Russia Goes To War...

[Lounge Daddy]

[indent][url="http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL768040420080808"]Russia sends forces into Georgian rebel conflict[/url]

Russia sent forces into Georgia on Friday to repel a Georgian assault on the breakaway South Ossetia region and Georgia's pro-Western president said the two countries were at war.

South Ossetia's rebel leader Eduard Kokoity said there were "hundreds of dead civilians" in the main town Tskhinvali, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

A senior Russian military commander said parts of Russia's 58th army were approaching the rebel capital, where fighting raged between Russian-backed separatists and Georgian forces sent in on Friday to seize it.

A senior Georgian security official said Russian jets had bombed the Vaziani military airbase outside the Georgian capital Tbilisi, and President Mikheil Saakashvili said 150 Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles had entered South Ossetia from neighboring Russia.

"Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory," Saakashvili told CNN, calling on Washington to help.



[url="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4486208.ece"]Georgia says Russian tanks mean 'war' in South Ossetia[/url]
Russia sent troops and dozens of tanks into the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia today, throwing the two former Soviet neighbours into a sudden yet undeclared state of war.

In the most serious regional crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, at least 50 tanks – and possibly many more – rumbled through the Roki tunnel, which cuts through the Caucasus mountains separating South Ossetia from the Russian province of North Ossetia.

"One hundred and fifty Russian tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles have entered South Ossetia,” President Saakashvili of Georgia told reporters in Tbilisi. “This is a clear intrusion on another country’s territory. We have Russian tanks on our territory, jets on our territory in broad daylight."

Mr Saakashvili added that Georgian forces had downed two Russian jet fighters over Georgian territory.

Georgia mobilised its reservists yesterday and launched a military offensive to regain control over South Ossetia, which broke away from Georgia after it gained independence. [/indent]

[Justin86]

Sounds like a heavily disputed situation. Must have been why the Russians felt the US wouldn't get involved if they went in. I still don't really like the idea of Putin acquiring more power. I hope the Georgians win.

[CatherineM]

My geographer husband isn't home right now to ask, but I'm guessing that Georgia has oil?

[Justin86]

Yes it does. This probably has more to do with the Caspian Pipeline then anything else.

[Madame Vengier]

This is horrible, horrible, horrible. Don't know what to say.

[Winchester]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1621336' date='Aug 8 2008, 12:37 PM']My geographer husband isn't home right now to ask, but I'm guessing that Georgia has oil?[/quote]
And Kudzu. But we still need to defend Georgia. If they'd invaded Maryland, I'd be all right with that.

[Justin86]

The Russians can have California in my opinion.

[Winchester]

I think giving them two states is bad. I say we just take California back from the Austro-Mexican alliance.

Haha, kidding!

And Utah back from the ULDS

JK

[Justin86]

I say we give Vermont back to Canada.

[Winchester]

And Hawaii back to the blue thing from space. Or Elvis.

[Justin86]

What about Putero Rico?

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='Winchester' post='1621693' date='Aug 8 2008, 02:29 PM']And Kudzu. But we still need to defend Georgia. If they'd invaded Maryland, I'd be all right with that.[/quote]


Not MD!! That was our first Catholic state. We cannot have anyone invading Mary Land, dude.

[Winchester]

[quote name='Justin86' post='1621725' date='Aug 8 2008, 03:49 PM']What about Putero Rico?[/quote]
Isn't that in Mexico?

[Winchester]

[quote name='Madame Vengier' post='1621726' date='Aug 8 2008, 03:50 PM']Not MD!! That was our first Catholic state. We cannot have anyone invading Mary Land, dude.[/quote]
That's a common misconception. It was actually named by colonial football coaches. When you didn't do good during practice or a game, you were sent to Mary-land and you had to wear a dress.

Eventually, the original exiles from there moved west.

To San Francisco.

[Apotheoun]

Russia used to have outposts in California (e.g., Fort Ross).