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No. 1454
ID: 709cfd
USER In July 2008, hostilities escalated between Georgia and its breakaway state of South Ossetia, with increases in missile bombardment of Georgian villages by Ossetian separatists.[citation needed] Russia and Georgia had each amassed larger military forces near their respective borders with South Ossetia. After the Georgian bombing of the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali in the late evening of August 7, Georgian armed forces began pushing into South Ossetia, supported by their artillery and multiple rocket launcher fire.[46] Russia reported that several Russian peacekeepers stationed in South Ossetia were killed. At dawn of August 8 forces of the Russian 58th Army entered South Ossetia through the Russian-controlled Roki tunnel, and the Russian air-force launched a series of coordinated air strikes against multiple targets within Georgian territory.[47] As justification for their invasion and air strikes, Russia also claimed the Georgian army was responsible for killing 1,600 South Ossetian civilians. However, these allegations have not been substantiated, and Human Rights Watch investigators in South Ossetia accused Russia of exaggerating the scale of such casualties.[48]
As Russia and Georgia both sent troops into South Ossetia, the conflict between Georgia on the one side and Russia, Ossetian, and later, Abkhazian separatists on the other quickly escalated into the full scale 2008 war. Due to the intensive fighting in South Ossetia there were many disputed reports about the number of casualties on both sides, which targets had fallen under aerial attacks, the status of troop movements, and the most current location of the front line between the Georgian and Russian-Ossetian combat units.[49] After a few days of heavy fighting Georgian troops were driven from South Ossetia. The advance of Russian forces from South Ossetia into undisputed Georgia territory was accompanied by unverified reports of looting, burning, and killing of civilians by Russian military and accompanying irregulars.[50] By August 11, Russian military troops in Abkhazia, the other separatist Georgian province, executed a second invasion and seized additional territory in Western Georgia.[51] On August 12, President Medvedev announced an intent to halt further Russian military operations in Georgia.[52] FOR THIS POST
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