Why did Russia invade Georgia (the country)?

Question

I know there are many theories, I'm just trying to get an overall understanding. Thank You.

Answer 1

Georgia wanted to reincorporate South Ossetia. Georgia broke away from the Soviet Union after its collapse in 1991 and tried to reclaim South Ossetia because it had broken away about the same time. After a brutal war that ended in 1993, South Ossetia remained independent of Georgia. This is Georgia's newest attempt to regain South Ossetia. However, many problems face Georgia. Abkhazia, another region that broke away from Georgia, has also offered to help South Ossetia in the fight. Georgia last year had only a 22,000 strong army, parts of it American trained, and 200 hundred tanks. The Abkhazian forces alone have about half those numbers, backed by Russia’s tens of thousands. Saakashvili badly miscalculated if he thought he could quickly recover the disputed lost territory and restore Georgia’s territorial integrity. Most likely Saakashvili, who studied in the United States, is counting on American intervention, since he has already asked for American help.

So why is this happening? Tensions had been festering between South Ossetia and Georgia for some time. Skirmishes had been going on but had escalated recently. This escalation, in turn, caused America to send 1,000 troops to Georgia in July to conduct joint exercises with Georgian forces.

One of the triggers for the conflict exploding now, however, occurred outside the Caucuses when western countries recognized Kosovo, formerly part of Serbia. This diplomatic manoeuvre upset the Kremlin, which has refused to recognize the new entity. It has also not forgotten that a weak Russia had to watch helplessly in 1999 as an American-led NATO bombed its historical Balkan ally into submission.

Now in retaliation, Russia sees the opportunity to inflict the same fate on America’s Caucasian ally. It reasons that if Serbia is divisible, then so is Georgia. Like the Albanians in Kosovo, the Abkhazians and South Ossetians should have the right to secede if they do not want to remain part of Georgia. And they don’t. As proof, many people in these two rebellious areas, as many as 90 per cent according to one report, have taken Russian citizenship.

Georgia’s desire for NATO membership was also a factor in this weekend’s Russian response. Putin has spoken very strongly against Georgian entry into the western alliance, seeing it as a threatening attempt to encircle Russia as well as an western intrusion into its traditional sphere of influence. This is also how the Kremlin regards the American military bases in Central Asia and NATO’s eastern expansion to its borders.

In reality, Russia wants the United States out of the Caucuses completely and probably regards its Georgia invasion as the first step toward this goal.

But there is another reason besides current political ones that prompted the Kremlin’s military action. By invading Georgia, Russia is also following its age-old historical pattern. When Moscow is weak, as it was after 1917 and in 1991, the states on its periphery break away. But when the center is strong, as it is again becoming now, it sets out to reincorporate those very same peripheral states. “Georgia is only the start,” said Saakashvili in an interview with a German newspaper six weeks ago. “Tomorrow the Baltic states, then Poland.”

Answer 2

Russia is NOT invading Georgia. Georgia was directed by criminal and war criminal Bush administration to invade small republic of South Ossetia where Russian peacekeeping forces were stationed since 1992. Russia only helps South Ossetia to drive Georgian invaders away. Our government on purpose keeps spreading false and misleading propaganda in order to make Russia look bad. For your information Georgian puppet president Saakashvili is a former attorney from NY.

Answer 3

Russia did not. Georgia invaded South Ossetia.

Russian troops are protecting South Ossetian men and women from being killed by georgians.

Answer 4

It's informational war! Many mass media in USA in Europe tells not true!

GEORGIA bombed Ossetia for 2 days and all European and American mass media kept silence! But when Russia decided to stop the war, everebody made noise!

GEORGIA (not Russia) used fire system GRAD to destroy all usual people...they fired on schools, hospitals, houses...everything... They city is destroyed.

Words of refugees say about this.

And read also this:

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/287...

Here is what REALLY happens http://www.russiatoday.com/news

Answer 5

Russia is just trying to protect people from South Ossetia, while Georgia want to kill them. Aggressor is Georgia, not Russia. Georgia know that they won't win this war and they say to you, Americans that Russia invade Georgia. Don't listen them if you don't want the 3rd World War!