9 Aug 2008
Putin accuses Georgia of crimes against its own people
Russian Prime Minister just said on Russia Today television that Georgia’s bombardments of South Ossetia are crimes against its own people and said “it’s hard to see how South Ossetia could stay a part of Georgia” after the conflict settles out.
Granted, so far Georgia’s actions in South Ossetia haven’t been any more brutal than those of Russia in Chechnya. But it does show that Russia has upped the stakes in the conflict, essentially stating that when the fighting settles South Ossetia will either be independent or a part of Russia.
My money’s on South Ossetia becoming part of Russia by the time this is all said and done, but I can’t help but see some sort of backlash in the future (for Russia) if they were to annex SO.
leapsecond
August 9th, 2008 at 7:43 pmpermalink
Yeah, I think the Russian government in some ways sees South Ossetia and Abkhazia as a tit-for-tat after the independence of Kosovo, so I’m not sure what repercussions there will be other than upping the intensity of the geo-political game with NATO and the United States.
Nicholas Alan Clayton
August 9th, 2008 at 11:04 pmpermalink
…Which isn’t good considering that Russia is still wary of NATO and its tactics (in Russia’s eyes) to isolate it a la the Cold War.
leapsecond
August 10th, 2008 at 1:44 ampermalink