Safeguarding Abkhazia, South Ossetia In 2008 Prevented Crisis In South Caucasus - Medvedev

Safeguarding Abkhazia, South Ossetia in 2008 Prevented Crisis in South Caucasus - Medvedev

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday explained his 2008 decision as then-president to defend Abkhazia and South Ossetia against Georgian aggression, saying that doing otherwise would turn the region into a powder keg

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2020) Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday explained his 2008 decision as then-president to defend Abkhazia and South Ossetia against Georgian aggression, saying that doing otherwise would turn the region into a powder keg.

On the night of August 8, 2008, Georgia fired rockets at South Ossetia with the Georgian armed forces attacking the republic and destroying a part of its capital, Tskhinval. In order to defend South Ossetians, many of whom had Russian passports, Moscow deployed its forces and routed Georgian troops from the country in five days.

"Today is the 12th anniversary of the moment when our country responded to criminal actions by then-President of Georgia [Mikheil Saakashvili] ... That is why I made a difficult, but the only possible decision to protect Abkhazia and South Ossetia, first by shielding them from the [Georgian] aggression, and then, upon a request of their citizens, recognizing their complete independence. Otherwise, the South Caucasus would have turned turn into a powder keg, which was totally unacceptable for Russia, which has always been supporting maintaining robust peace in neighboring states," Medvedev wrote on Russian VK social network.

On August 26, 2008, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Russian leadership, on multiple occasions, stressed that the decision reflects reality and will not be reversed. Meanwhile, Tbilisi continues refusing to recognize the two countries as independent states.