New Delhi: Russian forces on Friday attacked Georgian troops in South Ossetia — a separatist region of Georgia — in intensified fighting that sparked alarm in the West and heated exchanges at the United Nations reminiscent of the Cold War.
Moscow sent forces to South Ossetia in retaliation to a Georgian attack on Ossetian rebels.
Russian armoured vehicles drove through the village of Dzhava towards the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali even as Russian fighter jets bombed Georgian positions.
Each side blamed the other for the fighting in the pro-Moscow region, which broke from Georgia as the Soviet Union neared collapse in the early 1990s, but has no international recognition.
In Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the war was forced on them.
“Last night in South Ossetia, Georgian troops committed an act of aggression against Russian peacekeepers and civilians. What happened is the most serious violation of international legislation and those mandates which were given to Russia by the international community as a partner in the peace process,” Medvedev said.
“The logic of the actions we are being forced to undertake is determined by these circumstances. We will not allow unpunished deaths of our compatriots, those guilty will be punished," he added.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili offered ceasefire to South Ossetian rebels but blames Russia for exacerbating the situation.
Ninety per cent of the population in South Ossetia holds Russian passports. The region had been enjoying effective independence since a war in 1991-92. The majority of the roughly 70,000 people living in South Ossetia are ethnically distinct from Georgians.
They say they were forcibly absorbed into Georgia under Soviet rule and now want to exercise their right to self-determination. The crisis, the first to confront Russian president Medvedev since he took office in May, is a threat to the region that is emerging as a key energy transit route, where Russia and the West are vying for influence.
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