Guess the US military advisors to Georgia made a strategic miscalculation. How can you fire missiles at one area known to befriend Russia and not expect the Russians to come out fighting?

Klein, Bristol,

royzie, London, I'm afraid you will never be happy with Russia. Just because it is Russia. "If the police/troops move to arrest armed separatists, that is their right." OK, this is what we did in Chechnya a few years ago. Did you say the same? No, you was yelling anyway, "The west must stop Russia!"

Boris, Moscow, Russia

royzie, London, UK
A propos, why didn't NATO police/troops arrest Albanian separarists (many of whom are KLA criminals) when they proclaimed unilateral independence?

Stanislav, Baku, Azerbaijan

SO is part of Georgia, like N Ireland is part of the UK. If the police/troops move to arrest armed separatists, that is their right. Russia conversely has NO rights at all in SO. It is separated from Russia by an impassable 18,000 foot mountain range - what on earth are they doing there?

royzie, London, UK

A few days before invading S.Ossetia, Saakashvili sweared that he will never do any harm to his people. Because so many civilians in Ossetia have been killed by the Georgian troops, I assume that Saaki doesn't consider Ossetians his people. He wants only the territory without people. So does the US.

Boris, Moscow, Russia

To make long story short, Georgia was Russian Jamaica.
I have no idea what this guys have smoked before they desided to attack russians troops, but i think it was good stuff.
why we are picking so "cool" alies for the last few years

Nur, Toronto, Canada

“Dear Russian friends, stop absorbing foreign lands. Nobody does it any more. Wake up! It is 21st century. Yes, Georgians will fight back their territories. Be sure of it”.
Kakhi, london, uk

Dear Kartvelian friend, unlike westerners I know Caucasian history as well as people. Wake up; during XX c. Kartvelians has been failed to create a democratic country for all nationalities in the so-called Georgia territory. Your message tells you still not to realise that is happened to be start only. Except Alans and Abkhazians to obtain freedom other nationalities to be oppressed by your people are going to get freedom too.

Alexey, Moscow,

I presume this ends the "Russia attacked first" coming from the same liars that swore there were WMDs in Iraq. Ho anyone could be stupid enough to believe those neoCONs and Israel is beyond me. Hungary 1956. Bay of pigs 1962? South Iraqi Shiittes 1991. now Georgia 2008 support promised, SUCKERS

William, Green Bay, USA

Russia has, for years, behaved as an 'international partner' and see what it has gotten them. Against treaties and agreements Bush's party of neo-cons and NATO has moved its weapons and control right up against Russian borders, with CIA support of mock 'revolutions' and arming those willing to die.

David Wolf, Sofia, Bulgaria

@spark
If Georgia would have read histroy they should have know what happens when you get comfortable and sleep with the devil.

Namely Israel and America, ask Iran and Iraq.

morton, Praha, Czech Rep.

the guys look rather stupid spilling the beans. they must not have heard that their president's line is that he only sent in troops to beat back a russian attack and prevent moscow wiping out rebel-held tskhinvali. a very credible version of events, the gullible west at least buys it completely

Andrei, Moscow, Russia

it's this kind of empty bravado talk that got the georgian in trouble in the first place

"if they didnt have planes" - what does that even mean? they designed, build, payed for and flew their own fuel & technology they didnt luck out & find these planes in a field somewhere,

Kevin, Toronto,

“I didn't expect the Russians. I thought it was politically sealed”?

I sincerely pity the Georgian people and the Georgian soldiers, so miserably fooled by the US government.
The Russian government agreeing on allowing Russian peacekeepers to be attacked?
Someone please pinch me!

Anton, Tyumen, Russia

Imagine if some US peacekeeping force stationed abroad were to be attacked by a hostile government.
What would be the US response? I doubt it would be about "international law", "legality", "legitimate means", "UN resolutions"...
Force would have been the answer

Anton, Tyumen, Russia

If Georgia would have read histroy they should have know what happens when you get comfortable and sleep with the devil. SS / USA

spark, PHX, AZ

I think that Georgians realize that freedom isn't free. You have to fight for it. Ignore all the talk and do what you have to in order to be free. Those that would trade their freedom for security will not have, nor will they deserve, either.

Fred, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

“I will go everywhere for my country, any time and anywhere” -sounds strange especially when 800000 georgians are comfortably living in Russia. Probably they better go to USA?) Is USA ready to receive them?)

Alexey, Ural, RF

This article reads like the Monthy Python Holy Grail film where the Russians are Arthur King of the Brittons and the wounded Georgian soldiers are the knight who just had his arms and legs hacked off but still claims to be able to fight... and win!

Vladimir, CT, USA

“I will go everywhere for my country, any time and anywhere,”

- Sounds strange especially when 800000 georgians are comfortably living in Russia. Perhaps US will receive them?)

Alex, Ural, RF

Sounds like a bunch of Georgian "mugs" got sent in to test the water. As we know they got a nasty surprise. Think twice before you try any more tricks please Mr. Saakashvili. You could send your family out of the country. Normal Georgians all have to live with the consequences...

Luis, London,

If no one did atrocities, why these people cry. Are they actors?

http://ru.youtube.com/watch?v=tgSvYtjzZt8

Oleg, Murmansk, Russia

I wanna say about RUS passports in S.Ossetia. After USSR collapse Ossetians had soviet pasports & georgians too. But Ossetians prefered to take Russian passport. it explains all. US people why do u hate russians? Your all Science now is based on inventions of russian scientists.

Azat, Yar Chally, TATARSTAN Russia

if your government had not armed ossetian militia and given rusian passports to ossetian population all this could have been averted.

Sure: just a saturation pounding of a "georgian" town...by georgians .
.

Leonard, Sardinia,

Russia, as an interested party should never have been peacekeepers in that region.

Peacekeepers were russians, georgians and ossetians/abkasians: all "interested parties" . So were the agreements in 1992...And ONU and OCSE endorsed those agreements . So, what was wrong ?
And who's playng God ?

Leonard, Sardinia,

The U.S. should begin handing out passports to Venezuelans, then wait until Hugo Chavez begins arresting them and then we can invade to "free" our citizens.

We can occupy them long enough to deplete their oil reserves and, then just set up a puppet government (called South Venezuela) and profit!

Bruce, Portland, Oregon, USA

the murders of Georgian policemen and even an artillery strike!
-
With all the western media ready to fight, how comes this news comes just NOW ?
Hwever, if the problem is guns, find them and waste'em . What was Tskinvali bombed for ? Did they think the guns were there ?

Leonard, Sardinia,

I am sorry sergey from russia, but if your government had not armed ossetian militia and given rusian passports to ossetian population all this could have been averted. Russia, as an interested party should never have been peacekeepers in that region.
Do not play God

Thea, Cheltenham, UK

What is horrible - the only civilians paid for this Georgia's leader/president madness. Neither georgians/ osetians/europians/americans/russians are responsible for this! So blame him! Not a regular people.

Sergey, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

how desperate one should be to be a soldier in georgian army ... being georgian president is far more secure - all legs are there as well as the teeth.

Mikhail, München, Germany

Dear Kakhi from London, UK!
Who told you that Russians are absorbing foreign lands? Has Russia declared South Ossetia and Abkhazia its territories? I guess it's up to Ossetians and Abkhazians to decide whether to join and become part of Russia or to be independent states.

Konstantin, Pyatigorsk,

Gerogians were sure to go to South Osetia on holiday.
Mr.Saakhivili gave them a basket full of fruits.Big mistake!

B.Benzi, Cesena, Italy

"denied any knowledge of atrocities committed in Georgia's initial assault on Tskhinvali". What gibberish! First you blanket bomb a city at 11pm, and then you deny atrocities, not to mention Ossetian villages they wiped out.. "Grad" rocket launcher covers areas.

Pavel, San Francisco,

A brilliantly executed Russian coup from beginning to end. First, the escalating atrocities from the Russian/S. Ossetian side, including the murders of Georgian policemen and even an artillery strike! Then the very "conveniently" placed Red Army blitzes in when tiny Georgia moves to stop the killing

Martin, New York, USA

We've been close friends with Georgians for over 200 years. And we still are. But at the same time we will not allow to play such tough games with us. Georgians, you must not allow to manipulate youself. Your current leaders are get paid big money for this brother-killing, and you die for nothing.

Vitaly, Moscow, Russia

They are again ready to fight. 1990s, 2008 - obviously not enough.
Possibly would be better to divide the territory with respect to both sides.

Mikhail, Penza, Russia

Dear Russian friends, stop absorbing foreign lands. Nobody does it any more. Wake up! It is 21st century. Yes, Georgians will fight back their territories. Be sure of it.

Kakhi, london, uk

I think that the US and its Euro allies are worried by Russia's
impending economic surge and are trying to force the Russia
into a cold war situation by employing missiles in the countries
sourrounding Russia and not Iran. I would have thought that
the enemy of the west was Islamic terrorism?

Lawrence, Pialba, Australia

What was Shaakashvili thinking when he tried to push the Russian 'peacekeepers' out of S. Ossetia? That is the question that can't be answered. Obviously the illegal shelling of Georgia from positions near the Russian peacekeepers was infuriating, but he knew the US couldn't help enough to matter...

Zivbnd, Arlington, VA

It’s a common knowledge! Shaakasvili miscalculated and should bear the responsibility for the present conflict.

Ganesh, Colombo,

It’s a common knowledge! Shaakasvili miscalculated and should bear the responsibility for the present conflict.

Ganesh, Colombo,

Sounds like this was NATO/US operation from very beginning and Georgian solders were just used for it. Because it was clear to all surrounding countries that Russia would defend these two territories. Georgian military just was used in Geopolitic games.

Andris, Riga, Latvia

Basically that article says that NATO can start their war against Russia by using Georgian troops again. It would be easy to do, because "Georgia's soldiers, trained by US and Israeli advisers, are gung-ho". Why NATO needs Gergians to do this dirty job, that is the question.

RG Weiss, St Petersburg, Russia

“I didn't expect the Russians. I thought it was politically sealed, the Russian and Georgian Governments made some kind of agreement.”- First they killed our soldiers and don't expect the Russians. Very crass expectations.

Sergey, Saint-Petersburg, Russia