LATEST UPDATE FROM RUSSIAN AND PRO-S.OSSETIA SOURCES:
-Keep in mind - these sources add their own spin. I am not going to say they present everything fairly. However the only journalists in the conflict
zone with the exception of a few from BBC and Reuters, are Russian.
RIA News
ITAR TASS
Rosbalt News (in Russian only and somewhat nationalistic)
Journalistic Bureau of South Ossetia Government (separatists' spin)
ITAR TASS reports 12 dead and over 50 wounded Russian troops. If that total includes the ten peacekeepers killed by artillery fire yesterday it would
mean that only 2 Russian soldiers die during today's fighting. This may mean that the fighting is not as fierce as innitially reported, or that
Georgian troops are avoiding engagement with Russians and instead are focusing on attacking the separatist forces. Either way I suspect this innitial
casualty figure is underestimated and will go up quickly once the Russian peacekeepers move into Tskhinvali and south and East of the city where the
Georgian forces are massed.
RIA News reports that Russia cut off all transportation (including air) links to Georgia. Meanwhile a stead stream of refugees from South Ossetia are
still entering Russia. It is reported that some thousands of refugees are still unable to get out due to Georgian shelling and heavy fire, and there
are unconfirmed reports of refugees in several villages being attacked outright.
There is alot of confusion of where exactly the majority of Georgian forces are. Innitially today there were reports of Georgians retreating, but now
the fighting has intensified again in the evening which may mean they are trying to hold their ground near Tskhinvalli.
Besides the contingent of Russian armor that entered the conflict zone in the afternoon, there was no reported large border crossings by the Russian
army. However the airforce is intensifying its efforts. Also there is no word if Abkhazian division which supposedly left to aid S. Ossetia has
arrived yet.
UN has reached no conlusion (surprise surprise) and is continuing to preside on the issue. No progress in UN talks is expected by either side, at
least for the next day.
Reports of ethnical cleansing by Georgian troops are still unconfirmed, but there is vague footage of many dead civilians in several smaller isolated
towns to the north and east of Tskhinvali. It is unkown whether this is due to Georgian artillery or infiltration by Georgian ground forces.
Georgian forces have left Tskhinvalli, and except for refugees and wounded the city is empty and large destroyed. Dead civilians are seen on the
streets. Russian troops and humanitarian aid is expected to enter the city this night, as long as there is no artillery attack from Georgia.
Unconfirmed and seemingly false reports by Georgia of hundreds of dead after Russian air strikes against military targets around Tbilisi and south of
S.Ossetia. There is footage of some lightly injured Georgian troops in the hospital, but so far that's it.
Similarly seeming false reports are coming from the separatists saying thousands are dead from Georgian attacks. Most likely numbers are put at
hundreds of civilians and hundreds of S. Ossetia militia. However nothing can be confirmed untill the fighting subsides and reporters and
peacekeepers are able to assess the area. Georgian attacks appear to be quick hit-and-run strikes, likely to avoid retaliation from the Russian
airforce and local militia.
President Medvedev confirmed that humanitarian aid is being dispatched to South Ossetia and refugees in North Ossetia. Medvedev also declared that he
wants justice served to those responsible for killing 10 Russian peacekeepers when Georgia began artillery fire 24 hours ago. this likely means that
Russia will seek to bring Saakashvilli to international justice for these criminal acts, and will break off all communication and negotiation with his
government.
Georgia has practically declared war, short of an official declaration. Russia so far has not hinted that it intends to declare war, and likely will
not declare war since its efforts are confined at securing South Ossetia. Saakashvilli has declared national mobilization, yet little is happening on
Georgia's side and Tbilisi is relatively quiet. There are reports that political opposition is preparing mass protests and calls for Saakashvilli to
immediately relinquish power and step down, and possibly leave the country. This could place Georgia on the brink of Civil war and yet another coup.
U.S. calls for a stop to war, likely forgeting that it has its own two wars to attend to. U.S. is also quiet about the fact that Condoleezza Rice was
the one who gave the go ahead for Georgia to attack a month ago. U.S. is pretending to be an outside peacekeeper.
Caucasus neighbors with similarly unstable potential conflicts - Armenia and Azerbaijan, are staying quiet. Abkhazia is fully mobilized and reports
that it is ready to engage Georgian troops. However it appears that it will not open a second front and attack Georgia right now. Perhaps its
actions are being coupled with Russian strategy.
I was sceptical of claims that Russia would start targeting civilians - who a
significant minority are pro-Russia.
