Forget about all the cease fire deals you’ve been hearing about the truth is that Russia’s in Georgia for the long haul and will likely be using this new front to launch military and economic attacks on Europe. Russia has dug in despite calls for withdrawal:
IGOETI, Georgia (AP) – Russian forces built ramparts around tanks and posted sentries on a hill in central Georgia on Saturday, digging in despite Western pressure for Moscow to withdraw its forces under a cease-fire deal signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
The United States and France said it appeared Russia was defying the truce already. Russian troops still controlled two Georgian cities and the key east-west highway between them Saturday, cities well outside the breakaway provinces where earlier fighting was focused.
“From my point of view – and I am in contact with the French – the Russians are perhaps already not honoring their word,” U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said Medvedev had signed the cease-fire deal and ordered its implementation, but would not withdraw troops until Moscow is satisfied that security measures allowed under the agreement are effective. He said Russia would strengthen its peacekeeping contingent in South Ossetia, the separatist Georgian region at the center of more than a week of warfare that sharply soured relations between Moscow and the West.
Asked how much time it would take, he responded: “As much as is needed.”
Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Russia has destroyed the railway in the Kaspi district:
Despite the international community’s efforts and the signing of documents on cessation of hostilities, the Russian Federation’s armed forces continue military actions against Georgia, destroying civilian infrastructure.
On 16 August 2008 troops of the Russian occupation army mined and exploded the Metekhi-Grakali span of the railway bridge in the Kaspi district. This subversive-terrorist act resulted in the severing of railway links between the east and west of Georgia and connections with Georgia’s seaports. Moreover, the bridge used to provide a route for refugees from the Russian-occupied territories into safe places.
Russia is pursuing deliberate policy aimed at undermining Georgia’s statehood, including through bringing about humanitarian catastrophe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia calls on the international community and friend countries to take urgent measures to avert humanitarian catastrophe in Georgia and prevent destruction of Georgia’s statehood.
Tbilisi, 16 August 2008
For further information, please contact:
Nato Chikovani, Press Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia: +995.77.507.726
On the economic front, Russia has declared that the BTC oil pipeline, blown up by the Communist PKK just prior to the Russian invasion, will never operate again. ThreatsWatch has been following Russian involvement in that attack and this is confirmation:
How can they know it will not run again? Because they have the communist PKK at the ready to ensure it stays dead with more bombings if necessary.
Earlier this week, we asked “Did Russia Employ Communist PKK Ahead of Georgia Invasion?†The PKK took responsibility for the BTC pipeline bombing. But it remains likely that the communist terrorists got marching orders from Vladimir Putin, one of the opening kinetic salvos into the drive on Georgia.
Russia is threatening Western Europe by dominating the energy market through military force. Not that I expect the spineless Europeans to do anything about it. Georgian civilians are being attacked by Ossetian militias and Russia has just threatened to nuke Poland and the Europeans are still hoping to work out a deal with Putin. I think WWIII has just started, but we don’t realize it yet.