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The Russo-Georgian ‘Five Day War’ of 2008
What really happened during the ‘Five Day War’ of 2008 in Georgia?
In early August of 2008, half of the Georgian military, some 13,000 troops, marched to Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, to take over from South Ossetian separatists who were shelling villages in Georgia. Then Russia intervened. … Why?
This is a part of my brief blog series on Russian politics I am doing this week because it is the holidays and I have a little bit more time. Enjoy!
The plan of the Georgian military was to move most of its forces to Tskhinvali and to later occupy the Roki tunnel in order to cut off any potential for reinforcements from the North. What Georgian forces were not expecting was a major Russian military force in assistance of South Ossetian separatists.
During their initial military operations, Georgian troops met approximately 3000 South Ossetian militias and 500 Russian peacekeepers in Tskhinvali. Some argue that “even a highly professional army” would have had problems with executing blitzkrieg military operations against such a force. It should not be surprising then that the Georgian militia had difficulties; it is not that the Georgian militia was untrained or ill-equipped but rather that they did not have a “cohesive combat force” that performed in…
