Undisguised separatist aggression
By M. Alkhazashvili
Thursday, August 7
The situation is becoming more severe in separatist-controlled South Ossetia. Where the separatist once made threats against Georgian villages in the conflict zone, they now say they will terrorize the entire country.
The criminal separatist regime that controls less than 30 000 people cannot afford to make such loudly aggressive statements if it did not have tacit Russian support, or moreover, Russian directives.
The so-called South Ossetian interior minister threatened to bomb Georgian towns and resorts if the violence there continues, and other separatist leaders say militants from the North Caucasus are ready to join the fighting.
These statements are made openly, and those who make them are not afraid of taking responsibility for their word. While some dismiss the threats as hollow, the separatists are getting ready to make war by taking mercenaries, weapons and ammunitions from supporters in Russia.
Georgia’s calls for more foreign involvement must be heeded to keep peace. Otherwise threats from the separatist regime, and the aggressive presence of Russia’s troops, will make violence more likely.
The criminal separatist regime that controls less than 30 000 people cannot afford to make such loudly aggressive statements if it did not have tacit Russian support, or moreover, Russian directives.
The so-called South Ossetian interior minister threatened to bomb Georgian towns and resorts if the violence there continues, and other separatist leaders say militants from the North Caucasus are ready to join the fighting.
These statements are made openly, and those who make them are not afraid of taking responsibility for their word. While some dismiss the threats as hollow, the separatists are getting ready to make war by taking mercenaries, weapons and ammunitions from supporters in Russia.
Georgia’s calls for more foreign involvement must be heeded to keep peace. Otherwise threats from the separatist regime, and the aggressive presence of Russia’s troops, will make violence more likely.