Its amazing how many lies and false accusations are floating out of this conflict in such a short period of time!

I think this quote from the Telegraph sums it up best:

Kakha Lomaia, a senior Georgian security official, said: "We received very reliable information that the Russians decided to move towards Gori. That's why we decided to pull out all our troops and to relocate them - to defend Tbilisi."

Lomaia has since claimed that Russian forces have "captured" the city.

However a Reuters reporter in Gori said: "We are right now driving through the town and I see no trace of troops or military vehicles. It is absolutely deserted."

I weren't even go into how much crap The Gergian President, Mikheil Saakashvili has said.

What amazes me more is how the western media reprints his claims as pure facts.

I've long heard reports that American President George Bush has eyed Russian Foreign Minister Vladimir Putin as a man whom he feels he can trust--though I was thoroughly disheartened to hear Arizona Senator John McCain paraphrase Bush's views in noting, "...When I looked into President Putin's eyes, I saw three letters: "K...G...B."

An increasingly tenuous supporter of McCain, I would urgently suggest that he take a harder look at the mounting instability in our world since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and fairly confess that the international scene was in fact a great deal more secure when Moscow's and Washington's power and influence effectively counterbalanced one another, the Russian people harbored pride in their achievements and leaders, and the U.S. and USSR maintained a healthy respect for each other--however grudging that respect; however deep the mistrust.

I found it stereotypically 'American' in that when Solzhenitsyn recently passed, his death received but perfunctory notice on our television screens--almost as if to underscore the incautious suggestion of Russian youth that he had indeed "...outlived his usefulness" and "...his ideas no longer "...fit in with contemporary society...." In fact Solzhenitsyn never found his peace while living within the U.S., and only in the long and painful wake of the fall of the USSR have I at long last begun to truly understand why: For it's almost a given that the man--a decorated Red Army artillerist during the Great Patriotic War and an understandably staunch nationalist--would've agreed with the Russian decision to take Georgia to task for her bloody actions in South Ossetia, and her misbegotten tryst with NATO and the ever-unpredicatable U.S. If indeed Moscow wantonly disowned the man when he divulged the bitter truths of the gulag, Washington likewise snobbishly discarded him when he continued his refrain for a return to the conceptual Russia of old; a militarily powerful country abounding in Orthodox churches, moral integrity and Slavic solidarity--ideals which still seem to engender or inspire an extraordinary degree of fear and loathing in both Washington and Moscow.

here is link to photos. First photos there shows how Georgia attacked South Osetia (at least 1600 civiliand have died from that brute attack)

later you may see Osetian homes, destroyed by georgians.

and at last, revenge: georgian solgers killed by Osetian milita and Russian forces.

Warning: explicit pictures

http://milkavkaz.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=12634#12634

Really enjoy your Russian Blog emails.

In short, Russia has become increasingly assertive in the region-especially relating to those, like Georgia, that have better adapted true western democractic principles then Russia has been able to sustain and accomplish herself.

The attack or counter-attack on Georgia is an attempt at regime change against a valid democracy. In short, there is/was a very good chance that Georgia will gain Nato membership. Once that happened Russia's options for intimidation against Georgia would be far more limited.

Russia has benefited largely from the US engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan. While our military has been preoccupied in these conflicts Russia has managed to recover some of its lost greatness (largely due to high oil prices resulting from the Iraqi conflict). Unfortunately, it has leveraged its new found strength for bad not good. It has deminished its own democratic values internally and gone on the offensive against regional democracies. Yet again Russia needs to be contained...She just can't seem to manage herself and her people seem hell bent on false nationalism. The type of nationalism that led to the first world war.

To this day we know Russia is the stronger country military wise, they have put their fear into Georgia by showing just that (entering the country with with an unnecessary abundant force, killing a vast amount civilians and then leaving again like nothing had happened)… hoping this fear will generate respect and future obedience to the Mother country. However and I quote… no, not from the Bible but from a known green midget source saying “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering” I pray the latter will not come to be, for the the day will surely come when Russia has burned its own bridges across the world and when allies are running short.

As it is today what has happened will be forgotten in the stream of news from the Olympic Games, another thousand or so people have lost their lives due to Russians atempt to set the status que in balance. but in the end of the day we now that “ Fear is the path to the dark side”!

@Brett and @Bob van den Eijkhof

You don’t seem to mind Georgians genocide of the Ossetians.
Georgia isn't a great democracy commentators have commented on his democratic record and it’s much worse than Putin.

Georgia with the help Israel is the aggressor here they are the ones started the war by bombarding the civilian population Russia only sent in forces to protect the Ossetians from being massacred.

Russia only bombs other targets in Georgia because Georgian’s are sending reinforcements from there to help massacre the Ossetians.
Ukraine had transported foreign mercs in so it was obviously pre-planned.

This is a western power play not Russia. The US and its proxies want total control of the Caspian oil basin

Nicely written post, Brett--though I'm afraid I must disagree with you on at least two main aspects of your argument.

One, Russia is, as you said, effectively able to capitalize in Georgia in part due to the fact that the U.S. is seemingly mired in both Afghanistan and Iraq--with a potential third conflict brewing with Iran.

But the question that most needs to be addressed is the one I've yet to hear anyone in the West--particularly American leaders and presumptive presidents--approach with even an iota of objectivity, and the question is:

Why is it considered blatant aggression when Russia takes military action at her very border--in view of flagrant Georgian strikes against Ossetia--when the U.S. five years ago invaded both Iraq and Afghanistan (thousands of miles distant from American shores) on pretexts that have long since been thoroughly deconstructed or discredited by even the most moderate observers?

Two, precisely what on earth was John McCain thinking when he today tepidly paraphrased John Kennedy, and announced in effect: "Today everyone is a Georgian"?

And Barack Obama?

Not much from the man other than silence and an otherwise rather embarrassing display of indecision and inexperience.

Sadly, the American dearth of knowledge on the Caucasus and the geopolitical tragedy currently transpiring there is a sad commentary on the state of our peoples' and leaders' overall ill-education in foreign matters. And that lack of education is indeed glaring.

If in fact we're now witnessing a return to the Cold War, I'm unhappily inclined to say that it's a tragedy largely the product of our own political, cultural, philosophical and strategic ineptitude, and less the fault of Moscow and the Russian people who've at long last apparently wakened from their 20-year spiritual torpor.

@Brett and @Bob van den Eijkhof
As R.L. and James have reiterated

Georgia attacked South Ossetia FIRST
So why is it when Russia comes to the aid of people that are being shelled that it is viewed as aggressor? Yet it is fine for the US to invade both Iraq and Afghanistan under false pretences and kill hundreds of thousands of people?

Trust me when I say Russia has no intention of occupation of Georgia. And anyone that has been there will understand why. There is simply no need! Georgia does not have any minerals, no oil, no nothing.
The only thing the country has is poverty and Georgian wine, which is mainly exported to Russia itself.

@brett as you put it "attack or counter-attack on Georgia is an attempt at regime change against a valid democracy".

Well do you see the Georgian President residence bombed?
Do you see the president arrested?

All I keep seeing is Mikheil Saakashvili’s face being broadcast on CNN and BBC addressing gathered Georgian residents in the capital throwing around accusations and making himself look like a victim after shelling 2000 civilians.

What amazes me more is that he is talking in better English than he talks in Georgian.
(which makes me laugh considering not more than 5-10% of that gathered crowd would have understood what he said)

"Our first task at Russia Blog has been to try to get out facts and responsible opinions, letting readers sort them out."

Oh, so what about your constant trumpeting the 1400 killed in S. Ossetia as a "fact"? NY Times reporting that Human Rights Watch can only confirm about 200 dead right now. "Where's the evidence?" they ask.