On August 8, 2008, the Beijing Olympic Games were grandly opened at the Bird's Nest, and the world was immersed in an atmosphere of joy. However, on the same day, the Caucasus was in flames.
Georgia and Russia engaged in a fierce exchange of fire in South Ossetia, and the war lasted 5 days and ended in a crushing defeat for Georgia. On the surface, this is just a small local war, but the grievances behind it are far from simple.
So, what exactly are the contradictions between Georgia and Russia? What role did South Ossetia play in this? Let's go together the ins and outs of the Russo-Georgian War.
Georgia: The Charm and History of an Ancient Country Georgia, located in the Caucasus, is a unique and ancient country. It is the place where the Greek mythological hero Iason searched for the Golden Fleece, known as the "back garden of God" and the hometown of Stalin, the "father of the nation" of the Soviet Union.
Georgia is bordered by Russia to the north, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the west, with a coastline of 309 kilometers, and is connected to the Caspian Sea by only one Azerbaijan.
This geographical location makes Georgia the only country in Central Asia and Transcaucasia with access to the sea, making it extremely attractive to the rich oil resources of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
In addition, Georgia is strategically important as a central gateway connecting Eastern and Western Europe with the Persian Gulf region. Due to its geographical location, Georgia has been coveted by European powers since ancient times.
In the classical period, the Georgian region was invaded by the Persian Empire, the Armenian Kingdom, the Roman Empire, Byzantium and other countries, and was in a state of ** and submission for a long time.
It was not until the end of the 10th century that Georgia achieved complete unification and independence, and continued to expand to the outside world, reaching the peak of its history. However, the good times were short-lived, and from the 13th century onwards, Georgia suffered a new round of invasions.
Imperialism such as the Mongols, the Timurid Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Safavid Empire of Persia successively carved up and occupied Georgia. For 600 years, Georgia has been in a state of chaos, poverty, and misery.
Between 1805 and 1810, the Russian Empire sent troops to suppress various forces in Georgia, so that Georgia finally got rid of the situation.
However, it was replaced by the complete domination of the Russian Empire. In 1813, the Treaty of Gulistan marked the official annexation of Georgia to Russia.
This ancient and unique country is full of history and charm that is worth exploring and understanding.
Georgia has endured more than 2,000 years of suffering, being occupied, annexed and annexed, forming a thick nationalist mentality. In 1917, thanks to the October Revolution, Georgia finally achieved independence.
However, only 5 years later, Georgia was again forced to become part of the Soviet Union. Under the rule of the Soviet Union, Georgia and Russia once united to resist fascism, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia once again pursued independence.
However, territorial disputes with Russia, especially the Ossetian issue, have made Georgia's path to independence challenging.
During the Soviet era, Ossetia was divided into two, with the northern part belonging to Russia and the southern part being Georgia. This division sparked the independence movement in South Ossetia on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which Georgia violently suppressed, leading to the exodus of large numbers of people and refugees.
This further deteriorated relations between the two sides, and a long and bitter struggle ensued. Since the independence movement in South Ossetia coincided with a critical moment for Georgia's secession from the Soviet Union, Georgia unilaterally believed that the Soviet Union was behind the instigation.
Coupled with old grievances between Georgia and Russia, relations between the two countries have become increasingly tense since the collapse of the Soviet Union. As a land area of only 6With a small country of 970,000 square kilometers and a total population of 3.7 million, Georgia lacks the strength to compete head-on with Russia.
Therefore, since the 90s, Georgia has been constantly moving closer to the West, trying to join NATO.
Georgia's position has provoked strong discontent from Russia. In order to prevent Georgia from joining NATO, Russia began to fully support the independence movement in South Ossetia as a way to contain Georgia.
With the strong assistance of Russia, South Ossetia gradually built up an independent ** and army, and basically achieved substantial independence. In addition, South Ossetia has held several referendums to merge with North Ossetia and join Russia.
On the issue of the independence of South Ossetia, the contradictions and conflicts between Georgia and Russia are escalating. In this fight, Russia clearly has the upper hand.
Seeing that South Ossetia was about to completely break away from Georgia's control, Georgian **Saakashvili finally could not hold back and decided to resort to violent repression to stop South Ossetia's independence tendencies.
Despite the opposition of some ***, Saakashvili resolutely waged the war, which he considered to be a sure victory. On the one hand, he believes that the military occupation of South Ossetia is a civil war in Georgia, in which Russia has no right to intervene; On the other hand, in the event of an accident, the United States and NATO countries will definitely send troops to help.
Thus, in the early hours of 8 August 2008, Georgia suddenly launched a heavy bombardment of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, followed by invading other areas.
In just 13 hours, Georgia captured two-thirds of South Ossetia, and South Ossetia fell completely.
The Georgian **, carried away by the victory that came too smoothly and easily, decided to sneak attack the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in South Ossetia, which in turn gave Russia an excuse to send troops.
Faced with an unstoppable Russian army, Georgia retreated one after another, eventually leading to the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The war made Georgia extremely ashamed and angry, and they openly announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia and tried to join NATO.
However, Georgia has not yet joined NATO as it wished, due to Russia's public restrictions. The history of Georgia is full of blood, sweat and tears, and because of their unique geographical location, it is often violated.
Weak Georgia can only become a lamb to the slaughter under the hands of other countries, and even taking sides to seek refuge in a big country needs to look at face and rely on luck. From the experience of Georgia, we can see that if you are backward, you will be beaten, so the country must be strong.