Saturday, 9 August 2008

Updated: More on the situation in South Ossetia

The BBC is reporting that fighting in South Ossetia is intensifying. Three Georgian military bases have been hit by Russian jets. However the ground fight appears to be keeping itself inside South Ossetia. This good news as early in the night CNN reported that bombs may be dropping on the capital, Tbilisi. Additionally Russian and Georgian have exchanged words (but not bothered to form a ceasefire at the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Corporation in Europe)

Annoyingly there are still no reports from the port of Poti that was bombed by Russian Jets. However it is still quite early and a lot (if not all) air traffic in and out of Georgia has been cancelled. Which makes getting foreign journalists in quite difficult. It does seem the world (and more so in Europe) is to busy with the Olympics to notice what is going on in Georgia. Some may look at this as just another little battle in a country they don't understand or know. But if Russia is willing to hit out at a ally of the west like Georgia, a nation that could have been a member of NATO it shows that it could attack another nation if it feels it has to.

NATO will not intervene in this battle with force at least out of fear of starting a NATO vs Russia war, something people feared during the cold war due to the 100s of nuclear missile Russia still posses and could use on EU countries or the USA. This conflict can only really end one way and that is a ceasefire.

UPDATE: The Town of Gori was bombed by Russian jets, according to the Georgian government 60 civilians were killed. Gori is not inside South Ossetia but is very close to that area. Also the port of Poti (key for oil exports) has been described as "devastated" a long with the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali where civilians are hiding out in basements without access to food, water, power or any form of communication with the outside world. The UN is still unable to work out a ceasefire.

0 comments: