Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Caucasus Report

Might South Ossetia's Army Go Over To The Opposition?

South Ossetia searches for a solution for its soldiers.
TEXT SIZE - +

April 15, 2010

Plans by Eduard Kokoity, the leader of Georgia's breakaway republic of South Ossetia, to reduce the manpower of the region's army might impel the military to side with the opposition to Kokoity, RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus reported on April 14.

Some South Ossetian military units reportedly planned to participate in a protest meeting on March 20 organized jointly by opposition parties (mostly based outside South Ossetia) and an informal organization uniting people whose homes were destroyed during the August 2008 war. That protest never took place.

On March 24, Kokoity explained that the planned cutback would affect in the first instance personnel approaching retirement age, or who for other reasons are incapable of participating in combat operations. That statement failed, however, to reassure many younger military personnel, given that alternative employment prospects are minimal.

In fact, the planned downsizing will be on a larger scale that Kokoity admitted: from 3,000 to 200 men. Roland Kelekhsayev, chairman of the opposition People's Party, told Echo of the Caucasus that the cuts will not be implemented at least until June, as the authorities "still don't know what to do with" the army and Interior Ministry personnel who face dismissal.

Tags: South Ossetia

This forum has been closed.
Comment Sorting
Comments
     
by: Giorgi from: Tbilisi
April 15, 2010 19:49
Puppet regime and puppet militia that is occupied by murdering and terrorising innocent civilians on both sides of barricades - this is the only explanation of situation in S. Osethia. I want to remind you all that these guys are guilty in mass murders of civilians despite their etnicity.
Now Russia is using these puppet regimes against Georgia. Leader of S. Osethian puppet government is nothing more than a criminal guarded by Russian KGB.
Very soon these criminals will face the law court for the crimes that they commited against peacefull people.
In Response
by: Val from: Maryland
April 16, 2010 19:24
South Ossetia needs to transit peacefully from the permanent state of war in which it was until 2008 to a civil order. However, such drastic downsizing from 3000 to 200 seems to be overly optimistic. South Ossetia needs at least 1000 armed men to be ready for combat.

Georgia is unlikely to venture for a large scale operation, but small time clashes cannot be ruled out completely. So given the extended borders of the republic and some hot heads on the Georgian side, it's better not give them encouragement by eliminating South Ossetia's army.
In Response
by: Andrew from: Tbilisi
April 20, 2010 05:39
Val, unfortunately you are commenting on matters of which you seem to know little.

The clashes which led to the 2008 war mainly consisted of the South Ossetian militia firing upon ethnic Georgian villages in the conflict zone, to which the Georgians were forced to reply.

The majority of "hot heads" are on the South Ossetian side, they are the ones who committed mass ethnic cleansing of the indigenous (Georgian) population of the province in 2008.
by: Nate Riley from: Rochester, NY
April 16, 2010 17:14
S. Ossetia's situation is very very sad it has had an ongoing conflict with Georgia since the collapse of the USSR and the people ar not represented by their leaders and the need this to change before any lasting peace can take place. Russia has gotten involved because they can us S. Ossetia for political, economic and military reasons but most important hurt Georgia. If South African White and Blacks can have a truth and reconcilation commision that brought about a lasting peace then S. Ossetia, Abkhazia and Georgia can come to terms withe historical wrongs done by each and then move forward with each other maybe with the two territories have a large amount of autonomy. But Russia will never let it happen because they have conquered both and keen on have these places beyond the law like transdnistria!!!!
In Response
by: Andrew from: Tbilisi
April 20, 2010 05:39
Very well said Nate.
In Response
by: Val from: Maryland
April 21, 2010 13:01
Andrew, my numerous contacts in Georgia confirmed on separate occasions, that Georgians in Tbilisi and beyond celebrated taking South Ossetia on August 8. My question is, if Georgia was being attacked by Russia, what did they celebrate? Or perhaps Saakashvili government lied to its citizens, admitting no Russia's interference at first?

Georgian government sources also confirm, that Russian forces did not enter South Ossetia before early morning on August 8, which was several hours after president Saakashvili gave orders to attack.

Three OSCE observers were stationed in Tskhinvali on August 7 and did not notice any skirmishes in the city. While other my friends said, that a week before August 8, Georgian troops were already amassing around South Ossetia (that by the way is called Tskhinvali region in Georgia, because Ossetians are not recognized as "native people" of Georgia).
In Response
by: Val from: Maryland
April 21, 2010 13:18
This is really getting hilarious. Georgians say, the Abkhaz expelled ethnic Georgian population and therefore their referendums and other acts are illegitimate. Let the Abkhaz first allow the Georgian refugees to return and then hold the plebiscite, they say. In South Ossetia, where ethnic Ossetians always comprised the majority of the population, Georgians say that Ossetians are not native to the land, that they came from the North Caucasus. They keep forgetting, that Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) is also geographically North Caucasus and one can plausibly make a case, that Georgians were not present in the North Caucasus, as they are a South Caucasian nation.

About This Blog

Written by analyst Liz Fuller, the "Caucasus Report" blog will offer the sort of in-depth analysis that was the hallmark of the "RFE/RL Caucasus Report." It also aims, to borrow a metaphor from Tom de Waal, to act as a smoke detector, focusing attention on potential conflict situations and crises throughout the region.