Russian tanks roll in

Russia sent troops and dozens of tanks into the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia today, throwing the two former Soviet neighbours into a sudden yet undeclared state of war. In the most serious regional crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, at least 50 tanks – and possibly many more – rumbled through the Roki tunnel, which cuts through the Caucasus mountains separating South Ossetia from the Russian province of North Ossetia. "One hundred and fifty Russian tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles have entered South Ossetia,” President Saakashvili of Georgia told reporters in Tbilisi. “This is a clear intrusion on another country’s territory. We have Russian tanks on our territory, jets on our territory in broad daylight." Mr Saakashvili added that Georgian forces had downed two Russian jet fighters over Georgian territory. Georgia mobilised its reservists yesterday and launched a military offensive to regain control over South Ossetia, which broke away from Georgia after it gained independence.

Georgia is trying to appeal to NATO, and specifically America.

Mr Saakashvili, a US-educated lawyer who succeeded Eduard Shevardnadze in 2004 and has since tried to align it more closely to the West, compared the Russian action with the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and appealed to the outside world to intervene. “Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory," he told CNN as Russian armour rolled into South Ossetia. “It’s not about Georgia anymore. It’s about America, its values: we are a freedom-loving nation that is right now under attack.”

Odd timing considering it's the olympics.

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  This is an extremely serious situation.  If Russia does not move into the capital of Georgia, there is room for peace, but if they do, this could be very grave.  If you don't understand it, or understand why, it primarily has to do with World War II.  In WWII Europe allowed Hitler to invade the Czechoslovakia and take it over without any international interference.  Before that, they allowed him to move into the Rhineland.  It wasn't until Hitler had invaded Poland that war was declared and even then it wasn't until Hitler had taken over half of France before anyone did anything to the Germans.

  The Europeans are therefor extremely sensitive to the toppling of a democratic state in Europe by an aggressive power.  Sensitive enough that they may go to war over it.  While the News media is saying things like, "Well Russia controls the gas and oil so nobody is going to want to fight them" is overlooking a major key, and that's historical history.

  The French, especially, are up-in-arms over this because they can't allow it to happen.  It's a matter of National pride.

  The United States can't let it happen.  It tells our friends like Poland, The Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, etc that we don't have their back if the Russian bear comes for them again. 

  This is a serious situation.  It makes bombing Iran look like an afternoon picnic.  The key thing is that the Russians cannot take the capital of Georgia.  If they do, it's going to get really ugly. 

Better go fill your gas tanks up.  Gas is likely to go up due to speculation.

Ugh.

i think i read somewhere that russia destroyed some pipeline and port for oil exports... great...

anyways, it seems a "cease fire" has been called by both sides. i think russia is still doing some bombings though.

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damn I hope we dont go into world war three....
I haven't beat Metal gear and metal gear 2 solid snake yet. and i need to finish metal gear on the game boy color...
Life is not fair...

seriously, Im kinda worried now.
I wonder if we will go to war with them, what will we do in Iraq...
will we pull out instantly and go against Russia, or will they pull some sort of draft and we fight both or something else crazy?

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"the dominus of the black megadus"

Russia sucks. 

Yea, true, but invade?  I mean, that's like the U.S. Government invading Ohio, and Canada coming in, taking over Ohio and annexing Indiana on top of it.  It's their own country, they didn't invade it.  They went in to stop rebels, and while they might have been killing innocent people, it's still their own country and doesn't give Russia the right to just drive in and seize half of Georgia.

Seriously, Russia had a giant mechnized division on their border with Georgia.  I think the free world Governments kind of look at that evidence and realize Russia was doing a little bit more than peace-keeping.

I'm not Pro Georgian, by any means, but when another country drives a hundred and fifty tanks into your country and starts bombing your capital, it's a little bit more than a border skirmish.

Micfri wrote Georgia broke away from Russia Russia allowed it now these two regions want to break away from Georgia it's more than a little hypocritical on Georgia's part Russia may just have be pointing out this fact with a hundred tanks and thousands of troops and planes and crap but I really think it was all set up to help McCain in the polls, who did get a huge boost from this conflict did anyone see Bush chating it up with Putin at the olympics?

Now Putin is saying this is exactly what the US was doing. Sounds like Cold War politics to me all over again, though I wouldn't put it past Bush to manufacture some BS like this before he leaves office.

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well it certainly fits the MO of this admin...istration

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Peace