Filed under: Abkhazia, airstrikes, bulgaria, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, human rights, Military, military strike, moscow, NATO, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, romania, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, ukraine, Uncategorized, War Crimes, war games, WW3, ww4
NATO Black Sea fleet build up coordinated in advance to coincide with Georgian attack on South Ossetia
DTN
August 29, 2008
The source also told RIA Novosti that the operation was coordinated with NATO’s plans to strengthen its naval presence in the Black Sea.
“The statements of some NATO representatives that the maneuvers of the alliance’s ships in the Black Sea were planned a year ago are evidence that attacks on South Ossetia and Abkhazia were planned earlier, maybe even last year,” the source said.
A NATO representative earlier said that the three-week deployment – which includes stops at Romanian and Bulgarian ports – was planned at least a year ago, well before the conflict in Georgia.
Already under strain due to NATO’s courting of Ukraine and Georgia, and over U.S. missile defense plans in Eastern Europe, relations between the alliance and Russia have frayed badly since Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia and Russia’s subsequent military operation.
In the opinion of the source, NATO’s buildup of naval force in the Black Sea under the cover of providing humanitarian aid to Georgia, sets a dangerous precedent and may sharply destabilize the situation in the region.
Speaking Friday at RIA Novosti news conference, the deputy chief of the Russian military’s general staff expressed doubts whether it is necessary to have NATO vessels in the Black Sea delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia.
“Now that the conflict [with South Ossetia] is exhausted, there are NATO vessels [in the Black Sea]. What for and with what aim?” Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said.
He also said Russia would reply swiftly to all provocations against its Black Sea Fleet.
A seperate Item quotes NATO’s web site.
It also said that, in accordance with the Montreux Convention, the ships would leave within 21 days of their arrival.
Filed under: Abkhazia, airstrikes, Department of Defense, DoD, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, human rights, Military, military strike, moscow, NATO, navy, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Turkey, ukraine, War Crimes, war games, WW3, ww4 | Tags: moskva, Poti to Batumi, RS12M, russian troops, Topol missile, US Coast Guard cutter Dallas, USS McFaul, USS Mount Whitney, warship
Russia Cruiser To Test Weapons In Crowded Black Sea
August 26, 2008
Russia’s flagship cruiser has re-entered the Black Sea for weapons tests hours after the Russian military complained about the presence of US and other Nato naval ships near the Georgian coast.
The ’Moskva’ had led a battle group of Russian naval vessels stationed off the coastline of Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia during Russia’s recent conflict with Georgia and sank smaller Georgian craft.
The assistant to the Russian Navy’s commander-in-chief told Russian news agencies the cruiser had put to sea again two days after returning to its base at the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.
“’Moskva’ has today departed toward the Black Sea Fleet’s naval training range to check its radio-controlled weapons and onboard communications systems,” Captain Igor Dygalo was quoted as saying by Interfax.
The Russian navy’s press office was unable to confirm his comments when contacted by Reuters.
The presence of so many ships from Nato countries earlier drew the ire of a Russian military spokesman during a daily media briefing on the conflict.
“The fact that there are nine Western warships in the Black Sea cannot but be a cause for concern. They include two US warships, one each from Spain and Poland, and four from Turkey,” Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of the Russian military’s General Staff said.
On Sunday, the US guided missile destroyer USS McFaul arrived with aid including camp beds, bedding, tents and mobile kitchen units, the US Defence Department spokesman Bryan. Whitman said.
Separately, the US Coast Guard cutter Dallas has been dispatched with aid, while a third vessel, the Navy command ship USS Mount Whitney, is being loaded in Italy with humanitarian supplies for Georgia, he said.
The Nato ships in the Black Sea are carrying more than 100 ’Tomahawk’ cruise missiles, with more than 50 onboard the USS McFaul alone that could hit ground targets, reported RIA news agency, quoting unnamed sources in Russian military intelligence.
Russia test-fires Topol missile
Pravda
August 28, 2008
Russia’s strategic and space troops successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile Topol (RS12M). The missile is designed to avoid detection by anti-missile defense systems. The launch was performed at 2:36 p.m. Moscow time from Plesetsk space port, RIA Novosti reports.
The missile successfully covered the distance of almost 6,000 kilometers and hit a hypothetical target on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
“The missile warhead accurately hit the hypothetical target, having thereby exercised its ability to strike pinpoint targets,” a senior spokesman for Russia’s strategic missile troops, Alexander Vovk said in a statement.
Russia previously tested the Topol (RS12M) ballistic missile on December 8, 2007.
The development of the Topol missile complex started in 1977, the first tests were carried out in 1983. The complex is capable of hitting targets at a distance of over 10,000 kilometers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/27/georgia.russia1
US aid warships redirected from Russian-controlled Poti to Batumi
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5537
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5541
Putin Talks Of Black Sea Confrontation
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4622422.ece
Russia’s Warships Arrived in Abkhazia
http://www.kommersant.com/p-13138/Abkhazia_warship/
Filed under: airstrikes, Dick Cheney, Dmitry Medvedev, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, italy, Medvedev, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Saber Rattling, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, ukraine, War Crimes, White House, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Tony Fratto
Cheney travels to Georgia, Ukraine next week
AFP
August 25, 2008
US Vice President Dick Cheney will visit Georgia next week in a show of support for the war-battered US ally amid a deepening freeze in Russian ties with the West, the White House said Monday.
Cheney will become the most senior US official to visit the former Soviet republic since Russian tanks rolled into its smaller neighbor when Tbilisi tried to retake the Moscow-backed rebel region of South Ossetia by force.
The vice president, who warned early in the crisis that “Russian aggression must not go unanswered,” will also visit Azebaijan, Ukraine and attend an economic forum in Italy, the White House said.
Bush to issue statement on Russia-Georgia situation
Reuters
August 26, 2008
President George W. Bush on Tuesday will issue a statement on Russia’s recognition of breakaway Georgia regions, which the White House called an “unfortunate decision.”
Russia has been making a number of “irrational decisions” related to the conflict, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said in Texas where Bush is at his Crawford ranch.
“So far we’ve seen a series of unfortunate decisions by the Russians that only serve to further isolate them. And we hope that they hear the loud voices from the international community and understand that it’s not in their long-term interests to take these kinds of actions,” Fratto said.
He called “ridiculous” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s accusation, in an interview with the BBC, that the United States was shipping arms to Georgia on naval vessels.
“I can assure you that these are purely humanitarian aid shipments that are going into Georgia and nothing else,” Fratto said.
Filed under: Abkhazia, airstrikes, Coup, Dick Cheney, Dmitry Medvedev, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, Medvedev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, ukraine, War Crimes, White House, WW3, ww4
Georgian President Vows to Overthrow South Ossetia and Abhkazia
NY Times
August 25, 2008
President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia said Sunday that he planned to rebuild his country’s shattered army, and that even after its decisive defeat in the war for control of one of Georgia’s two separatist enclaves he would continue to pursue a policy of uniting both under the Georgian flag.
“It will stay the same,” he said of his ambition to bring the enclaves, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, under Georgian control. “Now as ever.”
Both houses of Russia’s Parliament, meanwhile, voted unanimously Monday to ask President Dmitri A. Medvedev to recognize the enclaves’ independence. But the measure, which requires the president’s approval to take effect, was seen as symbolic.
Separately, the White House on Monday announced that Vice President Dick Cheney would visit the region from Sept. 2, stopping in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Italy to discuss the crisis.
Filed under: airstrikes, angela merkel, Britain, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, Germany, Medvedev, Military, military strike, missile defense, moscow, nation building, NATO, Nuke, occupation, poland, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, ukraine, United Kingdom, War Crimes, WW3, ww4 | Tags: european peacekeepers, missile shield, russian soldiers, soldiers
Merkel and Medvedev split over European peacekeepers
Russia Today
August 15, 2008
The leaders of Russia and Germany have clashed over the role of European peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Speaking after their meeting in Sochi, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said their presence was vital to maintain stability in the conflict zone. But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,
while not objecting to the principle, argued that the South Ossetians would not allow it.
Medvedev said: “Peace in the region should be re-established and guaranteed so that no idiotic ideas ever come to anyone’s head – that is the main task for the Russian Federation at the present moment.”
He added that the South Ossetian and Abkhazian sides had stated they would only trust Russian forces to secure peace in the region.
Merkel told the media she did not want to apportion blame, but explained she was not happy with Moscow’s actions.
“The reaction of Russia was disproportionate,” she said. “The presence of military forces on the Georgian territory was wrong. I believe we have to realise the plan of the six principles as soon as possible so that Russian troops can leave the territory of Georgia.”
Though Merkel reiterated the stance that Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected, Medvedev reminded her that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not planning to rejoin Georgia.
Medvedev to Merkel: U.S. Missile defense in Poland is aimed at Russia
Reuters
August 15, 2008
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a joint news conference following talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on the Russian-Georgian military conflict.
Following are key excerpts from the briefing:
ON GEORGIA/UKRAINE NATO MEMBERSHIP
MERKEL: “Georgia and Ukraine could be members of NATO, we have left the timing open and we have said they could be made members if they want this and that position remains”
ON RUSSIAN TROOPS WITHDRAWAL
MERKEL: “Some of Russia’s actions were not proportionate… Russian troops should withdraw from central areas in Georgia”
ON POLISH MISSILE SHIELD DEAL
MEDVEDEV: “This decision clearly demonstrates everything we have said recently. The deployment of new anti-missile forces in Europe has as its aim the Russian Federation.
The moment has been chosen well and therefore any fairy tales about deterring other states, fairy tales that with the help of this system, we will deter some sort of rogue states no longer work.
It is sad for Europe and for everyone living on this densely populated continent. But it is not dramatic. We will continue to work on this and we are ready to continue discussions with all participants. But it is clear this decision will not create any sort of calm”.
ON RUSSIAN RELATIONS WITH THE WEST MEDVEDEV: “We would not like of course to see relations deteriorate in the long or short-term. We have always based our position on full-fledged development of relations with the EU, separate EU states, the United States and other states.
We are living in a fragile world and it is obvious that any worsening of the international environment will only serve the interests of the most reactionary forces. Those who don’t understand this are blind.
We don’t want to cut relations with anyone, but nevertheless I’ll tell you that we have fulfilled and will continue to fulfil our peacekeeping mandate. If someone continues to attack our citizens, our peacekeepers, we will of course respond in just the same way we have responded. There should be no doubt about this.”
ON ASSESSING BLAME
MERKEL: “I think in such a complicated and difficult conflict, it is rare that all the blame is on one side. In fact both sides are probably to blame. That is very important to understand.”
ON GEORGIAN TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
MEDVEDEV: “No one is rejecting the principle of territorial integrity as one of the main principles of international law… Unfortunately after what has happened it is unlikely that the Ossetians and the Abkhazians will be able to live in one state together with the Georgians.”
ON INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPERS
MEDVEDEV: “We are, of course, not against international peacekeepers. But it is not our position which matters. The problem is that Ossetians and Abkhazians themselves do not trust anyone but Russian peacekeepers”.
ON PEACE AND IDIOTIC IDEAS
MEDVEDEV: “Peace needs to be restored and guaranteed in the region. So that no one gets any more idiotic ideas into their heads. This is Russia’s main goal today”.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/13/georgia.russia8
Filed under: airstrikes, Britain, Condoleezza Rice, Czech Republic, Europe, european union, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, Globalism, greenland, Iran, Military, military strike, missile defense, moscow, nation building, NATO, neocons, Nuke, occupation, poland, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Tehran, Troops, ukraine, United Kingdom, War Crimes, Washington D.C., WW3, ww4 | Tags: Donald Tusk, missile shield, Radoslaw Sikorski
Rice visits Poland to sign U.S. missile defense deal
AFP
August 18, 2008
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to sign a deal in Warsaw Wednesday on deploying a controversial American missile shield in Poland, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced.
Sikorski confirmed the timing in an interview published Monday in the daily newspaper Dziennik.
“The programme is being finalised, but it’s likely that the (Polish) prime minister (Donald Tusk) and the secretary of state will make a political declaration, and the ministers will sign the technical deal on the base,” Sikorski added.
Polish government officials were not immediately available for comment.
On Sunday, Rice had told the US network Fox News that she was “going to Poland to sign a missile defence agreement in the next couple of days”.
Moscow is deeply opposed to the missile plan, and the deal signing comes amid a spike in tensions between Washington and its allies over Russia’s conflict with pro-Western Georgia.
Washington plans to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland plus a radar facility in the neighbouring Czech Republic by 2011-2013 to complete a system already in place in the United States, Greenland and Britain.
US and Polish negotiators inked a preliminary deal in Warsaw last Thursday, capping 15 months of grinding negotiations. Washington and Prague had already sealed the radar deal in July.
Washington insists the shield — endorsed by all 26 NATO member states earlier this year — is to fend off potential missile attacks by what it calls “rogue states”, a phrase regarded as including Iran.
The plan, however, has become a major source of tension with Moscow, which considers it a security threat designed to undermine Russia’s nuclear deterrent. Moscow has warned of retaliation against the Poles and Czechs.
Warsaw and Prague have had rocky relations with Moscow since they broke free from the crumbling communist bloc in 1989, and ties have worsened since they joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
http://www.spacewar.com/reports..Europe_Becomes_A_Reality_999.html
Ukraine Offers Satellite Defense Co-operation
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news..fence-co-operation-with-Europe-and-US.html
Missile Defense: Washington and Poland just moved the World closer to War
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9836
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4543775.ece
Poland & U.S. Reach Deal On Missile Shield
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92I7QP82&show_article=1
Filed under: airstrikes, army, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, Globalism, Israel, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Taxpayers, Troops, ukraine, War Crimes, war funding, war training, Washington D.C., WW3, ww4 | Tags: FMF, foreign military financing, IMET, panski george, PPEG, Programme of Preparation and Equipment for Georgia, senaki
Russia Seizes Arsenal Of U.S. Weapons in Georgia
AFP
August 15, 2008
Russian forces have seized a “large arsenal” of U.S.-made weapons in the western Georgian city of Senaki including hundreds of assault rifles, a military spokesman said Friday.
“In Senaki, we seized a large arsenal of weapons including 664 U.S.-made M-16 rifles” and a number of M-40 sniper rifles, General Anatoly Nogovitsyn told a news conference in Moscow. “There were 1,728 weapons total.”
Revealed: how U.S. funds Georgian arms
Russia Today
August 13, 2008
The United States has been providing military and technical support to independent Georgia for almost 15 years. During this period, the overall amount of annual aid from Washington has increased by more than several hundred times, and reached its peak in the financial year till 2006.
It has meant that Georgia’s army was well prepared for an attack on South Ossetia. RT offers a brief history of the preparation by the Georgian armed forces for the war.
- 1994: Georgia received $63,000 under the programme of the International Military Education and Training (IMET).
- 1995: Georgia received $85,000 under IMET.
- 1996: Georgia received $302,000 under IMET. It purchased American military equipment for $66.000. Total: $368,000.
- 1997: Georgia received $312,000 under IMET. It purchased American military equipment for $66,000. It received $700,000 under the programme of the Foreign Military Financing (FMF). Total: $1,068,000.
- 1998: Georgia received $416,000 under IMET. It received $5,350,000 under EMF. Total: $5,766,000.
- 1999: Georgia received $394,000 under IMET. It received $7,950,000 under FMF. It purchased American arms for $19,000. It received $9,227,040 under the programme of Additional Defense Expenses (ADE). Total: $17,590,040.
- 2000: Georgia received $409,000 under IMET. It received $3,000,000 under FMF. It purchased American arms for $3,949,000. It received $575,000 under ADE. Total: $7,933,000.
- 2001: Georgia received $481,000 under IMET. It received $4,490,000 under FMF. It purchased American arms for $5,171,000. It received $575,000 under ADE. Total: $10,717,000.
- 2002: Georgia received $889,000 under IMET. It received $55,500,000 under FMF. It purchased American arms for $3,647,000. Total: $60,036,000.
- 29th April 2002: Pentagon announced the beginning of the Programme of Preparation and Equipment for Georgia (PPEG). The programme was implemented upon Georgia’s request for assistance in order to enhance its abilities to fight against terrorism, in the Pankisi Gorge in particular. The program was planned for 18-20 months. It included special seminars and training as well as supplies of light armaments and other military equipment for the Georgian army. Total budget of the programme was $64,000,000. Also, at least 150 American military experts were sent to Georgia. The Programme of Border Security and Law enforcement, with a budget of $3,200,000, was implemented at the same time.
- 2003: Georgia received $1,184,000 under IMET. It received $6,900,000 under FMF. It purchased American arms for $9,825,000. It received $4,525,054 under ADE. Total: $22,434,054.
- 2004: Georgia received $1,040,000 under IMET. It received $12,000,000 under FMF. It purchased American arms for $7,405,000. It received $2,786,257 under ADE. Total: $23,231,257.
- April 2004: Programme of Preparation and Equipment for Georgia was formally completed. The programme of operation for stabilisation and reinforcement began. It was formally intended for the preparation of Georgian armed forces to be sent to Iraq. The first stage of the program was planned for 18-20 months with a budget of approximately $60,000,000.
- 2005: Georgia received $1,413,000 under IMET. It received $11,904,000 under FMF. It purchased American arms for $32,044,000. Total: $45,361,000.
- 2006: Georgia received $1,275,000 under IMET. It received $11,880,000 under FMF. It purchased American for $106,714,000. Total: $119,869,000.
- 2007: Georgia received $1,235,000 under IMET. It received $10,000,000 under FMF. It purchased American arms for $10,876,000. Total: $22,102,000.
- September 2007: Beginning of the second stage of the programme of operation for stabilisation and reinforcement.
- 2008: $800,000 was allocated to Georgia under IMET. $10,000,000 was allocated under FMF. $9,319,000 was allocated for purchase of American arms. Total: $20,119,000.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080..Ak.MWeWP7jyFjWnx5PgvUdlbbBAF
U.S. & Allies Contemplating Action Against Russia
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=5597784
Georgia used US and Ukrainian mercenaries in its aggression against South Ossetia
http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/confl../106111-georgia_ossetia-0
Russian military concerned by U.S. cargo flights to Georgia
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080814/116045281.html
Another flub? Bush vowed Navy aid to Georgia too soon
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/48293.html
Israel Has $1 Billion Invested In Georgia
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/151211
Filed under: 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Czech Republic, federal crime, gas prices, Genocide, georgia, Hitler, jimmy carter, Military, moscow, nation building, Neolibs, obama, occupation, Oil, Petrol, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, putin, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, sovereignty, staged provocation, stalin, Troops, ukraine, War Crimes, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Czechoslovakia, finland
Obama adviser compares Putin to Hitler
Kate Connolly
London Guardian
August 13, 2008
The former US national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, has called on the world community to isolate Russia in protest over its campaign in the Caucasus, likening its tactics to those of “Hitler or Stalin”.
Brzezinski, who was the national security adviser under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981, and is now an occasional adviser to the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, said the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, was “following a course that is horrifyingly similar to that taken by Stalin and Hitler in the 1930s”.
He said that Putin’s “justification” for splitting up Georgia – because of the Russian citizens living in South Ossetia – could be compared to when Hitler used the alleged suffering of ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland as a pretext for annexing Czechoslovakia in 1938.
In an interview with the conservative German daily Die Welt, he said even more striking were the parallels between Putin’s strategy against Georgia and Stalin’s invasion of Finland in 1939, describing both as “the undermining of the sovereignty of a small, democratic neighbouring state through the use of violence”. He added: “Georgia is to an extent the Finland of today, both morally and strategically.”
Polish-born Brezinski, 80, who earned a reputation as a hardliner due to his anti-Soviet politics, said the world was now being confronted with the question as to how it should react to Russia and what he saw as its efforts to “reincorporate old Soviet areas into the Kremlin’s sphere of control”. He said at the heart of the issue was access to oil and specifically who controlled the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline which runs through Georgia.
“If Georgia no longer has its sovereignty it means not only that the west is cut off from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia, but we can also assume that Putin will exercise a similar strategy against Ukraine if he faces resistance. He’s already publicly voiced threats against Ukraine.”
Filed under: airstrikes, army, blockade, ceasefire, Condoleezza Rice, Dmitri Medvedev, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, Media, Medvedev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, neocons, occupation, poland, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Propaganda, putin, Russia, Saber Rattling, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, uav, ukraine, UN, War Crimes, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Col. Igor Konashenkov, gori, kodori gorge, poti, russian peacekeepers, soldiers, tbilisi, Tskhinvali
Russia: Troops not heading to Tbilisi
Russia Today
August 13, 2008
Russia has officially denied reports its troops have entered Georgian territory beyond the conflict zone, in breach of the ceasefire agreement. Throughout the day, major international news channels have been reporting that Russian tanks were in the Georgian town of Gori and heading towards the capital Tbilisi. Meanwhile, Russian units shot down a Georgian drone over Tskhinvali on Tuesday evening, according to the Russian Army. Its Assistant Commander, Col. Igor Konashenkov, told the Interfax new agency that the drone was on an aerial reconnaissance mission in an area patrolled by Russian peacekeeping forces.
Konashenkov stressed that the Georgian military sent the aircraft to the region despite claims by the country’s leadership that their troops had moved out of the conflict zone.
He added that the detection of any further drones by Russian forces would result in them being shot down.|
Throughout the conflict, the Georgian leadership has been waging a media war against Russia. There have been a number of false claims about Russian troop movements in Georgia.
On Monday, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili accused Russia of occupying Gori. This information was reported by the world media but later denied.
Saakashvili has also claimed that Russia should be held responsible for the destruction of the South Ossetian city of Tskhinvali, not Georgia. The Georgian President was speaking at a news conference in Tbilisi, where he was joined by the presidents of Poland and post-Soviet states Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said the five leaders were attending the conference in support of the Georgian government.
Earlier, Saakashvili claimed Russian troops sank Georgian coastal guard boats in the port city of Poti. He said Russia wanted to bomb the port, but the city authorities convinced them to move the vessels into the sea and sink them with explosives.
Meanwhile, Russian General Staff Deputy Commander Anatoli Nogovitsin has said that several boats attacked a Russian Navy vessel near Poti. The ship fired back and drove the attackers away, he said.
General Explains Russian Presence in Goti
Raw Video: Russian Troops in a Georgia Firefight
Condoleezza Rice: Russia won’t overthrow Georgia and get away with it
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080813/116017064.html
Georgia: blockade threat risks escalating conflict
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4526577.ece
Russia Agrees to Halt War
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1218..od=hpp_us_whats_news
Russia launches genocide probe over S.Ossetia events
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080814/116026568.html
Georgia Files Lawsuit Against Russia
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id.._article=1&catnum=0
Looting Reignites Georgia-Russia Tensions
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/2008081..ndJMf9InbMMfCrA3R7ta24cA
US, Russian ambassadors spar at UN over Georgia
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iB.._cozhXhgD92FNC000
Hi-Resolution Photos of the Russia-Georgia Conflict
http://milkavkaz.net/forum/viewtopic..ays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Ceasefire In Georgia Dashes Neocon Predictions Of Russian Expansion In The Region
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/12/neocon-russia-ceasefire/
Civilians perish as Georgian troops torch church
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28872
Russia seeks emergency meeting with NATO
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=290664
Reports: Russia sinks Georgian ship trying to attack Russian navy ships
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Sate..name=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
http://www.mnweekly.ru/news/20080124/55305669.html
Filed under: airstrikes, ceasefire, Coup, Dictatorship, Dmitri Medvedev, Empire, facism, False Flag, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, inside job, Media, mercenary, mercs, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, NATO, Nazi, occupation, Pentagon, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, putin, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, Soviet Union, State Sponsored Terrorism, Troops, Turkey, ukraine, War Crimes, War On Terror, Washington D.C., White House, WW2, WW3, ww4 | Tags: ethnic cleansing, FSB, prisoners of war, russian peacekeepers, soldiers, tbilisi, Tskhinvali, u.s. soldiers, Vladikavkaz
American Mercenary Captured By Russians
NATO instructor taken hostage with Georgians amid reports of U.S. military commanding thousands of mercs in proxy war
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
August 11, 2008
An American mercenary has been captured by Russian forces along with a number of Georgian soldiers according to a report from the Russian news website Izvestia, providing more evidence that the U.S. and NATO are covertly supporting the Georgian army in a proxy war with Russia.
According to the report, the mercenary is an African-American who is a NATO instructor and an ordinance specialist. He has now been transferred to the Russian base of Vladikavkaz.
The story also backs up previous reports of dead black Americans having been found in Tskhinvali, the capital city of South Ossetia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcv-ynUDYHc
U.S. soldiers recently conducted training programs where they instructed Georgian soldiers how to deal with unexploded ordinance as part of the Georgia Train and Equip Program.
Another report from the Russia daily Kommersant states that thousands of mercenaries from numerous different countries are fighting on the Georgian side and are being “commanded by the U.S. military instructors.”
“The U.S. military instructors directly command and coordinate actions of mercenaries without being involved in actual fighting, the source specified. According to intelligence data, there are roughly 1,000 military instructors of the United States in Georgia,” states the report.
“Task force of Russia has annihilated a few groups of mercenaries. Some of mercenaries have been captured, and investigators are working with them, the source said.”
In a related development, Russia FSB has detained 10 Georgian intelligence service officers who were allegedly preparing terrorist attacks inside Russia.
“We have detained 10 agents of the Georgian special services who were spying on military facilities and preparing terrorist attacks, including on Russian territory,” Alexander Bortnikov said at a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Russia has today launched new forays into Georgia itself even after Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili signed a cease-fire pledge. Russia claims that Georgia has not honored the cease-fire and continues to attack Russian positions.
Filed under: Air Force, airstrikes, blockade, BP, Britain, ceasefire, corporations, Dick Cheney, Dictatorship, Dmitri Medvedev, Empire, Europe, european union, federal crime, gas prices, George Bush, georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military base, military strike, moscow, nation building, navy, neocons, occupation, Oil, Petrol, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Pullout, putin, Russia, Shock and Awe, Soviet Union, Troops, Turkey, ukraine, United Kingdom, War Crimes, War On Terror, Washington D.C., White House, WW3, ww4 | Tags: gori, pipeline, poti, russian peacekeepers, soldiers, South Ossetia, tbilisi, Tskhinvali, warships
both sides ignore peacetalks… this is going to be a long week…
Russia Announces War Halt; Fighting Continues
Wired
August 12, 2008
Russian President Medvedev announced a halt to his country’s military operation in Georgia. But there are reports of continued bombings. And he said that Russian troops are still cleared to “eliminate” any enemy remaining in the contested region of South Ossetia.
The AP reports that “hours before the Russian announcement, Russian forces bombed the crossroads city of Gori and launched an offensive in the part of separatist Abkhazia still under Georgian control, sending in 135 military vehicles – including tanks – and tightening the assault on the beleaguered nation.” In Poti, a port city in western Georgia, a New York Times correspondent heard bombs falling around an hour after Mr. Medvedev’s statement.
Russian defense official Anatoly Nogovitsyn tells the Times that Russian military actions could continue. “If you receive the order to cease fire, this would not mean that we would stop all operations, including reconnaissance operations,” he said.
August 12, 2008
Ships are grouping in the Black Sea near the Georgian aquatic border. A unnamed naval source has said that the move is necessary to prevent arms deliveries to Georgia by sea. He added that the naval blockade of Georgia will help avoid escalation of military actions in Abkhazia. Radio station Echo of Moscow reports that several Georgian Internet publications have confirmed that the Russian Black Sea fleet is regrouping.
Witnesses say that several Georgian military vessels attempted to approach the coast of Abkhazia. The Interfax correspondent in Sukhumi reports that the Georgian attempt was countered by the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which opened preventative fire. The Interfax information was confirmed by enforcement bodies in Abkhazia.
Apparently, after Georgian forces were repulsed from Tskhinvali, air connections with Georgian were broken and Georgian military activity was suppressed and Russia began economic suppression.
Georgia in the meantime is accusing Russia of attempting to blow up the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Georgian Minister of Economic Development Ekaterina Sharashidze stated that Russian Air Force planes attacked the pipeline, but missed their target. “That makes it clear that the targets of the Russian military were not only Georgian economic objects, but international objects on Georgian territory,” she said. Reports were received throughout the day that Russian military planes struck targets in Georgia, however, they were military, not economic.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline runs a total of 1768 km., of which 443 km. stretches through Azerbaijan, 249 km. through Georgia and 1076 km. through Turkey. Construction of the pipeline began in 2003 and it began to pump oil on May 18, 2005. About 1 million barrels of oil per year are pumped through the pipeline. Construction of the pipeline cost $4 billion, not counting the filling of the pipeline, financial servicing or interest costs. The shareholders in the pipeline are BP (30,1%), AzBTC (25%), Chevron (8,9%), StatoilHydro (8,71%), ТРАО (6,53%), ENI (5%), Total (5%), Itochu (3,4%), Inpex (2,5%), ConocoPhillips (2,5%) and Hess (2,36%).
Georgia resumes shelling of S. Ossetia, troops shooting refugees after call for peacetalks
Russia Today
August 11, 2008
Authorities in South Ossetia say Georgian troops have shelled the road being used for evacuating people from the conflict zone, according to Russian Interfax news agency. Attacks are continuing in the South Ossetian region, despite claims from Georgia that it was imposing a ceasefire.
There have been several explosions in the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, after it came under a renewed shelling attack. Several Russian troops have been wounded.
It said that Russian forces have shot down a Georgian military plane in South Ossetia in the area around Eredvi.
Russian humanitarian aid has begun to arrive in the breakaway region’s capital.
Tskhinvali is back under peacekeepers’ control, as Russian troops disarm Georgians, who still remain in the city.
Moscow is sending more troops to South Ossetia. And military investigators have already started working in Tskhinvali to collect evidence of war crimes.
1600 civilians are thought to have died in South Ossetia. 15 Russian peacekeepers were killed with 70 others were wounded. Georgia claims 50 of its troops have been killed, and around 300 wounded.
Russian news agencies report sunken Georgian ship
August 10, 2008
Russia’s Defense Ministry refused to comment on the Sunday reports to The Associated Press and Georgian officials could not immediately be reached.
If confirmed, the incident could mark a serious escalation of the fighting between Russia and Georgia over the separatist Georgian province of South Ossetia.
“Georgian missile patrol boats today made two attempts to attack Russian military ships. The Russian ships opened fire in response and as a result, one of the Georgian ships carrying out the attack was sunk,” the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/w..=world&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Live webcam from Tbilisi
http://tvali.ge/index.php?action=cameras
Neocons Call For U.S. To Launch War Against Russia
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/11/neocon-russia-war/
Georgia: America admits it has few options for dealing with Russia-Georgia war
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new..ns-for-dealing-with-Russia-Georgia-war.html
Georgian minister: We won’t cede to Russians
http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/C..tPreview/1,2506,L-3580432,00.html
Swarms of Russian jets bomb Georgian targets
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92G35OO0&show_article=1
Bush Warns Russia To Pull Back
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92GC5G80&show_article=1
Cheney: Russian Offensive Will Not Go Unanswered
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92GC5G80&show_article=1
Ukraine threatens to bar Russian warships
http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSLA480092
Georgia Overrun By Russian Troops
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news..ssian-troops-scale-ground-invasion-begins.html
Tbilisi civilian airport hit in Russian air strike
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/2008081..etia-runway-bd5ae06.html
McCain warns Russians of “severe, long-term negative consequences”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080811/pl_politico/19061_1
US military surprised by speed, timing of Russia military action
Israelis in Georgia warn of impending disaster
Operation Dagestan
Zbig: Russian Invasion Like Stalin’s Invasion Of Finland
Filed under: airstrikes, Arctic, belarus, Britain, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dmitry Medvedev, Dollar, Europe, european union, Greenback, Hugo Chavez, Medvedev, Military, military strike, missile defense, moscow, NATO, New World Order, norway, Nuke, ocean, Oil, OPEC, Petrol, putin, ruble, Russia, South America, Soviet Union, sudan, ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela, war games, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Northern Eagle 2008, Tu-160 Blackjack, Tu-95MS Bear
Russia and Venezuela in deal to counter ‘US aggression’
Adrian Blomfield
London Telegraph
July 23, 2008
With a long shopping list for state-of-the-art defence equipment under his arm, Mr Chavez did his best to ingratiate himself with his hosts.
He first signed off on a deal giving Russia’s state-owned energy companies – often accused of doubling as private piggy banks for powerful Kremlin forces – exclusive rights to develop new deposits Venezuela’s Orinoco Oil Belt.
Then he switched smoothly to flattery, with a call for the Russian ruble to replace the US dollar as the world’s global currency.
“We in OPEC have proposed to put an end to the dollar,” Mr Chavez said, speaking in his role as self-appointed spokesman for the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Mr Chavez was given correspondingly warm welcome as he met with one old friend, prime minister Vladimir Putin, and one new one in the form of president Dmitry Medvedev.
Mr Medvedev was particularly effusive, describing Venezuela as Russia’s “most important partner”.
Ignoring accusations of electoral fraud and authoritarianism that have been directed at both countries, Mr Medvedev told his guest: “We have one common task; to make the surrounding world more democratic, fair and secure.”
Russia needs bombers in Cuba due to NATO expansion – ex-commander
RIA Novosti
July 21, 2008
The possible deployment of Russian strategic bombers in Cuba may be an effective response to the placement of NATO bases near Russia’s borders, a former Air Force commander said on Monday.
Russian daily Izvestia earlier on Monday cited a senior Russian military source as saying that Russian strategic bombers could be stationed again in Cuba, only 90 miles from the U.S. coast, in response to the U.S. missile shield in Europe.
“If these plans are being considered, it would be a good response to the attempts to place NATO bases near the Russian borders,” Gen. of the Army Pyotr Deinekin told RIA Novosti.
“I do not see anything wrong with it because nobody listens to our objections when they place airbases and electronic monitoring and surveillance stations near our borders,” the general said.
However, Deinekin said the possibility of Russian bombers being stationed in Cuba is largely hypothetical, because Russia’s Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers are both capable of reaching the U.S. coast, patrolling the area for about 1.5 hours, and returning to airbases in Russia with mid-air refueling.
Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by former president Vladimir Putin. Russian bombers have since carried out over 80 strategic patrol flights and have often been escorted by NATO planes.
Deinekin suggested that Cuba could be used as a refueling stopover for Russian aircraft rather than as a permanent base, because the Russian political and military leadership would be unlikely to take such a drastic step under current global political conditions.
In October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to the brink of nuclear war when Soviet missiles were stationed in Cuba.
The crisis was resolved after 12 days when the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, backed down and ordered the missiles removed.
Moscow had a military presence on Cuba for almost four decades after that, maintaining an electronic listening post at Lourdes, about 20 km (12.5 miles) from Havana, to monitor U.S. military moves and communications.
Russia was paying $200 million a year to lease the base, which it closed down in January 2002.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_gen..ssia_on_nuclear__07222008.html
The Medvedev proposal: Russia’s “New Order” of security relations incorporating the US, Russia and the European Union
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2008/07/910222.shtml
Belarus secretly delivers Russian warplanes to Sudan
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080721/114537636.html
Russian warship arrives in Norway for Northern Eagle 2008 exercise
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/l..08/russia-080717-rianovosti01.htm
Putin Wants Closer Military Ties With Venezuela
http://www.globalsecurity.org/militar..8/07/mil-080722-rianovosti02.htm
Russian missile cruiser begins patrols around Spitsbergen
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080722/114639422.html
Russia concerned over U.S.-Ukraine Black Sea military exercises
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080718/114389691.html
Filed under: Arctic, armenia, belgium, Britain, Canada, Cold War, Condoleezza Rice, Czech Republic, denmark, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, France, George Bush, georgia, Germany, greece, Iran, Medvedev, Military, moscow, NATO, navy, neocons, Nuke, poland, putin, Russia, Soviet Union, Tehran, Troops, Turkey, ukraine, United Kingdom, war games, Washington D.C., WW3, ww4 | Tags: Communism, kaliningrad, latvia, lithuania, macedonia, military strike, missile defense, Sea Breeze-2008, Sergei Kislyak, Sergei Mironov, tbilisi
Russia May Aim Nukes at Europe
Press TV
July 13, 2008
Russia is considering aiming nuclear weapons at Western Europe for the first time since the end of the cold war.
Defense sources in Moscow say among the schemes being discussed to counter US plans to station a missile defense shield in Europe is the possible deployment of ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between the EU countries of Lithuania and Poland, The Times Online reported.
A Russian parliamentary committee visited the enclave 10 days ago to look into how a new generation of nuclear missiles could be based there, the report added.
If a deployment does take place, then it would greatly increase tensions in Europe between Moscow and Washington.
Only last week, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice signed an agreement in Prague to build a radar station in the Czech Republic.
A deal with Poland is in the works to host a base for 10 interceptor rockets on its border with Russia. The agreement is expected to be signed later this year.
Moscow is strongly opposed to the shield, saying that it is part of an aggressive US military expansion into its own backyard.
A source with close connections to the Russian defense ministry said, “One of the main steps under consideration is a redeployment of nuclear missiles to Kaliningrad and Belarus. These missiles would be pointed at Europe. It would be a perfectly legitimate step. If America wants to expand its military capabilities in Europe, then we have the right to act accordingly”.
The source also went on to question the US claim that the shield was intended to intercept missiles only from the so-called rogue states. He said, “How would Washington feel if we placed interceptor missiles on Cuba or Venezuela?”
Experts said the threat of deploying missiles in Kaliningrad was largely aimed at strengthening the opposition to the shields in Poland and the Czech Republic. Experts went on to add that Russia would have to build new long-range ground-based ballistic missiles since it has destroyed most of its Soviet-era arsenal.
U.S. troops to hold exercises in Georgia, Ukraine
AFP
July 14, 2008
Georgian soldiers take part in war games with their US, Armenian, Azerbaijani and Ukrainean counterparts at the Vaziani training area on the outskirts of Tbilisi.
US troops on Monday began military exercises near the Russian border in ex-Soviet Ukraine and were poised to launch them in Georgia, amid tense relations between Moscow and Washington, officials said.
A ceremony inaugurating the Sea Breeze-2008 NATO exercise was held off Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, a Ukrainian defence ministry spokeswoman said, against anti-NATO protests and a hostile reaction from officials in Russia.
The NATO exercises “will increase political and military tensions in Europe as a whole,” Sergei Mironov, speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency in Moscow.
Sea Breeze-2008, which lasts until July 26, will also include forces from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Macedonia and Turkey, officials said.
Separate military exercises dubbed Immediate Response-2008 are due to start in Georgia on Tuesday with Armenian, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian and US troops taking part, a Georgian defence ministry spokeswoman said.
“The US-Georgia joint exercises will be held at the Vaziani military base” less than 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Russian border with a total of 1,650 servicemen taking part, said the spokeswoman, Nana Intskirveli.
Russia to ‘neutralise’ US missile defence threat: report
AFP
July 14, 2008
Russia’s military is ready to “neutralise” any threat to its nuclear deterrent from US missile defence sites in Europe, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said Monday, according to Interfax news agency.
“If we see the development of systems that could reduce our deterrent potential, our military will have to take steps to neutralise the threat,” Kislyak was quoted as saying at a briefing in Moscow.
He did not specify the steps that would be taken, saying “this will be decided by military specialists.”
“We would prefer not to have to do this,” he added.
Kislyak said US proposals to ease Russian concerns about the missile shield, which Washington claims is aimed at countering possible threats from states such as Iran, remained in doubt.
http://russiatoday.ru/news/news/27508
Russia cuts oil shipments to Czech Republic against the background of its radar agreement with USA
http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/105772-czech_usa_radar-0
Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face
http://www.lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis116.html
Russian navy boosts combat presence in Arctic
http://www.canada.com/topics/new..8-4dd8-944f-58af497c3fa6
Filed under: Cold War, Japan, Military, moscow, NATO, navy, Nuke, Pentagon, putin, Russia, Soviet Union, ukraine, WW3, ww4
U.S. military weighing if Russia in Cold War pose
Richard Cowan
Reuters
February 12, 2008
Washington is trying to gauge whether Russia’s recent bomber mission near a U.S. aircraft carrier indicated Moscow’s return to a Cold War “mind-set” and is considering how the Pentagon should respond, a senior U.S. military officer said on Tuesday.
But other senior U.S. defense and Navy officials stressed they did not see Russia’s weekend bomber flights south of Japan as provocative.
Four U.S. fighter jets were scrambled on February 9 to escort Russian bombers that approached the USS Nimitz south of Japan. One Russian bomber flew over the deck of the aircraft carrier, escorted by a U.S. fighter jet.
Adm. Gary Roughead, U.S. chief of naval operations, downplayed the incident and said it reflected Russia’s emerging naval power.
“I think what we are seeing is a Russian military or Russian navy that is emerging and, in the case of the navy, desiring to emerge as a global navy,” Roughead told reporters at the Pentagon.
“I do not consider it to be provocative,” he said of the bomber mission.
But on Capitol Hill, another top U.S. military officer — Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright — said the Pentagon was trying to assess the implications of Russia’s actions.
“Now, what we’re concerned about is what are the indications of this return to a Cold War mind-set, what are the implications of that activity and how do we best address that,” said Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Putin: Russia Could Aim Nukes at Ukraine
AP
February 12, 2008
Russia could aim nuclear weapons at Ukraine if the former Soviet republic joins NATO and accepts the deployment of anti-missile defenses on its territory, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
Putin spoke at a news conference in Moscow after four hours of talks with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who has said joining the Western alliance is a priority for his country.
“That of course is Ukraine’s internal process … and we don’t have the right, and we won’t, interfere in this process,” Putin said. But, he added, “that raises the question for Russia of the need for retaliatory actions.”
“It’s frightening not just to talk about, but even to think about, that in response to such deployment, the possibility of such deployments — and one can’t theoretically exclude these deployments — that Russia will have to point its warheads at Ukrainian territory,” he said.
The warning was Putin’s strongest to date about Kiev’s efforts to join the Western alliance.
US rebuffs Russia’s space proposal
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/february2008/120208_proposal.htm
Pentagon assessing Russian flyover
http://www.latimes.com/news/n..3,1,502689.story
U.S. military weighing if Russia in Cold War pose
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN1238070820080212
U.S. Navy intercepts Russian bombers As They Penetrate Japanese Airspace
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washin..n.com+–+Latest+news
noworldsystem.com 