Cold War heats up with a vengence

Cid_Yama

Georgia prepares large-scale provocation – RF military intelligence

Georgian authorities are preparing a large-scale provocation in the next few days, a Russian military intelligence official said on Wednesday.

“Georgian Defence Ministry units plan to use the remains of the troops left after hostilities for this purpose,” he said.

“The cynicism of this can hardly be perceived” but “the remains are being worked on in order to provide ostensible proof of victims among the peaceful population, humiliating treatment and brutality on the remains of the troops,” the official said.

“Three refrigerator trucks full of the remains gathered by Georgian units over the past few days left Tbilisi today,” he said, adding, “Ice produced by the Coca-Cola plant near Gori was used to preserve the bodies”.

He also noted two other circumstances. One, “the Georgian side has so far buried almost none of its dead, which may suggest a possible provocation”.

Second, “The Russian peacekeepers and South Ossetian authorities have handed over numerous remains of the Georgian servicemen”, he said.

“We would like to say that those remains were photographed and videotaped upon discovery,” he added.

A representative of the Investigation Committee under the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said that if Georgian authorities stage such cynical provocation, the moral aspects put aside, they should understand the risk they will face in this event.

link
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In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

It riles them to believe that you perceive the webs they weave. - Moody Blues

Nickel

EnergyUnlimited · Fusion Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 3396

gmin · Heavy Crude Joined: Feb 05, 2006 Posts: 104

threadbear · Expert Joined: Jan 22, 2005 Posts: 7784

shakespear1 · Light Sweet Crude Joined: May 13, 2005 Posts: 1574

The Butcher of Tiblisi should get an airfare ticket to the Hague not Ukraine. What are the Ukrainian's thinking?
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evilgenius

Who else thinks that if the US does anything toward Iran Russia immediately annexes South Ossetia and Abkhazia? I wonder what is really being said behind the scenes.
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"Hope encourages men to take risks; men in a strong position may follow her without ruin, if not without loss. But when they stake all that they have to the last coin (for she is a spendthrift), she reveals her real self in the hour of failure."

EnergyUnlimited · Fusion Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 3396

Cid_Yama

Russia to keep forces at key port
Russia has defended plans to keep its forces in the key Georgian port of Poti, saying it does not break terms of a French-brokered ceasefire deal. Russia's Gen Anatoly Nogovitsyn said combat troops had left now Georgia and only peacekeepers remained.

Gen Nogovitsyn, who said Russia was not the Soviet Union or the Evil Empire, accused Georgia of preparing acts of sabotage in South Ossetia and preparing troops for "further actions". He also warned that should the US start rearming the Georgian army, Russia might enlarge its peacekeeping force.

Moscow intends to maintain what it describes as a peacekeeping presence of 2,600 troops in "buffer zones" around Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia insists it is allowed these zones under previous peacekeeping agreements that ended fighting in Abkhazia and South Ossetia when they first broke away from Tbilisi in the 1990s.

The zones include sections of the main highway from the capital Tbilisi to the Black Sea as well as Georgia's main airbase at Senaki. Gen Nogovitsyn admitted that Poti, 32km (20 miles) south of Abkhazia, was outside this zone.

The general accused Nato of increasing tensions by massing forces in the Black Sea. He said the arrival of Spanish, German, US and Polish ships in the Black Sea "did not contribute to the settlement of the situation".

Nato says it is holding long-planned exercises in the area, which were not linked to the conflict in Georgia. link

Warships of nations not bordering the Black Sea, are not allowed to enter, per international agreements. This is an interesting development.
_________________
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

It riles them to believe that you perceive the webs they weave. - Moody Blues

Cid_Yama

NATO sends more ships into Black Sea
"Two more NATO ships passed through the strait and entered the Black Sea on Friday evening," the source told RIA Novosti.

The deputy head of Russia's General Staff said the Navy was aware that NATO was strengthening its presence in the sea. "The situation in the Black Sea is escalating. NATO is continuing to build up its naval presence in the area," Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn told reporters Saturday.

A Navy officer said Friday that Russia would continue its operations to ensure the security of shipping to and from Georgia's separatist republic of Abkhazia. "The Black Sea fleet continues to carry out its task of maritime traffic security patrols off the coast of Abkhazia," Captain Igor Dygalo said.

The ORP General Pulaski and the USS McFaul joined two ships from Germany and Spain that entered the sea earlier Friday. The Turkish navy source expected the NATO presence in the Black Sea to grow to about seven vessels.

Nogovitsyn on Friday expressed doubts that NATO vessels needed to be in the Black Sea, and he promised that Russia would respond swiftly to any provocations against its Black Sea Fleet.

Tensions between NATO and Russia are high following the recent conflict over Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia. link
_________________
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

It riles them to believe that you perceive the webs they weave. - Moody Blues

wisconsin_cur

Cid_Yama

Thank you, Cur.

I was just looking for a copy of the Convention. I was aware there were exceptions, I just couldn't remember what they were offhand. Big difference between courtesy visit and Naval Exercises.

The US recently sent the warship San Jacinto to the Ukranian port of Sevastapol (home port of the of the Russian Black Sea Fleet) just to stick it in Russia's eye. Caused a big stir.
_________________
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

It riles them to believe that you perceive the webs they weave. - Moody Blues

Cid_Yama

Ukraine has to move towards NATO - Yushchenko
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said his country has to move towards the NATO alliance.

“For our country it is the only way to protect our national security and sovereignty,” he said in an interview with Britain’s Times daily on Saturday.

He stressed that Ukraine needs to increase the military budget.

“I want to remind all political forces in our country that shout about the possible neutral status of Ukraine, that neutrality can come at a very high price,” Yushchenko said. link

The returning Russian Black Sea Fleet small-size missile ship Mirage patiently waited for almost an hour until Ukrainian vessels ended their manoeuvring at the entry to the Sevastopol bay.

A military boat and then the ship Zirka Dnepra manoeuvred there. It was not officially reported why they needed to manoeuvre there right at the time, but Sevastopol residents who waited to welcome the Russian ship and from the breakwater watched the movements believe that the crews of the Ukrainian vessels had a task to spoil the welcome for the returning Russian sailors even if a little. link

Sevastopol welcomes Russian Navy ship with salute
Three-colour Russian and St. Andrew flags from the morning on Saturday coloured the sea coast along the way of the small-size missile ship Mirage, which has returned to the base in Sevastopol from the Caucasian coasts.

Hundreds of people under Russian flags welcomed the Black Sea Fleet ship on Russian Flag Day. When the Mirage came into the Sevastopol bay, it was welcomed with fireworks over the breakwater and resounding "Hurrah, Russia", the wave of which then accompanied the ship to the mooring place. More than 500 Sevastopol residents took the most prestige place -- Grafskaya Pier.

Earlier, a group of Ukrainian nationalists, which attempted to stage their own scenario of the meeting, was rebuffed there. Sevastopol police had to protect about 15 members of "the Student Fraternity" and representatives of other anti-Russian-provocations-skilled Ukrainian ultra-nationalist organisations from outraged city residents.

When the Mirage came, the group under Ukrainian flags despondently stood surrounded by a reliable ring of public order guards. link

Looks like Ukrainian internal politics is about to get real interesting.
_________________
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

It riles them to believe that you perceive the webs they weave. - Moody Blues

Cid_Yama

Russian strategic aviation flights conform with intl law - FM
The resumption of Russian strategic aviation flights to remote areas is being carried out in the routine fashion and in strict conformity with international law and it does not pose a threat either to the United States or to any other country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary on Friday in connection with recent statements on the issue by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “These flights are carried out exclusively for the purpose of maintaining Russia’s security and they by no means influence the existing balance of force in the world,” the Foreign Ministry said.

On August 18 Rice said in an interview on the way to Brussels for a meeting of NATO foreign ministeres the Bush administration was unhappy with flights by Russian strategic bombers near U.S. borders and accused Moscow of playing a "dangerous game."

Talking about flights by Tu-95 Bear bombers, the U.S. secretary of state told journalists: "We've had Russian Bear flights along the Norwegian coast...even along the borders with the United States which...is a very dangerous game." "Nobody needs Russian strategic aviation along America's coasts," she added.

“Such a statement causes surprise, to say the least,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “One has the impression the Pentagon somehow manages to keep secret from the Department of State that the Untied States’ strategic bombers, unlike Russian ones, have not only never stopped flying some very specific military missions, but continue to be deployed at forward air bases outside the United States’ territory in various parts of the world.”

“If one is to follow the secretary of state’s logic, it would be appropriate to ask this question – if training flights by our aircraft are ’a dangerous game,’ what term should be applied to the emergence of components of the US strategic anti-ballistic missile defense close to Russian borders? Such double standards can drive any international problem into a dead end.” link
_________________
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

It riles them to believe that you perceive the webs they weave. - Moody Blues

dissident · Heavy Crude Joined: Apr 08, 2006 Posts: 469

Anyone who thinks Saakashvili is not trying to stage a fake "Russian attrocity" play is out of touch with reality. In spite of all the whining about "Russian brutality" by the Bush regime and its sycophants there is nothing behind it (my golly a railway bridge got bombed, also take a look at video of Gori: where are the craters from the two 500 pound bombs that Russia allegedly dropped on its market square?). In contrast, there are thousands of eyewitnesses to Saakashvili's war criminal artillery and MLRS barrage of Tskhinvalli. Saakashvili and his NATO patrons desperately need "proof" of Russian brutality to justify their support for this war criminal.

Russia made a big mistake by not invading ALL of Georgia and removing the Saakashvili regime. It made another mistake by signing the French ceasefire plan without demanding military exclusion zones around Abkhazia and South Ossetia as an explicit point (currently it is implicit). NATO can hardly complain about buffer zones which would prevent Georgian artillery and MLRS attacks on Abkhazian and South Ossetian population centers. But now we have Bush and pals trying to read whatever they want into the ceasefire as if they are explicit parties in the conflict (hey, I guess they are). BTW, ceasefires are not peace treaties and can be scrapped on technical violations. Also, NATO and its totalitarian media completely ignore the fact that the UN peacekeeping agreements of 1992 and 1994 for Abkhazia and South Ossetia allow for buffer zones to be established in the case of armed violations by the Georgian side.