10 years ago, Russia invaded Georgia: a retrospective

Exactly ten years ago, Russian troops invaded the territory of Georgia. 8 August 2008, in the vicinity of the city of Tskhinvali, military clashes began between the Georgian army and regular troops of the Russian Federation. The war lasted five days and led to the occupation of 20% of Georgian territory.

Фото: Depositphotos

Edition ZN.UA brought together the key events of the five-day war and the current reaction of the international community to the tenth anniversary of the armed conflict.

Then the military operation of the government troops was declared, from the direction of North Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria the Russian army 58 invaded Georgia, and several ships of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia approached from the Black Sea.

The Kremlin justified its actions as “aggression” by government forces against the puppet government of the “Republic of South Ossetia.” Russia sent tank brigades to Georgia, Russian aircraft bombed Georgian cities, civilian and military infrastructure.

The military actions went beyond the boundaries of the Tskhinvali region, swept Abkhazia and other parts of Georgia. The occupation was accompanied by ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population in South Ossetia, which made up about a third of the region’s population.

On the fifth day of the war, 12 August, with the mediation of international organizations, France and the United States, Georgia and Russia signed a ceasefire agreement. Russia pledged to withdraw troops before October 1 2008, but the military continued to advance deep into Georgian territory. 26 August Russia officially recognized "independence" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Also, “independence” was recognized by Russian allies Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria and three states in the Pacific Ocean: Nara, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, but the latter two later withdrew their recognition of “independence”.

Infographics: MyShared.ru

According to various sources, the Georgians have lost almost 200 soldiers and 228 civilians. According to Georgian media, several hundred Russian soldiers died then, but the Russian Ministry of Defense reported only 67 dead.

On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden published joint statement condemning the Russian aggression against the sovereignty of the Georgian state.

The diplomats noted that all states, including Georgia, have the right to freely determine their foreign policy and enter into alliances, and also called on Russia to withdraw recognition of the “independence” of the occupied Georgian regions.

“Georgia knows for sure that Russia’s intention from the very first day of our independence was to stop our development, using any possible tool. Our answer is consistent progress, deepening democracy and integration into the EU and NATO,” said Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili on the eve of the anniversary of the start of the Russian-Georgian war.

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Austria, Alexander Shcherba, wrote on the morning of August 8: “10 years ago, Georgia “attacked itself.” 4 years ago Ukraine “attacked itself.” I wonder which of Russia’s neighbors will attack itself next.”

“The civilized world must learn from its disgraceful behavior in reacting poorly to Russia's attack on Georgia 10 years ago. Impunity paved the way for further attacks on Ukraine. International violations by the Kremlin dictator must be stopped by those who believe in democracy and rules,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze wrote on Twitter.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko also expressed solidarity with the people of Georgia, noting that “imperial ambitions” are close to Russia and called for common actions against the Kremlin.

Ten years after the aggression, Russia did not withdraw its troops from the territory of Georgia.

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