Financial Times- Georgia did not believe Russia would respond to its offensive in South Ossetia and was completely unprepared for the counter-attack, the deputy defence minister has admitted.
Batu Kutelia told the Financial Times that Georgia had made the decision to seize the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali despite the fact that its forces did not have enough anti-tank and air defences to protect themselves against the possibility of serious resistance. “Unfortunately, we attached a low priority to this,” he said, sitting at a desk with the flags of Georgia and Nato (to which Georgia does not belong) crossed behind him. “We did not prepare for this kind of eventuality.”
The Georgian military felt there was only a low probability of a massive Russian counter-attack, despite the bloody way in which Russia destroyed Chechnya, on the other side of the Caucasus mountains, in two wars during the 1990s and the fact that separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia had Russian backing.
Georgian forces were unprepared when the Russian counter-strike came, Mr Kutelia said. “I didn’t think it likely that a member of the UN Security Council and the OSCE would react like this,” Mr Kutelia said. His amazement that Russia would use force against a smaller neighbour was echoed by David Darchiashvili, head of the parliamentary European integration committee. “No one expected Russia would mobilise and invade,” he said
Live by the sword…
So let me see… Their thinking is, if we keep poking the bear, it won’t jump up and eat us.
Is there a Darwin Award for an entire country?
How would the US react to a communist Mexico who would sign a pact with Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela, allowing interceptor missiles on their soil, in order to protect them and others from the threat from the evil Jamaica?
a) The US would do nothing… after all, the Jamaicans are evil.
b) The US would invade Mexico.
#3
c) The US would allow even more illegals to cross.
C for the win!
As Russia was acutely aware, Georgia was trained and armed by the US and Israel for the purpose of continuing the process of encircling Russia with hostile bases of operations.
It’s only wishful thinking and stupidity to believe that Russia will sit by passively and allow their country to be encircled by hostile powers.
Americaca still believes (and naively so) that it can be the sole unopposed force for geopolitica/military control of the world.
Remember, Russia’s game is chess, while the US’s game is Monopoly. And Monopoly players will always end up losing.
Checkmate, stupid Americans!
From the look of forces Russia sent in they could wait 6 months then do the same thing with a good chance of sustaining a decent fight against the Russians. The BP pipe line is important but domestic affairs could not support another war for Russia – at least from the view of this cozy chair. Also, Isreal really likes landing planes there…
Anyone wanting “proof” at what a propaganda outfit Faux Spews is should really watch the video above.
Same with Laura Ingram on O’Reilly this week. Clever in a way but how do ditto heads listen to such tripe over and over and over again?
When I read #5 Zhukov’s post, it was read with Steven Berkoff’s voice… Eds.… is it possible to get Berkoff’s photo added to Zhukov’s post? 🙂
“No one expected Russia would mobilise and invade. . ”
No one expected Russia would invade?! We really wanted these epic failures in NATO? Some still do?! I mean, if the neocons had gotten their way and Georgia was already a NATO member, and they had pulled that stunt and killed a bunch of Russians, we would all be crispy critters right now!
From an outside perspective, this situation bears a striking resemblance to when Vietnam liberated Cambodia and caught all sorts of flack for it in the American media. Now, I’m not saying the Georgia has done to South Ossetia what the Khmer Rouge did to Cambodia, but is seems to me that whenever eastern and (wannabe) western countries clash, the eastern countries will always be in the wrong in the eyes of America.
The US has some nerve getting on Russia’s case for invading Georgia. At least Georgia started a war. I don’t remember Iraq invading anybody this latest time.
Its still sinking in for me. The President of Georgia was schooled in the USA, their army was trained and supplied by the USA. I guess with all that exposure, they thought they were attacking the USA?
I wish the USA would shut up more and take decisive in/out military moves when legitimate state interests were involved–or even when they aren’t such as Darfur.
We don’t need to be the world’s policemen, but the analogy to being a firefighter could be more revealing. That, and not being a dunce would help.
#5Remember, Russia’s game is chess, while the US’s game is Monopoly.
#5 “Remember, Russia’s game is chess, while the US’s game is Monopoly.”
The US game is The NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE and don’t you forget it.
#12 – Cap’nKangaroo
American Football… Yeah, baby…
Bomb, bomb, bomb, more war, more war, more war. Think we can last four more months. What will the world be in four more months. Will there be a world of living creatures in four more months.
From what I had read PRIOR to the war, the Russians sent in railroad troops months ago to improve the rail links to allow the passage of heavy tanks into Georgia. Earlier this summer they held war games just over the border where they practiced the invasion. These same units were sitting on the other side of the border waiting for the call to execute the real thing.
Why in heck couldn’t the Georgians see they were being set up.
#12 – If that’s the case, then why is everyone reacting to this like it is one isolated event. This is part of a larger, long term story.
I still can’t follow this cocamaney story. it’s all talking heads to me. can I borrow someone’s cliff notes?
Is the whole affair just a rehearsal in preparation for a replacement of the Iraq war that’s waning down? Just like Iraq I was a replacement for the Cold War? After all the US war industry needs to be fed with no interruptions: sales and revenues need to grow and stock values need to go up.
This is so much crap. This guy is a Deputy Minister — the actual Minster of Defense is former, and still citizen, of Israel, Davit Kezerashvili. Shalva Natelashvili of the Georgian Labour Party criticized Kezerashvili’s appointment as Minister of Defense, arguing that he “has never served in the army… doesn’t even have the title of sergeant and has no clue about the armed forces.”
The only reason the guy is in the position is that Georgia is all but a satellite state of Israel. Israel supplies much of the weaponry, as well as training, to the Georgian military. And they do this on the American taxpayers dime as it is afforded to Israel by U.S. financial and military aid.
This guy knew that Russia would intervene — he miscalculated (along with Israel) about how much military involvement the U.S. would allow itself in the conflict. So far, the West has reacted with rhetoric and economic threats against Russia (although there is growing evidence that limited U.S. military personnel were actually involved in the initial attacks by Georgia upon South Ossetia.) But there is still a possibility that this conflict may turn “hot.” And that is what Israel and the U.S. NeoCons want.
“By way of deception you shall make war.”
What a perfect way to give the Russians an excuse to invade.
Not hat i blame the Russians in the least, with stupid next door, you never know what he will pull because of the lack of brains.
Or the lack of advisor’s with brains.
To think they could have really stood up to the Russians in a stand up fight is stupid, the Russians are able and relatively willing to take the damage due in such a case if they can reply in kind, or do what they deem necessary.
With preparations, and thought the Georgians could have given a bloody nose to the bear, but then what?
where is lies the gain, or even hope of winning such an engagement?
# 11 bobbo said:
… [The USA] “not being a dunce would help.”
Sorry, that would be contrary to official policy.
It’s looking more and more like this was one of the best “head fakes” in recent history on Russia’s part.
At least we don’t have anyone trotting out that stupid line about a ‘proportionate response’. Apparently that only applies when it’s Israel that doesn’t take kindly to being attacked.
For Petes sake… the war started when russian peace keepers and russian citizens as well as the local populace was attacked by the GEORGIAN! millitary. If Canada attacked USA citizens in their country and then when protests from the US government came in, they responded by shooting missiles at US citizens. How would the US react then? Sit by and let the americans in canada get massacred? or would they strike back?
Thats the real situation, no matter how much the neocon propaganda machine would like to put the blame on russia.
Yeah, the IDIOT Georgians STUPIDLY thought the US would back them up in fight against Russia.
That was until Russia moved in some tactical nukes into Ossetia.
Oops. I guess the IDIOT Georgians didn’t expect the Russkies to bring a gun to a knife fight.
MikeN said:
At least we don’t have anyone trotting out that stupid line about a ‘proportionate response’. Apparently that only applies when it’s Israel that doesn’t take kindly to being attacked.
You mean like when Israel killed 1,000 innocent Lebanese citizens because 2-3 of their soldiers where kidnapped by rebels?
LOL…
IDIOT!
#24 – You have to also add to your “what if” simulation that British Columbia was trying to secede from Canada and the US was handing out passports to every Canadian living in British Columbia. There would definitely be a whole lot of questions about these newly minted “Americans.” I’d bet that the world would also be SCREAMING about the US “interfering” in an “internal” matter in Canada.
Doesn’t make either side right, but sheds additional light on the politics of the situation.
#26 – The usual response when Arabs rain missiles down on civilians from Lebanon or Gaza, for the express purpose of killing as many innocents as possible, but ANY casualties incurred by Israel defending themselves from said Arabs is disproportionate.
Proceed this way, the gas chambers are open …
Proportionate responeses are only for those armies that want to lose a war. Russia reminded the world that the USA and the Europeans aren’t the only powers left.