A TV screenshot shows an armored vehicle burning in Georgia.
The President of Georgia delivered a televised speech.
TV screenshots show that residents of South Ossetia are evacuating.
After a brief ceasefire, Georgian troops launched a large-scale attack on South Ossetia from the air and ground on August 8, and announced that they had controlled most of South Ossetia. The conflict has caused 15 deaths. Georgian President Saakashvili made a televised speech to the people on the 8 th, announcing the mobilization of reserve soldiers in Georgia.
According to Russian TV reports, Russian troops and tanks entered South Ossetia on the 8th. At the request of Russia, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on the conflict in South Ossetia, Georgia, late at night on the 7th.
Georgia
Control most of South Ossetia.
Want to control the whole territory in the shortest time
At 3: 30 am local time on the 8th, Georgian troops dispatched tanks and infantry to attack the southern suburbs of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. The commander of Georgia’s peacekeeping force in South Ossetia said: "We are forced to take action to restore constitutional order in the whole region." Yakobashvili, Minister of State for Georgian Unification Affairs, said: "Georgian troops surrounded Tskhinvali." He said that Georgian government forces have recovered five South Ossetian villages. Yakobashvili also said that Georgia hopes to control the whole territory of South Ossetia in the shortest time. Yakobashvili did not disclose Georgia’s strength in the conflict area of South Ossetia. He said that there were casualties between the warring sides, but the number of injuries and deaths in Georgia was "much less".
At present, the central government of Georgia has controlled two-thirds of South Ossetia.
National call for reserve personnel
Georgian President Saakashvili announced in a televised speech on August 8: "Most of the territory of South Ossetia has been controlled by Georgia …" He said that Georgian troops have occupied the suburbs of Tskhinvali and are currently fighting in Tskhinvali. At the same time, he announced the full mobilization of Georgian troops and the convening of reserve personnel.
Georgian government forces and South Ossetian militants clashed in several villages around Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, on the 7th. Georgian President Saakashvili issued a cease-fire order later on the 7th and announced that South Ossetia would be granted "full autonomy". According to Saakashvili, the Georgian army immediately unilaterally stopped fighting back against South Ossetia. However, shortly after Saakashvili announced the ceasefire, the gunfire around Tskhinvali resumed on the 8 th, and heavy weapons shooting and huge explosions continued to come, and the sky was reflected red.
Accusing Russian warplanes of bombing Georgian villages.
The Georgian Interior Ministry said that three Russian bombers attacked Georgian villages on the 8th. "Three Russian Su -24 bombers entered Georgian airspace on the 8th. One of the planes dropped two bombs near the Cattell regional police station. " A spokesman for Georgia’s Ministry of Interior said that it was a Georgian village near South Ossetia. A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said: "This is nonsense, saying that Russian planes flew into Georgia and one of them was shot down." The Russian military also said that the Russian peacekeeping force in Tskhinvali was shelled by Georgian troops and some soldiers were killed.
South Ossetia
The gunfire went up to the sky, and the capital was cut off from electricity and water.
The capital has been cut off from electricity and water.
According to South Ossetia, Georgian tank columns and infantry are advancing in the direction of Tskhinvali, several buildings in the city center are burning, and the parliament building has been burned down. The government complex was damaged. Multi-storey residential buildings and other buildings in the city center caught fire, and most of the capital Tskhinvali was destroyed. The city has been cut off from electricity and water, and communication is intermittent. Tskhinvali civilians hid in the basement of their houses to avoid gunfire.
The commander of the Russian peacekeeping force in South Ossetia said that Georgia dispatched five Su -25 planes to bomb villages in South Ossetia. The pictures broadcast by Russian TV show that the artillery fire is so fierce that people can hardly walk in Tskhinvali. Russian TV reporters said that at least 15 people were killed in Georgian gunfire.
Thousands of volunteers went to South Ossetia.
Cocoi, leader of South Ossetia, said on the same day that Georgia had not occupied Tskhinvali. At the same time, many volunteers from Russia and Abkhazia, another part of Georgia, rushed to South Ossetia to participate in the war. Mamu zuroff, leader of the Russian Republic of North Ossetia, said: "Hundreds of volunteers are rushing from North Ossetia to South Ossetia, and it is difficult for us to stop them." Abkhaz leader Sergei BAGAPSH also said: "About 1,000 volunteers are leaving for South Ossetia."
More than 2,000 residents of South Ossetia were accepted.
Gokoyeva, press director of the Russian Republic of North Ossetia, announced on the 8th that as Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, was shelled by Georgian armed forces, North Ossetia was ready to receive more than 2,000 residents who voluntarily evacuated there.
Gokoyeva said that it is expected that the number of people evacuated from South Ossetia to Russia will increase. North Ossetia has sent transportation to meet these people and arranged accommodation for them.
Russia
The conflict has escalated into war.
The situation in South Ossetia is "unprecedentedly dangerous"
This is the most serious conflict in South Ossetia recently. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister grigori Carracin said that Russia considers the current situation in South Ossetia "unprecedented danger". Russian media reported that the conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia has escalated into a war. Senior officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing the Georgian army of "preparing for war". This statement was refuted by the Georgian government. Saakashvili said that the unstable situation in South Ossetia is not in Georgia’s interest. Yuri popov, the Russian special envoy who rushed to South Ossetia, said: "Georgia’s treachery and attack are completely unreasonable, which shows that Georgian leaders have no credibility at all." He said that NATO should reconsider its plan to admit Georgia.
Putin said Russia had to retaliate.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin condemned Georgia’s "provocation" on the 8th, saying that Russia would have to retaliate. "Unfortunately, before the opening of the Olympic Games, the Georgian authorities took provocative actions in South Ossetia," said Putin, who came to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. "They actually started hostilities with tanks and artillery. This incident is sad, which will trigger retaliatory measures. " Putin said that he discussed the situation in South Ossetia with US President George W. Bush and other leaders.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev presided over an emergency meeting of the National Security Council on the 8th to discuss the situation in South Ossetia. Medvedev promised that Russia will protect the lives of Russian citizens in South Ossetia.
According to reports, the South Ossetian authorities announced on the 8 th that a Russian armored force was advancing into Tskhinvali, the capital of Georgia’s South Ossetia Autonomous Prefecture. Georgian President Saakashvili said that about 150 Russian tanks, armored vehicles and other vehicles have entered South Ossetia.
Security Council (of the United Nations)
Failed to adopt the draft statement drafted by Russia.
At the request of Russia, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on the conflict in South Ossetia, Georgia, late at night on the 7th. In closed consultations that evening, the Security Council discussed a draft statement drafted by Russia. The draft expresses serious concern about the escalation of violent conflicts between Georgian troops and armed men in South Ossetia, and calls on both sides to immediately stop bloody conflicts and give up the use of force.
Diplomats attending the meeting said that the United States, Britain, Georgia and some delegates refused to accept the wording of the statement "all parties are required to renounce the use of force." The Security Council finally failed to adopt this draft statement. After closed-door consultations, the Security Council immediately turned to an open meeting from the early morning of the 8th. Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mikhail Churkin said that Russia requested this emergency meeting because of Georgia’s large-scale military action against South Ossetia, which threatened the security of the region. Churkin said that the Security Council must immediately call on both sides to stop hostilities and renounce the use of force.
Alasania, Georgia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said that Georgia’s military action was an act of self-defense after repeated provocations, and he accused South Ossetia militants of violating the ceasefire agreement and taking extreme violence. He said that the Georgian government is willing to resume peace talks immediately and called on South Ossetia to stop military operations.
Information on the origin of South Ossetia issue
South Ossetia is an autonomous prefecture of Georgia, mainly composed of Ossetians, Russians and Georgians. South Ossetia borders Russia’s North Ossetia. Since 1989, South Ossetia has demanded to merge with North Ossetia in Russia. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, South Ossetia Autonomous Prefecture has been seeking independence and disobeying the jurisdiction of the Georgian central government.
South Ossetia passed a referendum in January 1992, demanding the establishment of an independent Republic and the merger with North Ossetia. Therefore, the contradiction between the Georgian central government and the local authorities in South Ossetia has deteriorated sharply, leading to a large-scale armed conflict.
The contradiction between the Georgian central government and the local authorities in South Ossetia has also seriously affected the relations between Russia and Georgia. For a long time, due to the close relationship between South Ossetia authorities and Russia, Georgia often accused Russia of secretly supporting South Ossetia.
On June 24, 1992, the top leaders of Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia and North Ossetia held talks for the first time on the peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in South Ossetia, and reached an agreement on the realization of a ceasefire, the establishment of a peacekeeping force and a supervision Committee. Subsequently, the two sides of the Georgian-Austrian conflict achieved a ceasefire. According to the agreement, Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia and North Ossetia set up a quadripartite mixed supervision committee to resolve the conflict between Georgia and Austria. The mixed peacekeeping force composed of Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia is responsible for carrying out peacekeeping missions in conflict areas. In November 2006, South Ossetia once again held a referendum on independence, and the overwhelming majority of citizens supported the independence of South Ossetia. But this result has not been recognized by the international community.
Editor: Zhang Renhe