10 years ago Russia was threatened with the loss of the Black Sea
When the Georgian Grads hit the peaceful Tskhinval on the night of August 7-8, 2008, it was hard to believe. The Minister of Defense informed the President of the Russian Federation Medvedev about the act of aggression when he was on vacation, and the whole world was looking forward to the opening of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
In August 2008 ...
Dmitry Anatolyevich, after hearing the minister’s message about the inadequate actions of Saakashvili, spoke as follows:
But when it became known about the death of Russian peacekeepers and the shelling of the city from heavy weapons, all doubts disappeared.
Then the Russian leadership did not hesitate to carry out a quick and tough military operation to force Georgia to peace. It was unexpected for the whole world, because before that Russia had not intervened in either the Yugoslav events or the Libyan ones.
Most likely, the calculation of Saakashvili and his American curators was that we would not intervene this time either. And the international community can be confronted with a fait accompli, as Croatia did, in a few days quickly and toughly “cleansing” Western Slavonia, inhabited by Serbs.
But suppose that the calculation of the Georgian leader was justified. How would events develop then?
The fate of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
If Russia only reacted in the form of “condemnation” and “expression of concern,” only Georgia would benefit from such a development of events. Moreover, at that time more interesting and colorful events took place at the Beijing Olympics than in the small, distant and incomprehensible South Ossetia.
The Ossetians, for whom official Tbilisi conducted policies genocide. The death toll in this rebellious republic would increase significantly. Even the name of the operation of the Georgian military against the population of South Ossetia - “Clean Field” - did not portend anything good to the ethnic Ossetians living in the republic.
And after South Ossetia, the turn of Abkhazia would inevitably follow. And this statement is not based on guesswork, but on reliable information from the Ministry of Defense of this republic. A massive attack on Abkhazia was planned three hours after the complete capture of South Ossetia.
Possible losses of Russia
It would seem, what does Russia care about these small Transcaucasian republics? Yes, no. But in the Caucasus, rarely is something simple and understandable at first sight.
The self-determination of Russia would do irreparable damage to the image of our country. Indeed, in South Ossetia, most of the population had Russian passports. Thus, not only military personnel from the peacekeeping contingent, but also Russian civilians were killed under Georgian shelling. And not to protect them is to lose respect and authority in the international community.
In addition, it should be remembered that Georgia is in vassal subordination to the United States. From the territory of South Ossetia, ill-wishers of Russia could begin subversive work among the radicals of the North Caucasus, threaten the oil pipeline passing here, and create other problems.
And gaining control of Abkhazia by Georgia, and therefore the United States, would significantly weaken Russia's position on the Black Sea, because over time, NATO ships could get in close proximity to Russian borders.
First victories in the information war
At first, Georgia, hoping for Russia's non-interference, as the pretext for the attack on South Ossetia came up with "restoration of constitutional order in the Tskhinvali region." Having received a rebuff, the aggressor changed the version. Tbilisi began to claim that its invasion of South Ossetia was a response to the entry of Russian troops.
This statement was so ridiculous that even in the USA and Europe they did not accept it, recognizing Russia's actions as fair.
Some Western media, trying to represent our country as an aggressor, were then caught in a lie. For example, CNN, without understanding, showed footage of shelling by Russians of the Georgian city of Gori. As it turned out, the video showed the “exploits” of the Georgian army in Tskhinval.
There were other attempts to slander Russian actions, but they also failed.
It turns out that our military-political leadership in August 2008 was able to quickly and decisively take the necessary measures, forcing the aggressor to peace. And the rightness of Russia was recognized by the international community.
No matter what the opponents of the military operation brilliantly conducted by Russia ten years ago say, the fact remains. Despite the strained relations between the countries of the region, today there is no armed conflict, and the local population is not afraid for their lives.
And all this was achieved thanks to the correct and decisive actions of the Russian military.
In August 2008 ...
Dmitry Anatolyevich, after hearing the minister’s message about the inadequate actions of Saakashvili, spoke as follows:
You know, it’s necessary to check if he’s completely crazy, is he crazy? Maybe it's just some kind of provocation, is he testing the strength of the Ossetians and trying to show us something?
But when it became known about the death of Russian peacekeepers and the shelling of the city from heavy weapons, all doubts disappeared.
Then the Russian leadership did not hesitate to carry out a quick and tough military operation to force Georgia to peace. It was unexpected for the whole world, because before that Russia had not intervened in either the Yugoslav events or the Libyan ones.
Most likely, the calculation of Saakashvili and his American curators was that we would not intervene this time either. And the international community can be confronted with a fait accompli, as Croatia did, in a few days quickly and toughly “cleansing” Western Slavonia, inhabited by Serbs.
But suppose that the calculation of the Georgian leader was justified. How would events develop then?
The fate of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
If Russia only reacted in the form of “condemnation” and “expression of concern,” only Georgia would benefit from such a development of events. Moreover, at that time more interesting and colorful events took place at the Beijing Olympics than in the small, distant and incomprehensible South Ossetia.
The Ossetians, for whom official Tbilisi conducted policies genocide. The death toll in this rebellious republic would increase significantly. Even the name of the operation of the Georgian military against the population of South Ossetia - “Clean Field” - did not portend anything good to the ethnic Ossetians living in the republic.
And after South Ossetia, the turn of Abkhazia would inevitably follow. And this statement is not based on guesswork, but on reliable information from the Ministry of Defense of this republic. A massive attack on Abkhazia was planned three hours after the complete capture of South Ossetia.
Possible losses of Russia
It would seem, what does Russia care about these small Transcaucasian republics? Yes, no. But in the Caucasus, rarely is something simple and understandable at first sight.
The self-determination of Russia would do irreparable damage to the image of our country. Indeed, in South Ossetia, most of the population had Russian passports. Thus, not only military personnel from the peacekeeping contingent, but also Russian civilians were killed under Georgian shelling. And not to protect them is to lose respect and authority in the international community.
In addition, it should be remembered that Georgia is in vassal subordination to the United States. From the territory of South Ossetia, ill-wishers of Russia could begin subversive work among the radicals of the North Caucasus, threaten the oil pipeline passing here, and create other problems.
And gaining control of Abkhazia by Georgia, and therefore the United States, would significantly weaken Russia's position on the Black Sea, because over time, NATO ships could get in close proximity to Russian borders.
First victories in the information war
At first, Georgia, hoping for Russia's non-interference, as the pretext for the attack on South Ossetia came up with "restoration of constitutional order in the Tskhinvali region." Having received a rebuff, the aggressor changed the version. Tbilisi began to claim that its invasion of South Ossetia was a response to the entry of Russian troops.
This statement was so ridiculous that even in the USA and Europe they did not accept it, recognizing Russia's actions as fair.
Some Western media, trying to represent our country as an aggressor, were then caught in a lie. For example, CNN, without understanding, showed footage of shelling by Russians of the Georgian city of Gori. As it turned out, the video showed the “exploits” of the Georgian army in Tskhinval.
There were other attempts to slander Russian actions, but they also failed.
It turns out that our military-political leadership in August 2008 was able to quickly and decisively take the necessary measures, forcing the aggressor to peace. And the rightness of Russia was recognized by the international community.
No matter what the opponents of the military operation brilliantly conducted by Russia ten years ago say, the fact remains. Despite the strained relations between the countries of the region, today there is no armed conflict, and the local population is not afraid for their lives.
And all this was achieved thanks to the correct and decisive actions of the Russian military.
Information