Looking for Trouble

Georgia and Russia share blame for war

An EU-sponsored report into the Russia-Georgia war in 2008 has blamed both countries for the conflict and said both countries violated international humanitarian law.

The report released Wednesday said about 850 people were killed in the August 2008 war, and that more than 100,000 fled their homes, about 35,000 of whom are still displaced.

Both Georgia and Russia issued statements welcoming the report. And both countries called it a vindication of their respective actions and during the war.

The report blames Georgia for starting the conflict, although it adds that Georgia had been provoked.

The five-day war started on Aug. 7, 2008, when Georgia shelled the breakaway region of South Ossetia, in an attempt to regain control over it and claiming that Russian forces were invading. The previous months had seen a series of clashes between Georgia and the Russian-backed forces.

The Russian military quickly repelled the assault, and pushed further into Georgia before a ceasefire was reached. Russia pulled back, but continued to build up its military presence in both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another disputed region.

Russia has recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent and has vowed to protect them. But Georgia and the most of the international community still view them as part of Georgia, and the report’s author, Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, said Russia’s recognition “must be considered as being not valid in the context of international law, and as violations of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

The report also warned of a “serious” risk of new confrontation in the region.

Overall, the report appears to be good news for Russia, which had been accused by Georgia of launching an invasion. For Georgia, the report is not so good. Georgia had been seen as the brave underdog, standing up to its giant, aggressive neighbor. That definitely was the view pushed by Georgia’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who has withstood calls to resign over the conflict.

It will be interesting to see how the citizens of Georgia view this report. Salome Samadashvili, Georgia’s ambassador to the EU, has already made his government’s position on the report clear Wednesday.

“The allegations of my country have been proven. It was Georgia which came under invasion from another country, in violation of the international law,” he said.