Peacekeeping initiative in South Ossetia. Russian-Georgian War (2008)

This is one of the best texts about the Russian-Georgian war of 2008.

Seven years ago, the Russian-Georgian war broke out. It certainly created a new reality - in Georgia, Russia, the post-Soviet space and in the world in relation to Russia. But most of us know about it from myths created by massive Russian propaganda. Here are the most common ones

Myth No. 1: Saakashvili started the war

War is started by those who prepare for it in advance.

Who prepared for it and who tried to prevent it?

In June-July 2008, various information sources reported that a political decision on an imminent (presumably in August) war with Georgia had already been made in Moscow, with Putin personally overseeing the preparations. The official news agency Osinform will publish the formula for a future war: “a peacekeeping operation to force the aggressor to peace.”

On July 5, large-scale maneuvers of the North Caucasus Military District (NCMD) "Caucasus-2008" begin. 8,000 military personnel, 700 armored vehicles, and ships of the Black Sea Fleet are taking part in them. The official purpose of the exercise is to prepare for a “peace enforcement operation.” The troops are distributing the leaflet “Warrior, know your probable enemy!” - with a description of the armed forces of Georgia.

The best airborne units of the Russian army from different regions of the country are being transferred to the border with Georgia. They replace the motorized rifle units previously stationed there. At the Terskoye training ground of the 58th Army in the south of North Ossetia, a field military hospital is being set up, capable of treating 300 wounded per day.
After the end of the maneuvers, the field hospital is not dismantled. The troops participating in them do not return to their places of permanent deployment. Some of them seep into South Ossetia. Fortunately, just these days (coincidentally) the construction of a military base in Java was completed.

By the beginning of the war (that is, before 08/08/08 - the official date of the entry of Russian troops into hostilities), about 200 units of armored vehicles and advanced units of the 135th and 693rd regiments of the 58th Army - over 1,200 people - were concentrated in Java. Russia still does not recognize this (how can one admit that Russian troops were stationed in South Ossetia before the start of the aggression to repel Georgian aggression?), but the testimony of the soldiers and officers of the 58th Army themselves, which appeared in the media, does not leave this doubts (see, for example, selection).

Simultaneously with military training, information training took place. On July 20, hacker attacks began on Georgian government and information sites. This was the second known case of cyber warfare against a state in history. (The first was recorded in 2007, when, after the aggravation of relations between Russia and Estonia due to the relocation of a monument to Soviet soldiers in the center of Tallinn, the websites of Estonian government agencies were destroyed.) The final attack occurred on the morning of August 8 - against Russian-language information websites of Georgia.

But from August 1, Russian journalists began to arrive from Vladikavkaz to Tskhinvali in an organized manner. Soon their number increased to 50 people, but not a single foreigner (with the exception of a correspondent for the Ukrainian TV channel Inter) was among them. The Russian authorities established a strict access system: accreditation had to be obtained from both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Only the most trusted and trusted could pass through this double sieve.

This ensured that the conditions were not only for a massive invasion, but also that only what needed to be reported about it was ensured.

The most significant thing in this multi-step combination is that the war has actually begun
July 29, 2008.

It was on this day that hostilities began. And they were started, in accordance with plans from Moscow, by South Ossetian armed formations completely controlled by Russia.

They began massive and systematic shelling of villages in South Ossetia under Georgian jurisdiction and the positions of the Georgian peacekeeping contingent. The fire came from mortars and 120-mm guns, which are generally prohibited in the conflict zone. People died.

This is not a separate escalation in the long-standing confrontation between the separatists and the central government. This is a blatant prelude to war. Deliberate provocation with the aim of causing a response. So the city punks send a youngster to pick on a passer-by, only to then jump out from around the corner and pile on him shouting: “Don’t touch the kid!”

The Tbilisi authorities understood perfectly well what was expected of them. But it is impossible to bear the blows for long. By the evening of August 1, the Georgians begin returning artillery fire on militant positions in the vicinity of Tskhinvali. The Ossetians are responding by expanding the shelling zone of Georgian villages and increasing the intensity of fire. Large-caliber mortars and 122-mm guns are already in use.

Mass evacuation of the population to Russia begins from Tskhinvali. Over the course of several days, more than 20 thousand people were taken out. This is estimated to be half the actual population of the self-proclaimed republic. Tskhinvali becomes an almost deserted city.

And through the Roki tunnel - the only way for heavy equipment to pass from North Ossetia to South Ossetia - Russian armored vehicles and troops are moving.

The Georgian authorities are trying to the last to resolve the matter peacefully. Saakashvili's personal representative T. Yakobashvili arranges a meeting with the South Ossetian leadership in Tskhinvali on August 7 through the mediation of the Russian Ambassador-at-Large Yu. Popov.

He's coming. Popov is not there. It turns out that the tire got flat on the way. "So put on the spare tire!" - the Georgian minister advises the Russian ambassador. “And the spare tire is punctured,” the ambassador replies. Such a disaster. The representative of South Ossetia refuses to negotiate without a Russian mediator.

Yakobashvili is negotiating with whoever he has - the commander of the peacekeeping forces, General Kulakhmetov. He admits that he is “no longer able to control the Ossetian units.” What to do? “Announce a unilateral ceasefire,” Kulakhmetov advises.

Within an hour, Yakobashvili resolved the issue. At 17:00 he announces to Kulakhmetov that the Georgian government has agreed to a unilateral ceasefire. At 17:10 the Georgian guns fell silent. At 19:10 Saakashvili announces this in a live television address in Georgian and Ossetian and calls for negotiations.

The response is to intensify shelling of Georgian villages. By 23:00 they reached their peak. And at the same time, a column of Russian troops with 100 units of armored vehicles emerges from the Roki tunnel. The invasion has begun.
In half an hour, Saakashvili will give the order to start a military operation.

Could he have done anything differently? Of course he could.

But to do this, you had to forget that you are the president of a sovereign country, that you are a man and that you are Georgian. And if he had done this, he would not have been one, or the other, or the third.

It was a Zugzwang situation: the rulers of Russia skillfully brought him into the war, leaving no other way out.
The one who wants war, the one who starts the war is the one who prepares for it, the one who does not give the enemy a chance to avoid it. It was Russia.

Myth No. 2: Russia started the war to stop the genocide of Ossetians

Where did this come from?

Already on August 8, the President of South Ossetia E. Kokoity reported that as a result of shelling and military operations in Tskhinvali alone, 1,400 people were killed - the figure is not final. The next day, August 9, the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic announced that 2,100 civilians had died in Tskhinvali.
This figure - more than 2,000 dead - appeared everywhere later: in reports, in media reports, and in online forums.

The number of victims was supplemented by examples of the atrocities of the Georgian military: direct fire from tanks at houses where civilians were hiding, targeted fire from machine guns at children and the elderly, burning of houses along with living people, decapitated corpses of girls...

But when they began to count, it turned out that everything was not quite like that. During the entire fighting in the city, the Tskhinvali hospital, where all the wounded and dead Ossetians were admitted, received 273 wounded and 44 killed, 90% of the victims were South Ossetian militias. The head of the Investigative Committee under the Russian Prosecutor's Office, A. Bastrykin, announced that 134 civilians of South Ossetia had died during the entire war, according to Yulia Latynina, “resurrecting 1,866 people in one fell swoop.”

But even after the official count, the number “2000” remained in the public consciousness, and even in speeches and interviews with officials, including Putin.

Although it is initially unrealistic. The official number of residents of Tskhinvali before the war was 42 thousand. After the evacuation in early August, half of them should have remained. The usual ratio of killed to wounded in military conflict zones is 1:3. This means, statistically, for every 2,000 killed there should have been another 6,000 wounded. That is, almost every second Tskhinvali resident would have been wounded or killed after the Georgian assault. And if it were so, would such a brave arithmetician as Kokoity be able to keep silent about it? But he didn't say.

How did 2,000 dead appear on the second day? And so - what genocide without thousands of victims! "Thousands" is at least two. So it turned out to be 2000. Modestly - to the minimum.

As for the Georgian atrocities, not a single fact was confirmed even after verification by such a demanding organization as Human Rights Watch. Not a single eyewitness account - only retellings of what was told. That's how rumors spread. Judging by their abundance and drama, these were deliberately spread rumors. Professional disinformation.

But ethnic cleansing of Georgians by South Ossetian armed forces is not a rumor. The Georgian population in South Ossetia, where Georgian villages interspersed with Ossetian ones almost in a checkerboard pattern, no longer exists. Robbed, expelled, killed - some Georgian villages were simply razed to the ground. This was done by the hands of the brave warriors of Kokoity. They did not distinguish themselves in battles and almost did not participate (and the warlike president himself, at the first reports of the advance of Georgian troops to Tskhinvali, fled from the capital under the shadow of Russian tanks to Java, and returned with them), but they took their souls in reprisals against civilians and looting.

Thanks to their efforts, there are no more Georgians in South Ossetia. But on the territory of Georgia, outside of South Ossetia, more than 60 thousand Ossetians lived and continue to live peacefully. What would happen to them if the Georgians really started genocide? Remember the Armenians in Baku during the Karabakh crisis.

But the fact is that there was no genocide of Ossetians in Georgia or by Georgians either before the war, during it, or after it. There was no reason.

Myth No. 3: Russia went to war to protect its peacekeepers

The last thing the Georgians wanted was to fight with Russian peacekeepers.

The first thing they did when starting hostilities was to warn the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
At 23.35, President Saakashvili gives the order to begin the operation, and at 23.40, the commander of the Georgian peacekeeping forces, Brigadier General Mamuka Kurashvili, reports the advance of the troops to the commander of the Russian peacekeepers, General Kulakhmetov, and asks not to interfere.

“It’s not that simple,” the Russian general answered the Georgian.

Even before this, at the initial stage of hostilities, Ossetian artillerymen and mortarmen fired at Georgian villages near the peacekeepers’ deployment sites, using them as cover, or even using direct assistance to direct fire. Kulakhmetov did not consider it necessary to deny this in conversations with Georgian officials. During the offensive of the Georgian troops, key figures of the South Ossetian command hid in the main headquarters. According to international standards, this made it a legitimate target.

However, in the target map issued to Georgian artillerymen during artillery preparation, the peacekeepers' targets were marked as prohibited for fire.

In order to protect its peacekeepers, the Russian leadership did not have to send troops and spend money on the war. It was enough to prohibit Kokoity from using them as cover - and everyone would have remained safe. But the goal was different.

Myth #4: Russia started the war to protect its citizens

The Russian authorities themselves created their own artificial diaspora in South Ossetia, issuing Russian citizenship and Russian passports to thousands of residents of the self-proclaimed republic on Georgian territory. Legally, this is regarded as interference in the internal affairs of another state. As it turned out - and in fact. The artificial diaspora created an artificial reason for intervention: protecting our citizens is nothing like the newly minted ones, everyone is dear to us.
Ingenious, of course: this can provide justification for an invasion of any country.
But not original: in the same way, Hitler created a pretext for the annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1938 under the pretext of protecting the rights of the Sudeten Germans and for making territorial claims to Poland. Milosevic tried to do the same thing in the 90s in dismembered Yugoslavia.
First of all, good company. Secondly, we know how this defense of their “oppressed compatriots” ultimately turned out.
Who really benefited from the virtually uncontrolled issuance of Russian passports to residents of South Ossetia is the corrupt elite of the republic. The Georgians found hundreds of Russian passports without the signature of the owners in captured Tskhinvali - pensions and benefits from the Russian treasury were probably accrued to these “dead souls”.

Myth 5: Georgia bombed Tskhinvali

When Georgian troops approached Tskhinvali on the night of August 8, they only conducted barrage fire and shelled administrative buildings. There was no need for anything else. The Georgians entered an intact and half-empty city, which was abandoned not only by the majority of residents, but also by the main forces of the militia. Kokoity with the color of his army fled to the Russian military base in Java. The Georgian troops were opposed by a few scattered groups of partisans with small arms. They could only run away from the tanks.

Bombing and shelling of the city from "Grads" were needed in the next two days, when the Georgians were driven out of the city by Russian troops who arrived to help their Ossetian brothers. These were their bombs and shells. It is on their conscience that most of the dead civilians (see Myth No. 2) and the destroyed city are responsible.

Myth No. 6: Georgians fled shamefully

Most of us get an idea of ​​the course of modern wars from television pictures. From the picture of the August war, the viewer could remember how “timid Georgians fled,” leaving equipment and barracks with their beds made. And I couldn’t see what wasn’t shown.
For example, the defeat of a Russian column of armored vehicles by Georgian special forces on August 8. Then, out of 120 tanks and armored personnel carriers, more than half were destroyed, and the commander of the 58th Army, General Khrulev, was seriously wounded. According to Saakashvili, this episode delayed the advance of Russian troops for two days. And then the Russian command brought up such forces that in the event of a direct confrontation, the Georgian army would have been completely destroyed. And he gave the order to retreat so that there would be something to defend Tbilisi. You can't break the butt with a whip.
It is clear that the balance of forces between the Russian and Georgian armies is so disproportionate that there can be no talk of any real confrontation. But this rather relates to Myth No. 1 - about whether the Georgians wanted war.

Myth No. 7: The war ended in peace

Georgia lost 20% of its territory - lands that most Georgians consider theirs. Not a single Georgian president will dare to abandon them forever. And no one can guarantee that any of them will not dare to return what was lost - including by force.

Russia acquired two formally independent quasi-states as satellites, which, besides itself, were recognized only by such influential powers as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru - for 50 million dollars, and Vanuatu is still bargaining, and Hamas, which itself is not a state. In fact, these are two forever subsidized regions of Russia, doomed to be black holes of the Russian budget, oases of wild corruption and crime. There will never be prosperity or even peace there, but there will always be the possibility of criminal and national conflicts.

Russia has regained its Soviet image of a brutal aggressor, which, of course, pleases national pride, but only harms business, diplomacy and, ultimately, the security of the country.

Russia and Georgia have become and will remain irreconcilable enemies. This will last a long time. After the war, a real “cold war” began between the two states, and as recent past experience shows, in a “cold war” the one who has more weapons and a stronger army does not always win.

Myth No. 8: South Ossetia is the land of Ossetia, not Georgia

The territory of South Ossetia is the original part of Georgia, as even the geographical names indicate. The same Tskhinvali, after the war in the Russian press and official documents was renamed Tskhinvali, did not become less Georgian because its root is from the ancient Georgian word meaning “hornbeam”. Ossetians in the capital of South Ossetia became the national majority only in 1990. Before the interethnic conflicts of the decline of the USSR and the wars of sovereignty caused by it, there was practically no antagonism between Georgians and Ossetians. This is not even the situation of Kosovo, where an overwhelming Albanian majority was formed on primordially Serbian soil. The ethnic cleansing carried out by Kokoity with the support of Putin in 2008 is too deep and too fresh a wound for it to heal and for Georgians to come to terms with it.

And finally, a lot of photos of destroyed Georgian villages

Russia has completed a significant part of the operation to force Georgia to peace in South Ossetia, Tskhinvali has been taken under the control of peacekeepers, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said.

00:06 Shortly before midnight Moscow time, shelling from large-caliber guns of the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, as well as South Ossetian villages, began from the Georgian villages of Nikozi and Ergneti. Representatives of the unrecognized republic stated that Georgian troops had actually started a war and were storming Tskhinvali.

00:42 Georgia promised to restore constitutional order in South Ossetia. The commander of the Georgian peacekeepers, Mamuka Kurashvili, called the military operation in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict “restoring constitutional order in South Ossetia.” He also called on Russian peacekeepers stationed in the conflict zone not to interfere in the situation.

01:38 The assault on Tskhinvali is being carried out in all directions. The South Ossetian authorities stated that the Georgian side was shelling Tskhinvali from Grad launchers, howitzers and large-caliber mortars.

02:08 Georgia announced the start of war with South Ossetia. Georgia notified peacekeepers stationed in the conflict zone about the outbreak of war in South Ossetia.

02:37 Abkhazia is sending a thousand volunteers to South Ossetia. President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh convened an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Friday night; According to media reports, Abkhazia will send about a thousand volunteers to help South Ossetia.

03:46 Georgia launched a tank attack on the southern outskirts of Tskhinvali. The Georgian army has launched a tank attack on the southern outskirts of Tskhinvali, said South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity. South Ossetian forces, he emphasized, are resisting. Georgian State Minister Temur Yakobashvili, in turn, announced that Tskhinvali is surrounded by Georgian troops.

04:20 Infantry went to storm Tskhinvali.

04:33 Russia demanded the convening of a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in South Ossetia.

04:48 Reinforcements from North Ossetia arrived in Tskhinvali.

06:49 Abkhazia is moving troops to the border with Georgia.

07:12 Georgian media reported the call for reservists.

07:23 Georgian aviation struck South Ossetia.

08:56 Georgian troops began shelling Russian peacekeepers.

09:23 Georgian media announced the capture of Tskhinvali.

11:10 The President of Georgia, during his address to the nation, spoke about his vision of the situation in the conflict zone and announced the general mobilization of reservists.

11:19 “Rustavi-2”: Georgia shot down a plane arriving from Russia.

12:37 The Parliament of North Ossetia called on Russia to help the South.

13:45 A gas pipeline was blown up in Tskhinvali. Earlier it was reported that fighting was taking place in the center of the capital of South Ossetia, a hospital was destroyed, and a university was on fire.

16:14 A column of Russian armored vehicles entered Tskhinvali. Earlier, Georgia threatened Russia with war if information about the introduction of Russian armored vehicles into the territory of South Ossetia was confirmed.

18:23 Units of the 58th Army occupy the northern outskirts of Tskhinvali.

19:32 During an air raid on a Georgian air base, several military aircraft were destroyed.

21:23 200 volunteers from Russia crossed the border of South Ossetia. According to one of the volunteers, a column of 20 Gazelles arrived from North Ossetia to South Ossetia.

23:16 20 trucks with Georgian military departed from Batumi towards Tskhinvali. According to eyewitnesses, at least 200 military personnel were sent from Batumi to South Ossetia.

02:14 The shelling of Tskhinvali from all types of weapons continues.

09:17 One of the tactical groups of the 58th Army of the North Caucasus Military District broke into the base camp of Russian peacekeepers in Tskhinvali.

11:38 Units of the 76th Airborne Division from Pskov enter Tskhinvali. Units of the 98th Airborne Division from Ivanovo, as well as special forces from the 45th Separate Reconnaissance Regiment, are being transferred to South Ossetia.

12:28 The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces confirms information about two downed Russian military aircraft Su-25 and Tu-22 in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. One pilot was killed, three were captured.

12:59 Georgian military surrenders and leaves positions in the South Ossetian capital.

14:59 Abkhazia began an armed operation in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge.

15:52 Ossetian militias destroyed 4 Georgian tanks.

19:02 The Abkhaz army launched a missile attack on some military facilities in western Georgia.

20:39 Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are regrouping in the Black Sea, adjacent to the maritime border of Georgia.

21:00 Units of the 58th Army are conducting an operation to oust Georgian formations from the southern outskirts of Tskhinvali.

23:50 After a five-hour battle, the artillery shelling of Tskhinvali stopped. Tank assault prevented. On the southern outskirts of the city, 12 Georgian tanks were destroyed.

08:45 Abkhaz troops resumed massive shelling in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge, controlled by the Georgian military, using aircraft and Grad multiple rocket launchers.

10:20 Russia has strengthened its naval group in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. Black Sea Fleet warships entered the waters near the city of Ochamchira.

10:25 The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the withdrawal of troops from South Ossetia.

14:02 The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed information about the withdrawal of Georgian troops from Tskhinvali.

14:40 An air raid was carried out on Zugdidi.

17:13 Abkhaz troops continue to launch air and artillery strikes on Georgian positions in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge.

17:33 The Abkhaz army took up positions on the Inguri River along the border with Georgia.

18:39 The first column with the wounded left Tskhinvali for Vladikavkaz. 50 people were evacuated.

18:56 Georgia announced a ceasefire. The Russian consul was handed a note, which states the corresponding order of Mikheil Saakashvili. The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that Georgian troops have withdrawn from South Ossetia.

20:20 Georgian media reported a new bombing of the territory of the Tbilaviastroi plant. According to journalists, the bombs were dropped by a Russian plane. No casualties or damage were reported.

21:05 Sergei Lavrov stated the need for the unconditional withdrawal of Georgian troops. In a telephone conversation with Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili, Lavrov pointed out that Georgian troops did not leave the conflict zone, contrary to the statement of the Georgian authorities.

21:40 Tskhinvali has completely come under the control of Russian peacekeepers. This was reported by assistant commander of the JPKF Vladimir Ivanov. According to him, Georgian troops are retreating to the administrative border with South Ossetia.

22:16 Georgia agreed to allow Russian peacekeepers into the Zugdidi region

The governor of the Zugdidi region, Zaza Morokhia, agreed to the presence of the Russian military on the condition that the bombing of Georgia stops

23:40 Igor Dygalo confirmed the destruction of the Georgian missile boat. According to the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, four ships violated the boundaries of the “declared security zone” in the patrol area of ​​the Russian fleet. After the destruction of the boat, three other Georgian ships left in the direction of Poti.

00:17 Russian paratroopers arrived in Abkhazia. According to Alexander Novitsky, assistant commander of the KSPM for information support, the soldiers were brought in with the goal of “preventing Georgia’s military aggression against Abkhazia.”

00:23 Tskhinvali was again subjected to artillery shelling.

1:10 19 Georgian saboteurs were captured in South Ossetia. The prisoners were placed under tight security due to fears that residents of the unrecognized republic would stage lynching.

1:22 Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs: Russian artillery began intensive shelling of the city of Gori.

1:57 Russia and Georgia agreed not to use aviation in the conflict zone. This was reported by Novosti-Georgia news agency. The commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces, Sergei Chaban, noted that the agreement does not apply to the Tskhinvali region.

2:37 Assistant commander of the JPKF: the shooting in Tskhinvali has stopped.

3:28 North Ossetia will send 2,500 volunteers to South Ossetia. According to Novaya Gazeta, help is arriving in the conflict zone from Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya and other regions of the Caucasus.

4:16 Abkhazia resumed shelling of the Kodori Gorge.

4:24 France presented a plan for resolving the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict. The main provisions of the plan are an immediate ceasefire, provision of medical care to the wounded, and the withdrawal of Georgian and Russian troops from the conflict zone.

5:24 According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian Air Force attacked the suburbs of Tbilisi.

7:26 Georgia continues shelling Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia

According to JPKF commander Marat Kulakhmetov, clashes between Russian peacekeepers and Georgian military continued in the southern part of the Tskhinvali region on Monday night. One of the peacekeepers' posts was bombed by the Georgian Air Force

8:24 A convoy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with humanitarian aid entered South Ossetia. 52.5 tons of food, two hospitals and a tent camp for 500 people will be delivered to Tskhinvali.

8:51 According to South Ossetian government representative Irina Gagloeva, Georgia opened an irrigation canal to deprive people of the opportunity to hide from bombing.

10:10 The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that 50 Russian bombers appeared in the skies over Tbilisi. According to the Georgian side, bombs were dropped on the village of Kojori near the capital.

10:20 Abkhaz forces have completely blocked the upper part of Kodori and are ready to begin an operation to destroy Georgian troops.

10:50 Russian peacekeepers demanded that Georgian troops in Kodori surrender their weapons. Sergei Chaban announced the demilitarization of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone.

12:24 Sea communications between Russia and Georgia have been stopped. The Georgian port of Batumi is closed.

12:43 The shelling on the road from Tskhinvali to the Roki tunnel on the border with Russia has stopped, the situation has stabilized. The evacuation of local residents from surrounding settlements continues, and military equipment, including tanks and self-propelled artillery units, is heading towards Tskhinvali.

13:02 Georgia Online found Russian submarines off the coast of Abkhazia.

13:05 The “peace enforcement operation” in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict has been largely completed, said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. According to him, the city of Tskhinvali has been taken under control by a reinforced Russian peacekeeping contingent.

13:07 Georgia refused to lay down arms in Kodori. Georgian troops rejected the ultimatum of the Russian peacekeepers.

13:07 The General Staff of the Russian Federation admitted the loss of two more Su-25 aircraft, said Deputy Head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Anatoly Nogovitsyn. He also stated that the total loss of personnel on Georgian territory was 18 people killed, including one officer and another 17 sergeants and soldiers.

13:10 Russian General Staff: Georgian military were transferred from Iraq by American planes.

13:31 Western airlines are canceling flights to Georgia.

13:35 Saakashvili signed a ceasefire document prepared by the foreign ministers of France and Finland, the Novosti-Georgia agency reports.

13:52 Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, called the statements of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili about a ceasefire a deception.

During the three days of the war in Georgia, 92 people died. Losses among the population of South Ossetia, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, exceed two thousand people, more than 30 thousand became refugees.

00:31 Georgian television reported that Russian troops entered the territory of Poti.

00:51 The Russian Ministry of Defense denied this message.

04:34 Two Russian journalists missing in Georgia have been found. It turned out that the photographer of the Expert magazine Vyacheslav Kochetkov and the correspondent of the Russian Reporter magazine Igor Naydenov are in the camp of Russian peacekeepers in Tskhinvali.

10:15 Russian troops began fighting 20 kilometers south of Tskhinvali. Agencies reported this with reference to Ossetian militias.

11:21 Reuters reported that Russian planes began bombing Gori. It was also reported that several people were injured as a result of the bombing.

11:35 The FSB detained the deputy head of the Georgian Foreign Intelligence Service. Russian intelligence services claimed that the detainee was collecting information about the military and the president of South Ossetia. It was also reported that a number of Georgian agents are suspected of attempting to form a gangster underground in southern Russia.

13:00 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the completion of the operation to enforce peace in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. The goal of the operation, Medvedev said, had been achieved, the safety of peacekeepers and civilians had been ensured, and possible centers of aggression would be destroyed.

13:01 Georgia accused Russia of bombing the oil pipeline. According to Georgian media reports, Russian planes bombed the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BDT) oil pipeline, which is necessary for transporting oil from Azerbaijan to Turkey and is partially laid through Georgian territory. This was stated by Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia Alexander (Kakha) Lomaia. Previously, Russian representatives have repeatedly stated that they do not intend to interfere with the operation of the oil pipeline.

13:21 Explosions occurred on the outskirts of Tbilisi, media reported. According to preliminary information, this happened in the area where the airport and aircraft factory are located.

13:40 Russian troops control Senaki airport and settlements in the security zone of Abkhazia.

13:50 The Russian General Staff denied reports of bombing of the oil pipeline.

14:00 The Russian General Staff demanded the presence of international observers in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

On the night of August 7-8, 2008, a massive shelling of Tskhinvali by Georgian artillery began, the response to which was immediate. The event went down in history as the Five-Day War: until the night of August 13, terrible shelling and attacks continued. There could be no winners - the losses in the war in South Ossetia of both sides, both military and civilians, are enormous, and we are not talking about the numbers or numbers of those killed during military operations.

Prerequisites

The growing tension in political relations between Georgia and Russia was clearly visible back in early 2008. The South Ossetian conflict was aggravated by Russia's removal of the quota of flank restrictions on the deployment of offensive weapons in the North Caucasus Military District. In the spring of the same year, Russia withdrew from the ban on trade and financial ties with Abkhazia, which was regarded by Georgia as encouraging separatism and an attempt to encroach on its territory. Similar actions became the preconditions for the war in South Ossetia and Georgia.

Soon after, he called on Vladimir Putin to refrain from rash actions, otherwise the consequences would be tragic, as Georgian military units were approaching the borders of his republic. The Russian Ministry of Defense, in turn, began to take measures to strengthen its position: it was pointless to deny the obviousness of the approaching war.

It is noteworthy that at the same time, Georgia and the United States were conducting joint exercises called “Immediate Response,” where, according to Zaur Alborov, a military researcher, an attack on South Ossetia was practiced. Russian railway troops were repairing tracks in Abkhazia to be ready to protect civilians.

At the end of July, shootings began to occur on the territory of South Ossetia, after which Prime Minister Yuri Morozov organized the evacuation of residents of Tskhinval.

Positions of the warring parties: Russia and Georgia

The reasons for Russia's reaction (according to Sergei Lavrov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry) was Georgia's aggression against unprepared residents of a country not under its control. The consequences were a sharp increase in the number of refugees, the death of residents of South Ossetia and Russian peacekeepers. It all looked like genocide.

The Georgian side responded to the South Ossetian provocations and found in Russia’s behavior the prerequisites for the outbreak of war.

When it was all over, there was an investigation into the conflict in the South Caucasus. The Commission worked under the leadership of the EU and was headed by Heidi Tagliavini, an expert from Sweden.

An international investigation found Georgia guilty as the party that started the hostilities. But the attack was the result of a long provocation in the conflict zone.

Chronicles of the war in South Ossetia

As a result of night shelling from the Georgian side, large buildings in Tskhinvali were damaged and burned, including the South Ossetian parliament building, a complex of government buildings and buildings in the city center. Residential buildings were also burned. Needless to say, how many people suffered and died during these actions. Part of the city and eight Ossetian villages were taken under the control of armed Georgian troops.

Russia immediately sent additional forces to South Ossetia to support and protect the Ossetians and peacekeepers.

On the eve of the night bombing, Mikheil Saakashvili appeared on television with an appeal to the residents of Georgia and a statement that he had given the order not to return fire in the conflict zone. But this did not stop the shelling using mortars, grenade launchers and multiple launch rocket systems. Later the air forces also became involved.

At 15.00, the President of Russia appeared on television to voice and confirm his intention to protect citizens of the Russian Federation, wherever they are. Now the Russian Federation was forced to take measures to force Georgia to peace.

On August 9, additional units of Russian troops, including airborne troops, were introduced. Thanks to them, the road to Tskhinvali from the north was unblocked, and the very next day Georgian troops were completely driven out of the territory of South Ossetia.

Humanitarian corridors were opened for the withdrawal of refugees, Ossetian and Georgian, wounded and injured: now Tskhinvali has been taken under the control of peacekeepers.

Medvedev-Sarkozy plan

On September 8, after numerous and lengthy negotiations between Dmitry Medvedev and started immediately after the end of the war in South Ossetia, a conflict resolution plan was developed. Mikheil Saakashvili accepted it, making a small amendment, which ultimately did not change anything.

The very first points of the plan prohibited the use of force and called for a final cessation of hostilities, returning the troops of both sides to their permanent locations.

However, according to Nicolas Sarkozy, a six-point text cannot settle everything, answer all questions and solve the problem completely.

Losses during the conflict: memory of the victims of the war in South Ossetia

Residents of Georgia remember the hundreds of people who died in the war. Among them were everyone: military personnel, residents of villages and cities, and even children. In their memory, mourning events are held annually, wreaths were laid at the graves of the military, and photographs of the victims and candles were laid on the steps of the parliament of the republic.

According to Georgian data (official only), losses amounted to 412 dead. 1,747 people were injured, 24 were missing. According to South Ossetia, more than 162. In Russia - up to 400 killed. It is worth remembering that numbers will never convey what the families of the victims are still experiencing and that, if the war had not happened, their fates could have turned out differently: no one and nothing can replace a loved one. And this is a huge, never-ending pain. And that is why each of us must do everything to ensure that the war does not start at all, death will never resolve political differences, moreover, it should not become a lever of influence: people are created for more than murder.

Films about the war in South Ossetia

No war can pass without a trace: film directors tried to reflect as much as possible the events that took place against the backdrop of the conflict in South Ossetia. And the easiest way to do this was to talk about the fate of an ordinary person, about how his life could radically change with the beginning of a terrible war.

"Olympus Inferno" (director - Igor Voloshin, Russia)

Despite the small budget, the film became popular thanks to an interesting idea and the performance of actors who approached the matter with full emotional and professional commitment. In the story, an American entomologist arrives in South Ossetia together with a Russian journalist, once his classmate. They set up cameras to record the flight of a rare breed of butterfly, the Olympus inferno, but instead the lens captures the movement of Georgian troops towards Ossetia. The heroes try by any means possible to preserve the record in order to open the world's eyes to the truth about the beginning of the war.

"5 Days in August" (Renny Harlin, USA)

The film caused a negative public reaction due to anti-Russian propaganda. In the story, Russia is the first to launch missiles. The film was shown in only three cinemas, and the funds spent on filming exceeded the box office receipts many times over. All this confirms the hypothesis about the intent of the filming. There is a lot of blood, murders, fights, sometimes it seems that the author was making a blockbuster, and not a film containing true emotions, empathy, pain.

Documentary about the war

Its title is “Operation in South Ossetia. Time of Heroes” (Russia, “Weapon TV”).

The documentary film about the war in South Ossetia describes its history in detail. The narrative comes from the mouths of peacekeepers - participants in the battles. The film is recommended for viewing especially for those who are looking for the truth.

Also, paintings containing stories of eyewitnesses and participants, people who know this war not only from someone’s words and books, can safely include “Burning August”, “Ossetia, I love you!” and “City of Inconsolable Mothers.”

After watching documentaries, you can’t help but think about what we would do in the place of these people, and the thoughts that come in response change something inside, forcing you to rethink important aspects of your everyday life, the lives and destinies of those who are close or far away. There comes an understanding that it is not the distance that is important, but what unites us.

Initially, it was believed that the war was fought between Georgian troops and Ossetian separatists, the rear of which was strengthened by “Russian peacekeeping forces”. But already on August 8, 2008, after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin condemned Georgia’s “aggressive actions” and indicated that these actions should not be left unanswered, Russia officially joined the war and announced the introduction of its own military units into the region , and openly bombed both the territories of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone and other neutral territories of Georgia, which, in fact, had nothing to do with the Tskhinvali region. On August 9, Russia, together with Abkhazia, opened a second front to “defend South Ossetia,” attacked the Kodori Gorge, then entered Western Georgia and settled in other territories of the country. Despite repeated proposals from the Georgian side, a ceasefire agreement was reached only through the mediation of President Nicolas Sarkozy and other European countries on August 12. The agreement was signed in Tbilisi on August 15, and in Moscow on August 16. On August 12, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev already ordered a ceasefire, but the bombing and chaos that the Russian military caused on Georgian territory did not stop until the end of August 2008. Only a few days later, after the signing of the agreement, Russia began to withdraw its troops from the territory of Samegrelo and Shida Kartli, and created the so-called. buffer zones in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but left observation posts in Poti, Senaki and Perevi. ...As a result of the Russian-Georgian war, 188 civilians died. 168 military personnel, 16 police officers, 3 journalists... ...As a result of hostilities, 1,747 citizens were wounded, among them 973 military personnel, 547 civilians and 227 police officers... ...10 military and 14 police officers are considered missing... On August 26, Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia, etc. .n. South Ossetia. And the start of the war was preceded by provocations from the Ossetian side...

August 1, 2008 At dawn, in the Tskhinvali region, on the Eredvi-Kheiti bypass route, an intense firefight broke out between units of the Georgian armed forces and the armed forces of the separatist South Ossetia. 6 people were killed and 21 were injured.

August 2, 2008 Throughout the night, Ossetian separatists shelled Georgian villages. There are victims. The Georgian authorities call on the South Ossetian side to immediately cease fire. Against this background, the separatist authorities began withdrawing from Tskhinvali

region to North Ossetia women and children. Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temur Yakobashvili met with the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces, Marat Kulakhmetov. Yakobashvili demanded a meeting with the leaders of the Ossetian separatist regime, but the Ossetian side refused the meeting.

August 3, 2008 Russian authorities have given permission for people from South Ossetia to enter the country. On the same day and 20 buses with refugees left the region. Georgia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry congratulated Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II on Angel's Day. The congratulatory letter was delivered to the Patriarch of All Georgia by the Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko. A rally was held in Vladikavkaz in support of the so-called. South Ossetia. At this time, Abkhaz separatists decide to stop teaching children in the Georgian language in the Gali region of Abkhazia.

August 4, 2008 Five battalions of the 58th Russian Army are located near the Rokka tunnel from North Ossetia. The Abkhaz side refused to participate in the meeting with the group of countries friends of the UN. The meeting was supposed to take place on August 15 in Berlin. For his part, the leader of the Ossetian separatists Eduard Kokoity stated that he “ will not start negotiations with Georgia without Russia.” T.N. Minister of Internal Affairs of the separatist regime Mikhail Mindzaev stated that Tskhinvali is ready to open fire. The position of the Georgian side was voiced by State Minister Temur Yakobashvili, who stated that “Georgia does not intend to get involved in hostilities” and again called on the Tskhinvali regime for negotiations. However, this proposal again remained unanswered. The Russian battalion located in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict has been transferred to full combat readiness. Kokoity said from Tskhinvali that South Ossetia is ready to destroy Georgia. At the same time, in Vladikavkaz Cossacks declared their readiness to come to the aid of South Ossetia. The ataman of the Cossacks, Viktor Vodolatsky, sent an appeal to Kokoity, in which he indicated that the Cossacks were in full readiness for battle.

August 5, 2008 Ossetian s Separatists continue shelling Georgian villages. In turn, on the morning of August 5 the Abkhaz side announced its readiness to open a second front.. Volunteers are sent from the southern part of Russia to Tskhinvali. The foreign ministries of various states are calling on Georgia and the so-called. South Ossetia to resolve the conflict peacefully. The OSCE issued a statement blaming the separatists for aggravating the situation. Information has spread that on August 7, Temur Yakobashvili will go to Tskhinvali for negotiations.

August 6, 2008 Shelling of Georgian villages continues. According to Georgia, the Georgian side lost an armored personnel carrier, as a result of which three Georgian peacekeepers were wounded. On the same day, as a result of the shootings, 4 people were killed, after which the Georgian side resumed return fire. British Ambassador Denis Keefe went to Tskhinvali and held negotiations with Eduard Kokoity. Residents are starting to leave Tskhinvali. The Georgian side deployed tanks and artillery to the administrative border. The villages of Nuli and Avnevi were shelled by separatist militias. There are victims. The Russian Foreign Ministry held an emergency meeting, as a result of which on the night of August 6, Yuri Popov was sent to Tbilisi “to familiarize himself with the situation.” Popov said that the meeting between Yakobashvili and Chochiev will be held with the assistance of the Russian side. On the same day, Popov said that “Russia will not stand aside in the event of violent developments in the Tskhinvali region.” The Ossetian side postponed the meeting with the Georgian side scheduled for August 7 to August 9

August 7, 2008 Shelling of Georgian villages takes on more acute forms. On the morning of July 7, there was a continuous bombing of the Georgian villages of Eredvi, Prisi, Dvani and Nuli, located in the Pron Gorge. The Georgian side does not return fire. However, after the separatists opened fire from large-caliber 12 mm weapons, the Georgian side returned fire. The Georgian side once again stated that “it does not intend to introduce emergency measures in the conflict zone and is ready for dialogue.” The President of Georgia made an emergency appeal and stated that the Georgian side is ready for maximum restraint. The Georgian Foreign Ministry called on Russia to influence the separatists so that they stop bombing civilians. At the same time, Bagapsh convened an emergency closed meeting of the so-called. Security Council of Abkhazia. Yuri Popov and Temur Yakobashvili were unable to reach an agreement to hold negotiations in Tskhinvali. After the meeting, Yakobashvili headed to the conflict zone. Yuri Popov also went to the conflict zone to meet with Kokoity and the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces, Marat Kulakhmetov. Shelling of Georgian posts and civilians continues. Shelling of the small Liakhvi Gorge is ongoing continuously. The separatists tried to occupy the Sarabuk Heights to no avail. Yakobashvili met with Marat Kulakhmetov at the peacekeepers' headquarters in Tskhinvali and returned to Tbilisi. Details of the meeting were not disclosed. On August 7, according to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, 1 person died 0 military personnel. By the end of the day, the President of Georgia announced a ceasefire on the Georgian side. “In the conflict zone there is a sniper war against village residents. At this moment, there is intense fire from artillery, tanks, and other artillery systems that are illegally located in the conflict zone,” Mikheil Saakashvili said during a live television address at 19:30. He called on the parties to negotiate “in any format” and stated that the condition that South Ossetia receive full autonomy remains in force. In addition, he declared an amnesty for the separatists, and also called on the international community to mediate in negotiations between the parties. Live, Saakashvili once again invited the Russian Federation to play the role of mediator in the conflict. The Ossetian side interrupted the fire. In the evening of the same day, Yuri Popov announced that a meeting between Temur Yakobashvili and Boris Chochiev would take place on August 8. After this, Marat Kulakhmetov said that Tbilisi and Tskhinvali agreed on a ceasefire before holding a bilateral meeting. Saakashvili begins telephone conversations with leaders of other states. In the evening, the Ossetian side violated the ceasefire agreement. The attack on the village of Tamarasheni began. There are victims. At 23:30, the Georgian side launched a retaliatory military operation, which, according to Kulakhmetov, aimed at “establishing constitutional order” in the region. Before the start of hostilities by the Georgian side, the 58th army and military equipment entered the territory of the Tskhinvali region through the Roki tunnel. The Russian side began to introduce tanks

August 8, 2008 The Ossetian side does not cease fire. There are civilian casualties. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was at the opening of the Olympics in Beijing, condemned “aggressive actions” of Georgia, and stated that Russia will not leave these actions unanswered. At 09:30, President Medvedev held an urgent meeting with members of the Russian government regarding the action plan in the conflict zone. Military equipment and armed persons from Russia are located on the territory of Georgia. The Georgian government calls on the separatists to stop hostilities and sit down at the negotiating table. At 11:40, by order of Saakashvili, the mobilization of Georgia's reserve armed forces began. Government of Georgia: “Due to the current situation, for the safety of the civilian population and to stop the attack, Georgian authorities are forced to take adequate measures» Georgian units took up positions in the villages of Muguti and Didmukha. Georgian units occupied Dmenisi. Georgian units are on the outskirts of Tskhinvali. First statement from Washington: US State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said that Washington calls on “Russia to influence the separatists so that they cease fire.” Intense fighting is taking place near the village of Tkviavi. Despite the extremely aggravated situation, the Georgian side once again declares its readiness for negotiations. Georgian troops control eight villages in the conflict zone - Dmenisi, Muguti, Didmukha, Sarabuki, Upper Nikozi, Atotsi and Upper and Lower Okana. In fact, Georgian flags fly on all strategic approaches to Tskhinvali. Georgian units entered Tskhinvali. At this time, Kokoity and his entourage are at the emergency headquarters in the Dzhava region. Russian aircraft begin to bomb Georgian cities. The Georgian Embassy in Russia was cordoned off by the so-called. Riot police. The embassy continues to work. The Georgian armed forces were able to push back the troops of the Russian 58th Army, which attempted to advance into the Java region. 10 mercenary militants surrendered to Georgian troops. The Georgian side controls 70% of the region. The Georgian side announces a moratorium on the shooting from 15:00 to 18:00 and offers the civilian, and not only the civilian population, a “peaceful corridor” for crossing to Gori and security guarantees. A Russian military aircraft dropped two bombs on a military base in Vaziani. Russian military aircraft dropped bombs on military airfields in Vaziani and Marneuli. Units of the 58th Russian Army are on the outskirts of Tskhinvali. The President of Georgia briefed world leaders on the current situation. The Parliament of Georgia has switched to emergency mode of operation. The Georgian side complies with the terms of the moratorium and does not open fire. The Russian Ministry of Transport has stopped air traffic with Georgia since 00:00. Russian aviation bombed the air base in Marneuli three times. There are victims. In fact, the presidents of all leading countries in the world and international organizations are making statements in support of Georgia and calling on Russia for a ceasefire. Russian military equipment is located in Jawi. They are trying to break through the encirclement of the Georgian armed forces. The Troika of the European Union is discussing the situation in Georgia.

August 9, 2008 Russian military aircraft dropped bombs on the military base in Senaki and the port of Poti. There are victims. 13 Georgian soldiers were killed. 10 injured. Two Russian attack aircraft dropped bombs on Georgian artillery near Gori. 5 people died when a bomb fell on a residential building in the city of Gori. Units of the 76th Airborne Division from Pskov enter Tskhinvali. According to the Georgian side, 10 Russian attack aircraft were shot down. At 11:10, the President of Georgia declared martial law in the country for a period of 15 days. The Georgian parliament supported the president's order with 90 votes. At 12:30 landed in Tskhinvali Russian parachute landing. At 13:41, according to Russian media, the Kodori Gorge was bombed. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekūnas travels to the Gori region together with the Georgian Foreign Minister . According to Vaitiekūnas, the extent of the destruction and casualties is shocking.. In connection with the current situation, the Voice of America is doubling its broadcasting to Georgia. The UN Security Council was unable to make a decision on the current situation. Again Poti was bombed. A decision was made to call up thousands of Georgian troops from Iraq. The Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia calls on the world community to provide assistance in a peaceful resolution of the situation in Georgia. Russian aviation is carrying out airstrikes on all villages of the Liakhvi Gorge. There are victims. The population of the gorge is asking for help. Representatives of various international missions come to Georgia. The Georgian Foreign Ministry states that Russian aggression is carried out under the guise of the so-called. “humanitarian assistance” and “peace enforcement operations”. US President George W. Bush calls on Russia to stop hostilities. The fighting in Tskhinvali is intensifying. Russian aircraft dropped bombs on the villages of Tsedisi and Bari in the Oni region. There are casualties and wounded. Heads of other states declare support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. According to the Ministry of Health, 55 people died. Among them are 15 civilians and 40 military personnel. Russia dropped bombs on the Georgian part of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. Representatives of the Red Cross cannot enter the conflict zone to provide assistance to the wounded. As a result of massive bombings from the Russian side, entry into Tskhinvali becomes dangerous. Russian aircraft dropped bombs on villages in Upper Abkhazia: Omarishi, Sakeni, Kvebchera and Chkhalta. The Georgian side attacked the Roki tunnel. On August 9, according to official information, Georgian forces controlled Tskhinvali and its environs.

August 10, 2008 at 6:20 o'clock Georgia demanded a ceasefire and invited Russia to negotiate. Russia confirmed that it accepts this proposal. French President Nicolas Sarkozy developed a plan to resolve the situation in South Ossetia and proposed it to the Russian side. Vladimir Putin interrupted his visit to the Olympics in Beijing and came to North Ossetia. From Vladikavkaz, Putin demanded the withdrawal of Georgian troops from Tskhinvali. Putin stated that Georgia's actions are criminal, and Russia's actions are completely logical. Georgian units are in complete control of the situation in Tskhinvali and adjacent strategic heights. Russian aviation and artillery begin mass shelling of Tskhinvali. Secretary of the Security Council of Georgia Alexander Lomaya, during an emergency briefing, confirmed that as a result of an unprecedented attack by Russian troops, the Georgian military retreated beyond Tskhinvali. The Georgian government called on the Abkhaz people not to succumb to Russian provocations. The French Foreign Minister brought Sarkozy's plan to stabilize the situation in South Ossetia to Tbilisi. Sergei Bagapsh announced general mobilization. The President of Georgia stated that the Russian naval fleet is located in Abkhazia. In the same day, Russian aircraft attacked Tbilisi International Airport. The Russian department called this message from the Georgian side “another disinformation.” At 22:00 Georgia agreed to the entry of Russian peacekeepers into Zugdidi. World leaders called on Russia to cease fire. In European countries, protests are taking place in front of Russian embassies. Russian aircraft again attacked Gori and its environs. By order of the President of Georgia, the armed forces ceased fire in the Tskhinvali region. Russian aviation strikes an aircraft plant in Tbilisi. According to official data, 94 people were killed, including 47 civilians and 47 military personnel. Leaders of world powers make statements in support of Georgia.

August 11, 2008 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said that Saakashvili “must leave.” The leader and top officials of world powers are coming to Tbilisi. Russian aviation again struck Upper Abkhazia. Artillery fire was opened. Russian aviation carried out strikes on the suburbs of Tbilisi. Russian forces occupied the Georgian military base in Senaki. According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Zugdidi police are also under the control of the Russian military. General Sergei Chaban from Abkhazia delivered an ultimatum to the Georgian side and demanded that they surrender their weapons. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed information about transfer of special forces "West" and "East" from Chechnya. Postal communication between Georgia and Russia has been interrupted. The Georgian side is waiting to no avail for a response from the Russian side regarding the creation of a humanitarian corridor. Bernard Kouchner arrived in Georgia. Arrests of Georgian citizens begin in Russia. Over the course of two days, 7 ethnic Georgians were killed in Moscow and 20 went missing. The President of Georgia and European diplomats are urgently taken out of Gori. Vladimir Putin said that Russia will take its mission to its logical conclusion. Russian aviation struck the village of Tkviavi. The village of Khurcha was occupied by Abkhaz and Russian units. Russian aircraft bomb the military base and airport of Senaki. The President of Georgia called on the population to gather “tomorrow, at 15:00 in front of the parliament building”

August 12, 2008 The Russian side is creating a 50-kilometer “buffer zone” around the port of Poti. The US President again calls on Russia to take steps to overcome the crisis. The heads of the G7 Foreign Ministries demand that Russia unconditionally cease fire. Russian occupation forces have launched a special operation in Upper Abkhazia. Russian aircraft bomb the village of Tortiza in the Gori region. The population of the Kodori Gorge has been completely withdrawn. Russian aviation struck an aviation radar on the Tbilisi Sea. Sergei Lavrov openly stated the need to change the Georgian authorities. The President of Russia announced the completion of the operation " to force Georgia to peace» The Georgian side did not receive official information from Russia about the ceasefire. Six people died as a result of the bombing of Gori. Russian troops destroyed the infrastructure of the military base in Senaki. Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II appealed to the Russian President to cease fire and begin peace negotiations. Russian military aircraft continue to bomb Georgian territories. The cities of Gori, Khashuri, Agara and Kaspi, as well as the Svaneti region, were bombed. The President of Georgia told the population who had gathered in front of parliament that Georgia was declaring Russian troops as occupation forces, and Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region as occupied territories. The Russian military occupied the peacekeepers' headquarters in Zugdidi and other administrative buildings. The presidents of France and Russia developed a 6-point plan to overcome the situation. Georgia filed a lawsuit in the Hague Court “Georgia v. Russia”. Georgia accused Russia of ethnic cleansing. Despite Medvedev's decision, Russian aircraft continue to bomb Georgian villages. The President of France came from Moscow to Tbilisi. The presidents of Estonia, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine, as well as the prime minister of Latvia, are in Georgia. According to the latest data, 175 people died. The NATO Secretary General stated that, despite the conflict, Georgia remains a candidate country for NATO membership. In a personal conversation with the President of France Vladimir Putin said he was going to “hang Saakashvili by the balls”».

August 13, 2008 a Three days of mourning have been declared in Georgia. Gori is controlled by Russian troops who are engaged in looting. The Russian occupiers left Poti. Russian troops blocked the road near Gori. Russia violated the ceasefire agreement and is bombing Gori again. Russian tanks that were heading towards Tbilisi turned away in Uplistsikhe. The Russian military is cracking down on civilians in Gori.

August 14, 2008 and the Russian occupiers left the Mestia region. There are 28 thousand refugees from the Tskhinvali region in Tbilisi.

August 15, 2008 Russian troops blocked the road bridge on the Tskhenistskali River. The Patriarch of Georgia entered Gori. Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tbilisi. The President of Georgia signed a ceasefire agreement. Russian helicopters dropped bombs on A Borjomi Nature Reserve and Tsemi.

August 16, 2008 Protests against Russia are taking place in many cities around the world. The Russian occupiers brought 50 tanks from Gali to Zugdidi. Russian troops still remain in Gori. Occupation forces mined and blew up the railway bridge in Kaspi. Dmitry Medvedev signed a ceasefire agreement. Russian helicopters dropped bombs in the Surami forest.

August 17, 2008 American Senator Biden arrived in Tbilisi. Angela Merkel arrived in Tbilisi. Medvedev promised Sarkozy that tomorrow he would begin to withdraw troops from Georgia.

August 18, 2008 Russian troops stormed the television tower in Gori and the service personnel were shot. Russian troops burned the patriots' camp in Ganmukhuri.

August 19, 2008 Senator Joe Biden asked Congress to allocate a billion dollars to Georgia. The date for the withdrawal of Russian occupation forces has again been postponed by one day. 215 people died. Injured - 1469 people. 70 soldiers are missing. Medvedev promised to withdraw troops on August 22 Occupiers blew up a military base in Osiauri.

On August 20, 2008, Russian occupiers occupied the village of Perevi, Sachkhere district. Russian helicopters dropped bombs in the Kiketi forest in the suburbs of Tbilisi.

On August 21, 2008, the President of Romania arrived in Georgia. Negotiations began on the exchange of prisoners. Human Rights Watch accused Russia of using prohibited weapons.

On August 22, 2008, Russian troops began to withdraw from Khashuri and Gori. According to preliminary information 500 hectares of unique forest areas were destroyed. Russia has placed 18 checkpoints on the Inguri.

August 23, 2008 Units of the occupation forces left the base in Senaki. Eduard Kokoity appealed to Russia with a request to recognize the independence of the so-called. South Ossetia.

August 24, 2008 Russian occupiers remain in the village of Perevi, Sachkhere district. In the village of Mandshi, Senaki region, the occupiers dug trenches.

August 25, 2008 and the Federation Council of the Russian Federation recommended Medvedev to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Russian Duma supported the idea of ​​recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. A new stage in the exchange of prisoners of war began in Gori.

August 26, 2008 Russian occupiers still remain in Perevi, on the Cross Pass. Two Russian checkpoints remain open in Senaki. Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree recognizing the independence of the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia called on other countries to follow its example. Medvedev did not take into account the call of the international community not to accept for consideration the recommendations of the Federation Council and the Russian Duma on the recognition of separatist regions as independent states.

Five-day war (8-12 August 2008)

The Russian special operation “to enforce peace in the area of ​​responsibility of the peacekeepers,” which was carried out on the territory of Georgia and the unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from August 8 to 12, 2008, went down in history under the name “Five-Day War.” This was the first military operation of the Russian Federation outside its own territory.

Further, the escalation only increased: one cannot fail to mention Russia’s role in the defeat of L. Chibirov in the 2001 presidential elections in South Ossetia, the accelerated passportization (issuance of Russian passports) of the population of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the introduction of troops and the construction of a military base in Java, and sabotage.

By 2006, the peace settlement was finally buried by the Russian Federation, even at the public level. “One cannot apply one set of rules to Kosovo and another to Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” the Russian President believed.

At the beginning of 2008, there was an increase in tension in the South Ossetian conflict zone, as well as in relations between Russia and Georgia. Russia is withdrawing from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, thereby removing the quota of flank restrictions on the deployment of offensive weapons in the North Caucasus Military District.

On March 6, 2008, it was announced that Russia had withdrawn from the ban on trade, economic and financial ties with Abkhazia; Moscow's decision was regarded by the Georgian Foreign Ministry as "encouraging separatism in the Abkhaz region and an open attempt to encroach on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia."

At the beginning of April 2008, the first units of the 7th Airborne Division of the Russian Armed Forces entered Abkhazia, positioned near the Georgian border.

On April 16, 2008, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Russian President V. Putin gave the government instructions on the basis of which Moscow would build special relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Starting from August 1, on the initiative of the Prime Minister of South Ossetia, Yuri Morozov, the residents of Tskhinvali were evacuated.

Since the beginning of August, the South Ossetian Ministry of Defense has reported about the concentration of Georgian troops near the border of the unrecognized republic.

In an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, an officer of the 135th motorized rifle regiment of the 58th Army of the North Caucasian Military District said: “On August 7, the command came to advance to Tskhinvali. They alerted us and set out on the march. We arrived, settled down, and already on August 8 there was a fire there.” . The newspaper later clarified that the date in question was August 8. Some Russian media also claimed that on August 7, the dispatch of a number of units of the 58th Army to South Ossetia began; a month later, the Georgian side began to announce this, publishing its intelligence information in September 2008. The Georgian side published recordings of the conversation, which it claims belong to South Ossetian border guards.

A number of evidence published in the media indicate the presence on the territory of South Ossetia before the official entry of Russian troops, in addition to the peacekeepers, of other Russian military units. In particular, this is confirmed by the death of contract soldier of the 22nd separate GRU special forces brigade Evgeniy Parfenov on the first day of the conflict on August 8 in Tskhinvali.

Izvestia newspaper correspondent Yuri Snegirev stated that in June-July, military exercises of the 58th Army took place in North Ossetia, and after their completion, the equipment did not go into the pits, but remained in front of the entrance to the Roki tunnel (on Russian territory). Yuri Snegirev said: “After the tunnel there was no equipment. I saw this myself. This can be confirmed by my other colleagues, who, after the shelling of Tskhinvali on August 2, began to visit South Ossetia every day.” .

The Kozaev brothers (one of them is an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Ossetia, the other is a hero of Abkhazia and South Ossetia) claimed that the President of South Ossetia E. Kokoity knew in advance about the upcoming military events and left Tskhinvali for Java in advance. However, according to Anatoly Barankevich, the President of South Ossetia left for Java only on August 8 at about two in the morning.

Points of view regarding responsibility for the start of the war

Georgia's position

According to the official version of the Georgian side, the start of hostilities was a reaction to South Ossetian provocations and the immediate threat of a Russian attack. Georgia allegedly had reliable information, obtained as a result of intercepting a telephone conversation, that on the morning of August 7, “the Russians had already passed through the Roki tunnel” and therefore invaded South Ossetia.

Russia's position

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the reasons for the entry of Russian troops into the conflict zone were Georgia’s aggression against the territories of South Ossetia not under its control and the consequences of this aggression: a humanitarian catastrophe, the exodus of 30 thousand refugees from the region, the death of Russian peacekeepers and many residents of South Ossetia. Lavrov qualified the actions of the Georgian army against civilians as genocide. He noted that the majority of the population of South Ossetia are citizens of Russia, and that “not a single country in the world would remain indifferent to the murder of its citizens and expulsion of them from their homes.” According to Lavrov, “Russia’s military response to the Georgian attack on Russian citizens and soldiers of the peacekeeping contingent was completely proportionate.”

Position of the Tagliavini Commission

On September 30, 2009, the official text of the report of the International Independent Commission of Inquiry into the conflict in the South Caucasus was distributed. The Commission worked under the auspices of the EU. The group of experts was led by Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini.

According to the Russian side, an international investigation found Georgia responsible for the war in the Caucasus in August 2008. The text of the report stated that Georgia, using heavy artillery, launched an attack on Tskhinvali on the night of August 8, 2008 and, accordingly, started the war. However, this attack, as noted in the text, was the result of long-term provocations in the conflict zone. Russia, according to the report's authors, was also responsible for numerous violations of international law.

Progress of hostilities

August 7

In the morning, information appeared in the Georgian media that the South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity had left the capital and was preparing to lead large-scale military operations from Java, where detachments of volunteers from Russia had already arrived.

On the afternoon of August 7, 2008, Secretary of the South Ossetian Security Council Anatoly Barankevich stated: “Numerous Georgian military formations are heading to the border (of South Ossetia). The village of Khetagurovo has been shelled from 152-mm guns for two hours. The village is on fire. 27 Grad installations are concentrated in the Gori area. The activity of Georgian troops is observed along the entire border with South Ossetia "All this suggests that Georgia is beginning large-scale aggression against our republic" .

In the afternoon, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered the Georgian military to unilaterally cease fire. Then an appeal from the Georgian leader was shown on TV, in which he agreed to negotiations in any format and invited Russia to become the guarantor of the broadest possible autonomy for South Ossetia within Georgia. At the same time, Saakashvili offered an amnesty to all members of the armed forces of the unrecognized republic. An agreement was reached between Georgia and South Ossetia for both sides to cease shelling - pending negotiations, which were decided to be held on August 8 at the peacekeepers' headquarters in Tskhinvali.

The commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, Marat Kulakhmetov, said that the parties ceased fire, however, according to the Georgian side, after Saakashvili’s statement, the fire on Georgian villages from South Ossetia sharply intensified. The Rustavi 2 television company reported about ten dead Georgian citizens.

The head of the analytical department of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Shota Utiashvili, reported that 10 people were killed and 50 were injured when Georgian villages were shelled in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict.

At 23.30 Georgian artillery opened heavy fire on Tskhinvali. The commander of the JPKF, Marat Kulakhmetov, announced the beginning of the war. The shelling began from the Georgian-controlled villages of Ergneti and Nikozi. The Georgian government stated that it was forced to abandon the previously announced unilateral moratorium on firing and return fire due to the ongoing shelling of Georgian villages by South Ossetian formations.

8 August

On the night of August 8 (about 00.15 Moscow time), Georgian troops subjected Tskhinvali to fire from Grad rocket launchers, and at about 03.30 Moscow time they began an assault on the city using tanks. The locations of Russian peacekeepers were also attacked. According to the Georgian authorities, the capital of South Ossetia has been surrounded. Georgian media reported that the Znauri region of South Ossetia had come under the control of Georgian troops. News agencies reported that Georgian troops occupied six villages in South Ossetia - Mugut, Didmukha, Dmenisi, Okona, Akots and Kokhat.

At 00.30 Moscow time on August 8, the commander of operations of the Georgian Armed Forces, General Mamuka Kurashvili, announced on the Rustavi-2 TV channel that, due to the Ossetian side’s refusal to engage in dialogue to stabilize the situation in the conflict zone, the Georgian side "decided to restore constitutional order in the conflict zone". Mamuka Kurashvili called on Russian peacekeepers stationed in the conflict zone not to interfere in the situation.

At 4 a.m., Russia demanded an emergency convening of a meeting of the UN Security Council and alerted units of the 58th Army of the North Caucasus Military District. The alarm was also declared in Abkhazia.

At 02.00 Moscow time, due to the sharp aggravation of the situation in South Ossetia, an emergency meeting of the Security Council of Abkhazia was held in Sukhum. As a result, it was decided to move a number of units of the Abkhaz army to the borders of the weapons limitation zone in the Ochamchira region of the republic.

By noon, three battalion tactical groups from the 429th and 503rd motorized rifle regiments of the 19th motorized rifle division and the 135th separate motorized rifle regiment of the 58th Army of the North Caucasus Military District entered South Ossetia through the Roki tunnel, which deployed into battle formations in Java and Gufta districts. Georgian planes tried to destroy a bridge near the village of Gufta in order to block the advance of Russian troops, but missed and hit residential buildings. Meanwhile, fighting took place all over Tskhinvali.

The 76th Pskov Airborne Division was transferred to the combat area.

In addition to the transfer of additional units to South Ossetia, Russia deployed airborne units and marines to Abkhazia.

Russian ships entered Georgian territorial waters and began combat patrols.

President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh decided to forcibly oust the Georgian Armed Forces from the upper part of the Kodori Gorge. There is a concentration of troops in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. According to the plenipotentiary representative of the President of Abkhazia in the Gali region bordering Georgia, Ruslan Kishmaria, Georgia is introducing additional military contingent and armored vehicles into the security zone. Units of the Abkhaz army are stationed at the borders of the peacekeepers' zone of responsibility.

In South Ossetia, Russian troops reached the administrative border with Georgia along almost its entire length, continuing to push the few remaining combat-ready Georgian units to the south.

Evidence and findings of war crimes during the conflict

Russia and South Ossetia on the one hand, and Georgia on the other hand, accuse each other of crimes and ethnic cleansing. Journalists, human rights activists and others have also alleged war crimes during the conflict.

In November 2008, the human rights organization Amnesty International published a report according to which:

• During the assault on Tskhinvali, the Georgian army carried out indiscriminate attacks, as a result of which dozens of South Ossetian civilians were killed and many were injured, as well as significant damage to infrastructure (public buildings, hospitals, schools);
• The main destruction of Tskhinvali was caused by the Grad multiple launch rocket systems used by the Georgian army, the missiles of which have low accuracy.
• During the conflict, Russian aviation carried out more than 75 air raids, most of which targeted the positions of the Georgian army. Villages and towns were hit by airstrikes, with damage “limited to a few streets and individual houses in some villages.”
• There is evidence that some Russian attacks on Georgian towns and roads have resulted in civilian injuries and deaths, with "perhaps no distinction being made between legitimate military targets and civilians." As the report writes, “if this is indeed the case, then such attacks qualify as indiscriminate attacks and constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.”
• As the report states, “according to eyewitnesses, the disciplined behavior of Russian military personnel differed sharply from the actions of Ossetian fighters and militia groups, who were seen in looting and robberies.” Georgians interviewed by Amnesty International noted that Russian military personnel "generally behaved decently towards Georgian civilians and showed proper discipline."
• South Ossetian units and paramilitary forces committed serious crimes against Georgians in South Ossetia and adjacent territories. Eyewitnesses reported unlawful killings, beatings, threats, arson and robbery carried out by armed groups on the South Ossetian side.

On January 23, 2009, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch released a report, Up in Flames, which concluded that Russian, Georgian and South Ossetian armed forces had committed numerous violations of humanitarian law resulting in the deaths of civilians; the authors of the report call on Moscow and Tbilisi to investigate the crimes and punish the perpetrators. The report accused the Georgian side of indiscriminate use of weapons during the shelling of Tskhinvali, neighboring villages and during the ensuing offensive, as well as beating detainees and looting. The South Ossetian side was accused of torture, murder, rape, robbery and ethnic cleansing. The Russian side was accused of robbery. HRW also stated that numerous accusations by the Russian side of the Georgian army of genocide and massacres were not confirmed during verification, and HRW did not receive answers to a request to the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office. According to the organization, individual facts of cruelty by the Georgian army, published in the Russian media, can be qualified as independent serious crimes, but not as an attempt at genocide.

Casualties during the conflict

South Ossetia

Official data

By the evening of August 8, preliminary data on casualties appeared: as the President of the Republic Eduard Kokoity stated in an interview with the Interfax news agency, over 1,400 people became victims of the attack by Georgian troops on South Ossetia. On the morning of August 9, the official representative of the South Ossetian government, Irina Gagloeva, reported 1,600 dead. On the evening of August 9, Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko said that at least 2,000 residents of Tskhinvali (about 3% of the population of South Ossetia) had died. On August 16, the Minister of Internal Affairs of South Ossetia, Mikhail Mindzaev, said that the final death toll was still unclear, but it was already clear that more than 2,100 people had died. Final official data were reported on August 20; According to Irina Gagloeva, in total, South Ossetia lost 1,492 people killed during the conflict. On September 17, the Prosecutor General of South Ossetia, Taimuraz Khugaev, said in an interview that 1,694 died in the war, including 32 military personnel and an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic.

At the same time, the South Ossetian prosecutor's office reported on August 20 that “as a result of the armed aggression of the Georgian army,” the deaths of 69 residents of South Ossetia, including three children, were “established and documented.” According to prosecutors, this list will grow because it does not include those killed in rural areas. On July 3, 2009, the head of the Investigative Committee under the Russian Prosecutor's Office (SKP), A. Bastrykin, stated that 162 civilians became victims of the conflict and 255 were injured. However, according to him, this is not final data.

Unofficial data

On September 4, 2008, the Public Commission for the Investigation of War Crimes in South Ossetia and Assistance to the Affected Civilian Population published a list of those killed, indicating their full name, age, cause of death and place of burial. As of August 8, 2012, the number of deaths on this list is 365 people. This list is not final and is updated as accurate information is established about persons whose fate has not been reliably established, or there is hope that the people are alive.

On November 10, 2008, the American magazine Business Week reported that, according to estimates by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), between 300 and 400 civilians in South Ossetia were killed as a result of the Georgian attack.

Russia

Official Russian data

On September 3, the chief military prosecutor of the Russian Federation, S. Fridinsky, published data according to which the losses of Russian military personnel amounted to 71 people killed and 340 wounded. The list of killed Russian military personnel by the Russian agency Regnum includes 72 people.

In February 2009, Deputy Minister of Defense General of the Army Nikolai Pankov stated that 64 servicemen were killed (according to the list of surnames), three were missing and 283 were injured. However, in August, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin reported 48 dead and 162 wounded. The reasons for this discrepancy in numbers are unknown.

Data from the Georgian side

According to Georgian data, Russia significantly underestimated its losses. Thus, on August 12, Georgian President Saakashvili stated that the Georgian Armed Forces destroyed 400 Russian soldiers.

The Georgian news agency Medianews disseminated information about losses among Russian military personnel and equipment, many times higher than the losses voiced by both the Russian side and Georgian officials: “As a result of the fighting in the Tskhinvali region, the Russian 58th Army lost 1,789 soldiers, 105 tanks, 81 combat vehicles, 45 armored personnel carriers, 10 Grad devices and five Smerch devices.

Georgia

Official data

• Ministry of Defense - 133 dead, 70 missing, 1,199 wounded;
• Ministry of Internal Affairs - 13 dead, 209 wounded;
• Civilians - 69 dead, 61 wounded.

On September 15, the data on losses was clarified: the deaths of 154 military personnel of the Ministry of Defense, 14 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and 188 civilians were reported; In addition, the bodies of 14 dead servicemen have not been found.

Georgia has officially published a list of killed civilians, indicating their first and last name, and locality. There are a total of 228 people on the list; opposite 62 names there is a sign that says “information is being verified.” A list of dead military and police officers has also been published: a total of 169 people. As new information becomes available, the lists are updated. This brings the total number of those killed according to official death tolls to 397, with 62 deaths not officially confirmed. Data on some of those killed cannot be cross-checked due to the lack of opportunity for Georgian officials to work in the territory controlled by the de facto authorities of South Ossetia and the Russian military.

Russian data

Journalists from the Russian newspaper Kommersant, who were in Tbilisi on August 11, quoted an unnamed Georgian army officer, according to whom his unit delivered almost 200 killed Georgian soldiers and officers from South Ossetia to the hospital in Gori alone.

Some Russian sources accused Georgia of significantly understating the losses suffered. According to the assumptions of Russian military experts, expressed in the Vesti news program on the Rossiya TV channel on August 15, the losses of the Georgian army could amount to 1.5-2 thousand people killed and up to 4 thousand wounded. On September 15, an unnamed Russian intelligence source stated that Georgia had lost about 3,000 security personnel during the war. Unconfirmed by independent sources, these reports remain mere speculation.

Diplomatic settlement

On August 12 at 12.46 pm, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that he had decided to complete the operation to force Georgia to peace.

After this, during the meeting of the EU Chairman, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, six principles for a peace settlement were agreed upon (the “Medvedev-Sarkozy Plan”):

• Refusal to use force.
• The final cessation of all hostilities.
• Free access to humanitarian aid.
• Return of the Georgian Armed Forces to their places of permanent deployment.
• The withdrawal of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the line preceding the start of hostilities.
• The beginning of an international discussion on the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and ways to ensure their lasting security.

According to N. Sarkozy, “a six-point text cannot answer all questions. It does not completely solve the problem.”

On August 16, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a plan for a peaceful settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. Prior to this, the document was signed by the leaders of the unrecognized states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as the President of Georgia M. Saakashvili. The signing of this document by the parties to the conflict finally marked the end of hostilities.

results

In the period from August 14 to August 16, 2008, the leaders of the states involved in hostilities signed a plan for the peaceful settlement of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict (“Medvedev-Sarkozy Plan”). However, the confrontation between the parties to the conflict did not end with the ceasefire, but acquired a political and diplomatic character, largely moving into the sphere of international relations.

According to the OSCE, which was expressed on August 9, 2008 by Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, who chairs the OSCE, Russia has ceased to be a mediator in the South Ossetian settlement and instead has become one of the participants in the conflict.

The immediate consequence of the conflict was Georgia's secession from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On August 12, Mikheil Saakashvili announced that Georgia was leaving the CIS; on August 14, this decision was approved by the Georgian parliament.

On August 26, 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the signing of decrees “On recognition of the Republic of Abkhazia” and “On recognition of the Republic of South Ossetia”, according to which the Russian Federation recognizes both republics “as a sovereign and independent state”, and undertakes to establish with each of these, diplomatic relations and conclude an agreement of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance.

In which it recognized the territorial integrity of Georgia. On March 31, 2014, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported that the state of Tuvalu had also canceled the decision to recognize the separatist republics.

Residents of Georgia and South Ossetia remember the victims of the “Five-Day War”

In South Ossetia and Georgia, mourning events are held annually in memory of the victims of the conflict. On August 7 and 8, 2017 in Georgia, the leaders of the opposition parties “United National Movement” and “European Georgia” laid wreaths at the graves of Georgian soldiers who died in combat in August 2008. In Tskhinvali, authorities and local residents took part in laying wreaths and flowers at the “Symbol of Sorrow” monument, and photographs of victims of the conflict were laid out and candles were lit on the steps of the republic’s parliament. Funeral rallies were also held in three South Ossetian villages.

International Criminal Court

For 10 years now, investigations into the conflict have been ongoing at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Both Georgia and the Russian Federation applied there.

On January 27, 2016, the ICC announced that it had authorized the prosecutor's office to begin an investigation into crimes that may have been committed during this conflict in and near the Tskhinvali region of Georgia from July 1 to October 10, 2008. The court concluded that there were “reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC had been committed.”

The ICC field (representative) office in Georgia was opened in 2018.

According to human rights activists who gathered in The Hague on April 12, 2018, investigators of the International Criminal Court for ten years have not achieved results in the investigation of the armed conflict in South Ossetia; much evidence has been lost during this time. Victims of the conflict remain in dire straits and have no faith in justice as Russia and South Ossetia refuse to cooperate with the investigation, human rights activists said.

Notes:

1. Russian-Georgian war and features of national memory // Information and analytical portal “Caucasus Online”, August 27, 2013
2. Putin: Same rules regarding Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia // Rosbalt news agency, September 13, 2006
3. Russia has exited the regime of ban on trade, economic and financial ties with Abkhazia // “Echo of Moscow”, 03/06/2008.
4. More than 2.5 thousand people left the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone // Korrespondent.net, 04.08.2008.
5. There is no place for this president in South Ossetia // Kommersant, 12/04/2008.
6. The Dictionary of Modern Geographical Names edited by Academician Kotlyakov and the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary recommends using “Tskhinvali” as the main one (“Tskhinvali” or “Tskhinvali” - linguists do not agree // RIA Novosti, August 20, 2008)
7. This is not a conflict, this is a war // Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 08.08.2008.
8. NYT: Georgia has found facts that Russia “started first.” The West is not convinced, but understands // NEWSru, 09/16/2008.
9. A contract soldier from Kazan died in South Ossetia // Komsomolskaya Pravda, 08/12/2008.
10. My name is Snegirev. Yuri Snegirev // Izvestia, November 20, 2008.
11. South Ossetia does not extradite its citizens to Russia // Kommersant, 01.09.2008.
12. Media: Russian troops entered South Ossetia even before the start of hostilities // NEWSru 09/11/2008.
13. Why Russia's actions in Georgia were correct. - S. Lavrov // InoSMI (The Financial Times), 08/13/2008.
14. Georgia has begun large-scale aggression, Tskhinvali declares // RIA Novosti, 08/07/2008.
15. Five-day war // Kommersant Power, 08/18/2008.
16. Georgia launched a tank attack on the southern outskirts of Tskhinvali // Lenta.ru, 08.08.2008.
17. Georgia “made a decision to restore constitutional order” in South Ossetia // LIGA.news, 08.08.2008.
18. Georgia presents new evidence of the beginning of the war // Foreign Media (The New York Times), 09/16/2008.
19. The Russian army will "force Georgia to peace." - NEWSru.UA, 08/09/2008
20. Throw to Gori. Colonel A.L. Krasov // Official blog of the site "For the Fatherland", 01/22/2010.
21. The Black Sea Fleet is regrouping off the coast of Abkhazia // Lenta.ru, 08/09/2008.
22. Chronicle of the war in South Ossetia: day four. - Lenta.Ru, 08/11/2008
23. A state of complete combativeness // Kommersant, 01/24/2009.
24. Kokoity stated that more than 1,400 people died in the republic // Interfax, 08.08.2008.
25. 1600 people were killed in Tskhinvali // Gazeta.ru, 08/09/2008.
26. Russian Ambassador to Georgia: at least two thousand people died in Tskhinvali // Interfax, 08/09/2008.
27. Ministry of Internal Affairs of South Ossetia: the death toll exceeds 2100 people // Gazeta.ru, 08/16/2008.
28. The losses of South Ossetia in the war with Georgia amounted to 1492 people // REGNUM, 08.20.2008.
29. Victims of Georgian aggression // Interfax, 08/17/2008.
30. List of dead citizens of South Ossetia on the website of the “Public Commission for the Investigation of War Crimes in South Ossetia and Assistance to the Affected Civilian Population” // Osetinfo.ru, 10.28.2008.
31. As of September 3, as a result of Georgian aggression, 71 Russian peacekeepers were killed and 340 were injured // Vedomosti, 09/03/2008.
32. List of peacekeepers killed in South Ossetia // REGNUM, 08/12/2008.
33. The conflict in South Ossetia has claimed the lives of 64 Russian soldiers. – Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation // Interfax, 02.21.2009.
34. The General Staff announced anti-Russian preparations for the Georgian army // Kommersant, 08/05/2009.
35. Georgia convinces itself of victory over Russia // Kommersant, 08/13/2008.
36. The 58th Army of the Russian Federation lost 1,789 soldiers during the events in the Tskhinvali region // Our Abkhazia, 09/08/2008.
37. Georgia claims 215 deaths as a result of military actions. Media: Russian peacekeepers are again in Poti // NEWSru, 08/19/2008.
38. Moscow counted almost 20 times more killed Georgian soldiers than Tbilisi // Polit.ru, 09/15/2008.
39. Official list of dead civilians in Georgia // Ministry of Health of Georgia.
40. Compilation of combat calculations // Kommersant, 08/11/2008.
41. About 3 thousand Georgian soldiers died in the war unleashed by Tbilisi // RIA Novosti, 09/15/2008.
42. Russia and France agreed on the principles of resolving the conflict in Georgia // Lenta.ru, 08/12/2008.
43. Sarkozy and Saakashvili approved six principles for resolving the conflict // Polit.ru, 08/13/2008.
44. Georgia accepted the settlement plan presented by Sarkozy // Korrespondent.net, 08/13/2008.
45. Kvirikashvili discussed the investigation into the 2008 war with the ICC prosecutor // NewsTbilisi.info, February 17, 2018
46. Georgia will provide the ICC with all the materials necessary for the investigation of the 2008 war // Information and analytical portal “Georgia Online”, February 18, 2017
47. The head of the Georgian government, during meetings in Munich, discussed the country’s defense capability and investment potential // Sputnik International News Agency, February 18, 2017

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