The Peacemaker’s Day in South Ossetia

A year ago, the peacemakers seemed to be a restraining factor in the South-Ossetian region. However, the escalation of the conflict was felt due to the shooting at the near-border villages in both directions, the flights of the Georgian scout planes and the large amount of military hardware on the Georgian side.

In return, the peacemakers opened new blockhouses and monitored the territory of South Ossetia from the planes. The Georgian ambassador was withdrawn from Moscow, and President Sergey Bagapsh started off to Russian from Abkhazia. Tbilisi announced the Kremlin to be preparing for a war. The Russian government pointed at the rate of the armament and preparation of the Georgian army, as well as at its re-dislocation to the conflict zone.

On July, 14, 2008, the Utro.ru portal noted that the war was inexpedient for both the sides. Russia could not initiate any military actions on account of the problems in its relationship with the West. "All that Moscow wants from Tbilisi today is its giving up the attempts to bring back Abkhazia and South Ossetia by force and its future abandonment of the desire to join NATO", the portal reported; these aims could be achieved without a war. As to Tbilisi, by that moment it had been desperately trying to settle the problem of bringing back the "separative regions" in a peaceful way. However, Mikhail Saakashvili had no hope for a military victory in case the South-Ossetian troops were supported by the Russian army. Could he really believe that Russia would give up its servicemen?

However, it is no longer important what the Georgian leader was thinking about on the 8th of August last year, for now the people are witnessing the consequences of his actions. In fact, the war in South Ossetia started with a night attack at the Russian peacemaking units, as the web-site of the Public Committee for Investigating Military Crimes in South Ossetia reports. Their mandate allowed them to use only small arms and light armor. This was enough to maintain the order in the separating zone and ensure the security of peaceful citizens; but the Russian military commitment was attacked by air forces, armor, heavy artillery and the Grad valley fire system.

This was an unprecedented case in the history of peacemaking. The Georgian soldiers had left the place of the peacemakers' permanent dislocation well in advance and took the side of the Georgian army. 10 of the Russian boys died under fire and bombing. Those who survived told about the Georgian planes having attacked the peacemakers' location; they described the crash of grenade throwers, the burst of shells, the shells fragments killing and wounding the soldiers that had come to this land with peace.

As soon as the independence of South Ossetia was recognized, a Treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance and an Agreement on joint efforts on the state border protection were concluded with Russia. The 4th Russian military base was formed in the republic and is currently being developed. The day before, during his visit to South Ossetia, President of Russia Dmitri Midvedev pointed out that both the countries are "to maintain cooperation in the sphere of defense, as well as the relevant treaties". Today, three thousand seven hundred Russian soldiers dislocated in Java and Tskhinval together with all the necessary military equipment are providing security of South Ossetia.

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Svetlana Bolotnikova