If S. Ossetia is part of Georgia, why did the Georgian military attack it and why did Russia in turn respond?

Question

http://ossetians.com/eng/news.php?newsid=479&f=36&PHPSESSID=10cc780157feabc4963b738e35053a7d

Answer 1

Simple answer?   S Ossetia should never have been made part of Georgia.  The people there are mostly Russian ethnically.  Georgia attacked them when SO threatened to  secede or declare independence.

Russia is simply protecting Russians.

Answer 2

S. Ossetia is a break away province that has declared independence early on from the soviet break up.  It has been independent from Georgia since 1992.  Many of the people are recognized Russian citizens with Russian passports.  Russia oversaw security in the area.  Russia likely was involved in the fight to rebuff the threat of Nato's intrusion into its borders.  The united states has been doing a lot of provocative manuevers arround Russia, Russia likely decided to respond in force to shut down Georgia.

We also cannot forget that Georgia and Russia have been in conflict for awhile.  Both sides have been fighting a sniper war in S. Ossetia, Georgia constantly has accused Russia of violating its airspace. I noticed the fighting went underway after Georgia artilleried strike a Russian Barracks killing 10 of their soldiers and wounding another 30.  Russia responded by sending tanks and troops into the region in which Georgia declared it a act of war.

Answer 3

The Ossetians are small people of Alanian origin forcibly divided between Russia and Georgia in 1922 by the communist dictator Joseph Stalin (of Georgian origin). After the break up of the former USSR they want to reunite themselves. That would mean an incorporation of S. Ossetia to Russia because the Southern Ossetians have double citizenship (Georgian and Ossetian).

The tragedy is that these people became victims of a genocide several times in the last century and now again are sacrificed in the big play of power.