Russo-Georgian War

2008 Russian invasion of Georgia

The 2008 South Ossetia war was a military conflict that started on 8 August 2008, between Georgia, South Ossetian (and Abkhazian) secessionists and Russia.

2008 South Ossetia war
Part of Georgian–Ossetian conflict
and Georgian–Abkhazian conflict

Location of Georgia (including Abkhazia and South Ossetia) and the Russian part of North Caucasus
Date7 August 2008 – 16 August 2008[5]
Location
Result

Russian/South Ossetian/Abkhazian victory

Territorial
changes
Georgia loses control over parts of Abkhazia (25%) and former South Ossetia AO (40%) it previously held.
Belligerents
Georgia (country) Georgia
Supported By:
 Armenia [1][2]
 Azerbaijan [3][4]
Commanders and leaders
Strength

Georgia (country) In South Ossetia: 10,000–12,000 soldiers. Total: 18,000 soldiers, 10,000 reservists.[20]
2,000 soldiers in Iraq at that time,[21] returned short for the end of the conflict

810 Special Police Forces officers.[22]
Russia In South Ossetia:
10,000 soldiers.
In Abkhazia:
9,000 soldiers.[23][24][25]
South Ossetia 2,900 regular soldiers.[26]
Abkhazia 5,000 regular soldiers.[27]
Casualties and losses

Georgia (country) Georgia:
Military[28][29]
162 killed, 947 wounded, 8 missing, 42 captured[30][31]

Police[29]
11 killed, 3 missing, 227 wounded

Russia Russia:
64 killed, 283 wounded, 3 missing, 12 captured[32][33]
South Ossetia South Ossetia:
150 killed[24] (including volunteers), unknown number of wounded, 41 captured[30]
Abkhazia Abkhazia:

1 killed, 2 wounded[34]
Civilian casualties:

Refugees:
  • At least 158,000 civilians displaced[39] (including 30,000 South Ossetians that moved to North Ossetia, Russia; and 56,000 Georgians from Gori, Georgia and 15,000 Georgians from South Ossetia per UNHCR that moved to uncontested Georgia).[40][41]
  • Estimate by Georgian Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs: at least 230,000.[42][43][44]

South Ossetia and Abkhazia are territories within Georgia that declared independence from Georgia and have been acting in a de facto independent capacity since the early 1990s. Neither state has been diplomatically recognised by any member of the United Nations. The conflict began on August 8, 2008, after Georgia claimed South Ossetian separatists had broken a ceasefire by attacking villages, although South Ossetian officials deny that they attacked villages. Georgia launched a military offensive to surround and capture the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali.[45]

Russian military troops entered the war at the side of South Ossetia and won the conflict. Georgia launched the Georgia versus Russia (Hague court application, 2008) in the International Court of Justice.[46]

The war ended on Saturday August 16th, 2008.

References change

  1. "Armenian Leaders 'Felt Offended By Tbilisi' During 2008 War". Azatutyun. 2010-12-10.
  2. "Armenia: Georgian Refugees Set to Return". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 2008-10-31.
  3. "2008 წლის მოვლენებში აზერბაიჯანის როლი არ არის საკმარისად დაფასებული. ჩვენმა მოძმე მეზობელმა აგვიწყო საწვავის მომარაგების ინფრასტრუქტურა და ფინანსების მიღების გზები - მიხეილ სააკაშვილი". Mtavari.Tv. 2008-08-08.
  4. "„მინდა პირადად დიდი მადლობა ვუთხრა ილჰამ ალიევს და აზერბაიჯანელ ხალხს" – სააკაშვილი". 2023-08-08. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |newapaper= ignored (help)
  5. President of Russia Dimitry Medvedev signed a plan to resolve the Georgian–South Ossetian conflict, based on the six principles previously agreed on, kremlin.ru. Accessed 2009-08-16. 2009-08-21.
  6. "Statement by President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev". Russia's President web site. 2008-08-26. Archived from the original on 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
  7. "El Presidente de la República Nicaragua Decreto No. 47-2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  8. Tavernise, Sabrina; Siegel, Matt (2008-08-16). "Looting and 'ethnic cleansing' in South Ossetia as soldiers look on". Melbourne: Theage.com.au. Archived from the original on 2009-08-17. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  9. Hider, James (2008-08-28). "Russian-backed paramilitaries 'ethnically cleansing villages'". London: Times Online. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  10. "World Report 2009 Book" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  11. 00:49. "RIA Novosti — World — S. Ossetia says Georgian refugees unable to return to region". En.rian.ru. Retrieved 2009-05-10. {{cite web}}: |author= has numeric name (help)
  12. 12.0 12.1 View all comments that have been posted about this article. (2008-08-16). "A Two-Sided Descent Into Full-Scale War". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  13. "Senior MoD Official Testifies Before War Commission". Civil.Ge. 2001-07-01. Archived from the original on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  14. Solovyov, Dmitry (2008-08-09). "Russian general wounded in Georgia's rebel region". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  15. Bahrampour, Tara (2008-08-14). "A Convoy Heads for Gori to Investigate Rumors of Plunder". The Washington Post. p. A10. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  16. (in Russian) Кулахметов, Марат. Lenta.ru Lentapedia, 2006.
  17. (in Russian) Генерал-майор Кулахметов Марат Минюрович Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine. Министерство обороны Российской Федерации, 2007.
  18. "Войсками Южной Осетии командует бывший пермский военком генерал-майор Василий Лунев / 11.08.08 / Новый Регион – Пермь". NR2.Ru. 2009-04-07. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  19. "Гюижеб, Юмюрнкхи". Lenta.ru. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  20. Liklikadze, Koba. "Lessons And Losses Of Georgia'S Five-Day War With Russia - The Jamestown Foundation". Jamestown.org. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  21. "Full scale war: Georgia fighting continues over South Ossetia - Nachrichten English-News - Welt Online". Die Welt (in German). Welt.de. 2008-08-09. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  22. "Georgiaupdate.gov.ge". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  23. "The Chronicle of a Caucasian Tragedy". Der Spiegel. Spiegel.de. 25 August 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  24. 24.0 24.1 Barabanov, Mikhail (2008-09-12). "The August War between Russia and Georgia". Moscow Defense Brief. 3 (13). Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. Archived from the original on 2011-12-24. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  25. Russia's rapid reaction Archived 2008-10-21 at the Wayback Machine International Institute for Strategic Studies
  26. Krasnogir, Sergey (8 August 2008). "Расстановка сил" (in Russian). Lenta.Ru. Archived from the original on 9 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
  27. "Милитаризм по-кавказски", Nezavisimaya Gazeta
  28. List of killed and missing Georgian Military Servicemen, Ministry of Defence of Georgia, 14 February 2009
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia - Consequences of Russian aggression in Georgia". Archived from the original on 2014-08-02. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  30. 30.0 30.1 Civil.Ge | Official Interim Report on Number of Casualties
  31. "12 Georgian soldiers exchanged for convicted criminal". The Messenger. 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  32. "Russia lost 64 troops in Georgia war, 283 wounded". Uk.reuters.com. 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  33. "Georgia holds 12 Russian servicemen captive - RT Top Stories". Rt.com. 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2010-06-22.[permanent dead link]
  34. (in Spanish) Rusia interviene en el Cáucaso para quedarse y controlar su espacio vital, El Pais, 2008-08-17
  35. Conclusion of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Prosecutor's Office Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine, 3 July 2009
  36. "Deceased victims list". Ossetia-war.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  37. List of killed South Ossetian citizens as of 04.09.08 Archived 2008-09-05 at the Wayback Machine, Список погибших граждан Южной Осетии на 04.09.08, 4 September 2008 (in Russian); Russia scales down Georgia toll, BBC News, 20 August 2008; Russia says some 18,000 refugees return to S. Ossetia, RIA Novosti 21 August 2008. Accessed 2009-05-28. Archived 2009-05-28.
  38. "Saakashvili: Russian 'rampage'". YouTube. 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  39. "Russia trains its missiles on Tbilisi". The Australian. 2008-08-19. Archived from the original on 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  40. UNHCR secures safe passage for Georgians fearing further fighting, UNHCR, 15 August 2008
  41. (in Polish) 100 tys. przemieszczonych z powodu konfliktu w Gruzji[permanent dead link], Polska Agencja Prasowa, 12.08.2008
  42. Fawkes, Helen (2008-08-20). "Despair among Georgia's displaced". BBC News.
  43. "Human Rights Watch Counts South Ossetian Casualties, Displaced". Deutsche Welle. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  44. Roots of Georgia-Russia clash run deep, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 August 2008
  45. "The goals behind Moscow's Proxy Offensive in South Ossetia". Archived from the original on 2008-08-09. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  46. "Georgia versus Russia: Hague court application, 2008". Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2008-08-20.

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