killer teams to operate behind the FEBA, and take out C3I and logistics facilities with these weapons (they are good bunker busters as well). |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-08-26 21:18 |
| #18 Steve the Javelin response is to deter the further occupation. Its a "procupine" option for the Georgian military to prevent further expansion by the Russian imperial troops. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-08-26 21:16 |
| #17 Some of you guys think Putin and the Russians will show restraint in the face of resistance. Think Groszny. |
| Posted by: Keystone 2008-08-26 17:56 |
| #16 well thats the Q, isnt it, why havent the Russians occupied Tbilisi, Batumi, etc yet? A. They either think theyve got what they wanted already or B. They are deterred - by many things, but above all by what the georgians will do if the Russians go beyond now as to A, did the russians get all they want? I dont think so - I think more than show they can pull off a big raid and toss a buncha georgians out of Ossetia, they wanted to dump Saak. Both cause hes an annoyance, cause hes an example to would be liberals in Russia (yeah, i know thats hopeless, but Putin seems to be paranoid about it) and to show any other neighbors the fruits defiance. I THINK the reason they have delayed withdrawl, and are not fully withdrawing, is to try to encourage Saak to go. I think they think this is like post-1999 serbia and the fall of Slobo. And i think they are misreading it. Best to do is to rebuild Georgia, its infrastrcutre and economy. But its certainly not innappropriate to build up their military, which has been damaged. They are a soveriegn country and have a right to import arms, as much as does say, Venezuala. And given their experiences, it certainly makes more sense to import small anti tank weapons, say, than to import a lot of tanks. Surely theres no obligation on the part of small states to import strategically useless weaponry? Now the next question, is what should they DO with that, assuming Russia neither enters Tbilisi, nor withdraws back to the disputed areas, but instead sits in Poti, and in areas adjacent to S ossetia that threaten the east west road. Thats the toughie. Im inclined to a large scale civil disobedience campaign, at least as a start. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-08-26 17:22 |
| #15 However, while Vlad might regret losing his battalion commanders, the Georgians would regret more having their entire country occupied and pillaged, which is what I think Vlad would order in response. Let's work on a quieter response, one that costs and embarrasses the Russians rather than provokes them to more mass murder. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-08-26 17:00 |
| #14 My error, I meant Javelin. Rapier is an old Brit system that looks similar. Rather be a hammer than a nail... humm along One of these. Take note of the armored vehicle being vaporized. Russian make. T72 fully tactical setup. Not much left to send mommy and daddy in a body bag in Mother Russia, unless you are using a mop. Note the lack of a large launch plume and the fact that it can be fired high angle as well as direct fire. Pretty good escapability for the firing team. Enough of those into the armored command vehicles and even a gangster like Putin would have to take notice that he was losing company and battalion commanders faster than he can replace them. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-08-26 16:08 |
| #13 Would fencing foils really help, OldSpook? ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-26 14:30 |
| #12 Maybe we need to give the Georgians a few hundred man-portable Rapiers, EFP IED kits (with iranian markings, the ones we captuire in Iraq would do nicely), and some air defense capability to take down tactical helicopeters and russian air support. Rapiers woudl seriously dent their armed forces, and can be used in a guerilla fashion by small cells of infiltrators. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-08-26 14:15 |
| #11 The U.S. embassy in Tbilisi on Tuesday retracted a statement saying a U.S. destroyer and another ship were headed for the Georgian port city of Poti, where Russian forces are deployed. (UPDATED) |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-26 13:28 |
| #10 The German, Polish and Spanish ships are escorting the Mount WHitney to Batumi and then Poti. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-08-26 12:18 |
| #9 IIRC, the European warships are in the Black Sea as part of a scheduled NATO exercise. |
| Posted by: mrp 2008-08-26 11:19 |
| #8 the EU? huh? Didnt they also send ships into the black sea = german, spanish, and polish, IIUC. Its russia that will be embarrased, or not. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-08-26 11:01 |
| #7 A good way to embarrass the EU. You have to have a sense of pride or shame to be embarrassed. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2008-08-26 10:37 |
| #6 A good way to embarrass the EU. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-08-26 10:22 |
| #5 I say the Marines set up "aid distribution points" around the city. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-08-26 10:09 |
| #4 I think Marines in Amphibous track should be sufficient to carry and unload cargo. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-08-26 10:05 |
| #3 I bet the Coast Guard ship goes in with the DDG close enough to provide cover. |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2008-08-26 10:05 |
| #2 We should use M1 Abrams to offload the stuff. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-26 09:36 |
| #1 The aid will be delivered Wednesday by ship, a U.S. embassy spokesman said. This will be interesting. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-08-26 09:11 |