Russian Military Exercises Increase Georgian Tensions

Russian troops have been taking part in military exercises near the Georgian border, reports BBC News.

The BBC reports that the exercises are causing concern in Georgia, and due to end on the same day as President Obama arrives in Moscow for meetings with the Russian president.

The BBC correspondent in Moscow says that military experts have interpreted the activity as a message from Russia that the Caucasus remains under its influence.

Georgia became an independent state in 1991, but tensions between Russia and Georgia have been exacerbated in the post-Soviet Union years as US influence in Georgia increased.

Georgia's interest in joining both NATO and the EU has also been of concern to Moscow.

Georgian military action against separatist factions in the breakaway region of South Ossetia last summer prompted a Russian military response which pushed beyond the area of dispute and into Georgia.

Russia subsequently pulled back from much of the Georgian territory and officially recognized the independence of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia by late August 2008.

Earlier this month, South Ossetia held parliamentary elections which were deemed illegal by Georgia.

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Comments

[WindySailor]

Sarah Palin just heard about this, and cancelled a planned trip to Atlanta.

[grace14]

We were lied to, told Georgian did not attack first remember..­..Remember told S Ossita attacked first..wrong Georgian attacked first and in the night...2,000 men woman children people killed in their sleep in S. Ossita....... And like 911 they to did nothing wrong either.
Americans only ....told reverse by this government then the truth came out, Remember C. Powell on the 5 Sec.of State interview.­?........P­owell said: Georgian attacked first...then another question was going to be asked and Powell said":....go ask McCain those questions---whow.

..........­......Chin­a Leader was on Fareed Zar, asking Fareed Z why was America there in the First Place?.. China Leader replied..I know there is oil there and an election going on in America.( McCain Obama)....But why was America there in the first place? Still Georgians McCain? oil?

[biwee]

The little dustup in Georgia last summer was about the flow of natural resources
from the areas around the Caspian Sea. Bush and the Khazars lost.

[ModernTimes1]

Belligerently ignorant comment. Georgia didn't need Abkhazia or Ossetia for the oil line. Try thinking.

[oxi]

Yeah when NATO conducts war games not too long ago it is ignored but if those pesky Russians start war games, oh my gosh the world is coming to an end.

This proves yet another bias in the media.

Oil has a heavy price folks!

[LMPE]

I thought that we were done with the Caucasus.

When I went to Sochi back in April, everything seemed OK. Then again, I never went to the Georgian border.

[ModernTimes1]

Sochi? In April? Seems like a waste of time.

[TJCole]

Das Vadanya..!

[KCFreedom]

Yea! We need a war there, too! We just can't get enough of them.

Somehow, we will print enough money.

Seems like our straw man in Georgia needs to be nicer to his people and to Russia.

We should stay out of this one, too, but I know we won't. Just because we promised Gorbachev we wouldn't build bases in countries bordering Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed doesn't mean we'll keep our word. That all seems to be forgotten.

[Ergon]

What color was the Georgian revolution? Pink?

[oxi]

You mean the U.S. backed overthrowing of regimes like the Rose one in Georgia?

[LeeCalif]

Our CIA crucified a captive in prison.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22941.htm

[WasteNJ]

That is one of the shadiest looking sites ever.

[Ergon]

So are your shades :)

[BadgerinNJ]

Most people haven't got a clue about Georgia or the tricks of her government. Yet McCain made the in sane statement, "We are all Georgians." It's funny (in general) how many Americans still take their government's word on who's the good guy and who's the bad guy.

[PWM]

From the post "Georgian military action against separatist factions in the breakaway region of South Ossetia last summer prompted a Russian military response which pushed beyond the area of dispute and into Georgia."

Geogia had no problem breaking away from the Soviet Union but now believes it cannot be further divided. If they don't want a whipping again from Russia then Georgia better not persecute its minorities so brutally.

[WasteNJ]

Your perspective is appreciated.

[Liberal2]

One piece of your "confusion" is thinking that the "Soviet Union was a single country. It wasn't. As the name explains, it was a union of theoretically independent nations.When the "union" ended, the nations were (again) theoretically free to go their own way. What Russia demands of former vassal states is apparently beyond your intellectual or moral grasp.

As for those "minorities," those are Russians forced to move to Georgia by Soviet leaders to maintain control over vassal states. Georgia did not welcome these "minorities" nor did the "minorities" wish to move there.

And these "minorities" wanted to become part of Russia again. The easiest solution was for them to move to Russia but, oh no, they wanted the land too.