Not that you care all that much...

[Dr Skimeister]

I'm glad to hear your family is safe.

A very interesting op-ed piece in today's NY Times starts like this:

"Few are paying attention to a critical threat in the Caucasus: an increase in criminality that would destabilize the region and at worst provide terrorist groups with nuclear material."

This can't be taken lightly.

[koreshot]

Through my father and his network for friends and associates in Georgia I have been getting some interesting play by plays of what is really happening.

After Russia signed the cease fire agreement they continued to pushed closer towards the capital and several tanks and attack helicopters were stationed within 20km of the capital, much closer than Gori.

The are also occupying Khashuri, Zugdidi, Borjomi, and my cousins who are stuck in a village where they go on their summer breaks saw Russian helis setting fire to national forests. Railroads, bridges and buildings are being destroyed. Russian tanks run over unoccupied cars, vans and buses, knock down empty buildings. People stuck outside the city, fleeing back to the safety of Tbilisi have been shot at, stopped and their cars and belongings 'confiscated'. Dozens of towns have been completely looted. My father's associate was traveling with her husband and new born to Tbilisi to escape the fighting, they were shot at and stopped by Ossetian militia halfway between Gori and Tbilisi. They were pulled out of the car and beaten at gunpoint. Their car was then taken and they were left alone in a war zone on the side of the highway where they spent the night in the woods.

Russia seems to be stringing the international community along with multiple cease fire agreements that are broken - this buys them the time they need to fortify inside and outside of Abkhazia and Ossetia as well as destroy as much of the infrastructure as possible in the areas where they will be unable to remain in control without major international pressure.

Georgia is paying the price for a decade of sticking out its tongue at Russians and for pursuing international politics that they knew would infuriate Russia. The big bear is making sure the lessons are remembered for a long time. They are also making sure the Ukraine and other ex-Soviet republics take notice.

I just hope that more contries don't get sucked into this. Last thing we need is some kind of military standoff between Russian and the US.

[koreshot]

Things are getting better back home... fighting has slowed and Russia says they started pulling out.

I came across some pictures taken by a Russian photographer who was embedded with the Russian troops.

DISCLAIMER: There are some very graphic images!
http://www.navoine.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?p=551#551