User:Nanobear~enwiki/SOWar temp
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The 2008 South Ossetia War, also known as the Russia–Georgia War, was an armed conflict in August 2008, between Georgia on one side, and the Russian Federation together with Ossetians and Abkhazians on the other.
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2008 South Ossetia War | |||||||||
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Part of Georgian–Ossetian conflict and Georgian–Abkhazian conflict | |||||||||
Location of Georgia (including Abkhazia and South Ossetia) and the Russian part of North Caucasus | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Georgia |
Russia South Ossetia Abkhazia | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Mikheil Saakashvili (commander-in-chief)[7] Davit Kezerashvili (Defense Minister)[7] Mamuka Kurashvili (Peacekeepers)[8] Vano Merabishvili (Minister of Internal Affairs) Zaza Gogava (Chief-in-Staff) |
Dmitry Medvedev (commander-in-chief) Vasiliy Lunev[13] Anatoliy Zaitsev[14] | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
In South Ossetia: 9,000-16,000 soldiers. Total: 37,000.[15][16][17][18] Unknown number of Georgian Police deployed in the conflict zone |
In South Ossetia: 10,000. In Abkhazia: up to 9,000[19][15][20] 3,000 regulars[16] 5,000 regulars[21] | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
Confirmed by Georgia: 161 soldiers killed, 1,964 wounded,[22] 9 missing, 42 captured.[23][24][25] 14 policemen killed and 22 missing[25][26][27] |
Confirmed by Russia: 64 killed, 283 wounded, 3 missing, 5 captured[28][29] South Ossetia: 150 dead (including volunteers),[15] 41 captured Confirmed by Abkhazia: 1 killed, 2 wounded[30] | ||||||||
Civilian casualties: |
The 1991–1992 South Ossetia War between Georgians and Ossetians had left most of South Ossetia under de-facto control of a Russian-backed internationally-unrecognised regional government.[42] Some ethnic Georgian-inhabited parts remained under the control of Georgia. This mirrored the situation in Abkhazia after the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993). Already increasing tensions escalated in South Ossetia during the summer months of 2008.
During the night of 7 to 8 August 2008, Georgia launched a large-scale military attack against the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia. The following day, Russia reacted by deploying combat troops in South Ossetia and launching bombing raids into Georgia proper.[43][44][45] Russian and Ossetian troops clashed with Georgians in the three-day Battle of Tskhinvali, the largest battle of the war. Russian naval forces blocked Georgia's coast and landed ground forces and paratroopers on the Georgian coast. On 9 August Russian and Abkhazian forces opened a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge, held by Georgia,[46] and entered western parts of Georgia's interior. After five days of heavy fighting, the Georgian forces were ejected from South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russian troops entered Georgia proper, occupying the cities of Poti and Gori among others.[47]
After mediation by the French presidency of the European Union, the parties reached a preliminary ceasefire agreement on 12 August, signed by Georgia on 15 August in Tbilisi and by Russia on 16 August in Moscow. On 12 August, President Medvedev had already ordered a halt to Russian military operations in Georgia,[48] but fighting did not stop immediately.[49] After the signing of the ceasefire Russia pulled most of its troops out of Georgia proper. However, "buffer zones" were established around Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Russia created check points in Georgia's interior (Poti, Senaki, Perevi).
On 26 August 2008 Russia recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia completed its withdrawal from Georgia proper on 8 October, but as of 2009[update] Russian troops remain stationed in Abkhazia and South Ossetia (including in areas under Georgian control before the war).[50][51][52]
A number of incidents occurred in both conflict zones in the months after the war ended. As of 2009[update] tensions between the belligerents remain high.