Russia: Medvedev Deals with Animals from the West / Putin Deals with Animals from the East!

Hello.

Today while Medvedev was laying the ground work for the five main points of Russia's future foreign policy: Putin was running around Russia chasing big Cats......

Medvedev: Outlines Five Main Points of Future Foreign Policy! The five points, Medvedev said, were: 1. Firstly, the superiority of the fundamental principles of international law. 2. The second point was that the world must be multipolar. "A uni-polar world is unacceptable," said Medvedev, adding that Russia could "not accept a world order where all decisions are made by one side, even such a powerful one as the U.S." "Such a world is unstable and threatened by conflicts," he added. 3. Thirdly, he said, Russia does not seek confrontation with any other country. "Russia is not looking for isolation," he said. "We will develop, in as much as is possible, friendly ties with Europe, the U.S., and other countries in the world." 4. Fourthly, Russia will protect the lives of its citizens, "wherever they are." 5. The fifth point was that Moscow would seek to develop ties in friendly regions. (Link)

Putin Saves Journalists from Tigress! Vladimir Putin has rescued Russian TV journalists from a tiger attack by tranquilising it with a dart gun. The Prime Minister was visiting Ussuri national park in Russia’s Far East. The five-year old Amur tiger was trapped by researchers of the Russian Academy of Science. Vladimir Putin, who is on a working visit to the region, arrived at the reserve on a helicopter. There he met with scientists working on research and preservation of the Amur tiger – one of the rarest predators on the planet. There are only about 450 big cats in Russia. ‘Vesti’ TV channel journalists, who were waiting for the Prime Minister at the site, just five meters away from the animal, didn’t notice that the big cat had freed itself. They could have been attacked, but Putin reacted quickly and used the dart gun to stop the animal. Whilst the Amur tigress was sleeping, the premier put a GPS-collar on her neck and, together with scientists, measured her length from nose to tail tip. Finally, Putin kissed her and said: ‘Good bye!’ (Link)

Interesting, how come Putin gets to have all the fun?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russian Americans: CRA has Expressed Media Concerns!

The Congress of Russian Americans (CRA) has expressed concern over the lopsided coverage of the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict by the U.S. mass media. It has sent letters to the White House and the U.S. State Department, according to CRA Director Georgy Avisov.

“There is no fundamental reason that can prevent peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation between the U.S. and Russia,” the letter says.

The Congress of Russian Americans is one of the oldest and best-known NGOs for U.S. citizens of Russian origin.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: German Weekly Magazine Der Spiegel comments on South Ossetia!

Hello,

Looks like Monday is going to be interesting:

Evidence of “numerous erroneous decisions of the Georgian leadership which led to the beginning of a crisis in the Caucasus” are accumulating in the OSCE headquarters, says the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel in an announcement of an article to be published on Monday.

The magazine says that “a lot of corresponding reports by OSCE observers in the Caucasus have unofficially fallen into the hands of some governmental authorities in Berlin.”

According to this data, Georgia had been actively preparing a military strike against South Ossetia and began the attack before Russian tanks entered the Roksky tunnel connecting South Ossetia and Russia.

Also, there are reports of observers who say that the Georgian authorities ordered that the attack on South Ossetian civilians at night when they were sleeping, the announcement says.(Link)

We will wait and see....

Kyle & Svet

Russia: Nikolai Valuev beats John Ruiz to claim WBA title

BERLIN, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russian boxer Nikolai Valuev has beaten American John Ruiz in Berlin to reclaim the WBA title.

The judges' decision to declare a Valuev victory at the Max Schmeling arena late on Saturday was unanimous. However, there was some initial confusion when the fight was at first declared, in what turned out to be a mix-up, a split decision.

Valuev weighed in 40 kg (88.2 lbs) heavier than his Puerto Rican-American opponent.

"It is great to have the title back and I am very happy about it," said Valuev after the fight.

The seven-foot (2.13-meter) Valuev became Russia's first world heavyweight champion in December 2005 when he defeated Ruiz. In April last year he lost his title to Ruslan 'White Tyson' Chagaev from Uzbekistan.

Since then Chagaev has defended his title once, but a torn achilles tendon forced a delay in his mandatory challenge bout against Valuev. On July 4, the WBA decided to sanction a match against the Russian's closest contender, John Ruiz.

Chagaev is currently what the WBA calls a "champion in recess," and Valuev will now have to face Chagaev before June 26, 2009, if the Uzbek manages to get fighting fit by then. (Link)

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: OSCE report points finger at Georgia for S. Ossetia crisis!

30/08/2008 17:07 BERLIN, August 30 (RIA Novosti) - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has accumulated evidence pointing to "numerous wrong decisions" made by Georgian leaders that led to a military crisis with Russia, Der Spiegel said on Saturday.

In a report to be published in its Monday edition, OSCE military observers in the Caucasus described detailed planning by Georgia to move into South Ossetia which contributed to the crisis, the German magazine said.

The report also backed up Russian claims that the Georgian offensive was already in full swing by the time Russian troops and armored vehicles entered the Roksky Tunnel, on the border with Russia and South Ossetia, to protect its peacekeepers and the civilian population.

The OSCE report also contains suspected war crimes committed by Georgians, who ordered attacks on sleeping South Ossetian civilians.

Georgia attacked South Ossetia on August 8 in an attempt to regain control over the separatist republic, which split from Tbilisi in the early 1990s.

Most people living in South Ossetia have Russian citizenship and Moscow subsequently launched an operation to "force Georgia to accept peace." The operation was concluded on August 12.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed decrees Tuesday recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states and called on other countries to follow suit.

Russia has accused Georgia of committing "genocide" by launching the offensive in South Ossetia. Russia is calling for an international war crimes trial for the Georgian leadership, which Moscow says is responsible for massive loss of life in South Ossetia.

Russia: American, Timothy Post from Krasnodar, Russia!

Hello,

I found an article in a Blog that I enjoy. I want to thank Timothy Post for this article. I agree with him and understand his thinking. I have thought about writing this same article about America! Guess what? I do not have to write it......
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Wake-up America
Published August 27th, 2008 in russia.

It’s starting to get a bit depressing to say you’re from America, when people in Russia ask you. I almost always have to qualify it to say that yes, I too think George Bush is an idiot.

What’s most depressing about America these days is that folks are either too scared to stand-up for the beliefs (e.g. Liberals) or they are so strident and fundamentalist as to sound almost crazy (e.g. Dick Cheney and the whole Conservative neocon movement). It’s gotten so scary in America that the neocons would say that this blog post is anti-American.

Sorry, but I’m not anti-American, I’m just anti-neocon America (i.e. the ideology that America is “the best” and that it’s the job of the American government to pursue its interests regardless of the cost).

What the hell happened to my America that I once knew and loved? That America that the whole world loved and admired is almost gone. America is falling apart at the seams. Read rest of article here! (Link)
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I myself am far from "Anti-American", But I see what America has become since 9/11. It worries me.So I guess I have become according to the article, "anti-neocon America (i.e. the ideology that America is “the best” and that it’s the job of the American government to pursue its interests regardless of the cost)."

America is just a small part of the world: She needs to learn that!

Kyle & Svet

PS: Go enjoy Timothy's Blog!

comments always welcome.

Russia: City of Desolate Mothers!

This is about South Ossetia: Truth! This will help you understand why Russia did what they did to help South Ossetia......



RT correspondent: Oksana Boyko investigates the aftermath of the conflict in South Ossetia. She produced an in depth report into the mothers who are grieving the loss of their children during the war.

Why? Georgia, Why? What did we do to you? Why? Georgia Why?: the mother cries over her dead son!

I ask: "What did South Ossetia do to deserve being attacked by Georgia?"
I ask: "Do you really think that Georgia considered Ossetians their people?"

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Not Alone in Secessionist issues!

Hello,

Information for your thoughts:

Currently, 15 EU states are confronted with secessionist* issues, including Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, and the UK, among others.

Question is: Who is next?

* Movements that work towards political secession may describe themselves as being autonomy, separatist, independence, self-determination, partition, devolution decentralization, sovereignty, self-governance or decolonization movements instead of, or in addition to, being secession movements.

Kyle

Russia: USA pushed Georgia to war to make Russia look like an enemy!

Putin interview:

Certain forces in the United States could have initiated the conflict in Georgia to create an advantage to one of the US presidential candidates. Vladimir Putin voiced this opinion during his recent interview with CNN.

This point of view appeared in Russia soon after Georgia’s aggression in South Ossetia. Prominent Russian politicians said that the conflict had been orchestrated by the USA because Georgia, being a tiny state, would have never invaded South Ossetia without the USA’s permission. The version also said that the war in South Ossetia had been plotted by Vice President Dick Cheney not to let Barack Obama take the White House as a result of the November elections.

“They needed a small victorious war. If it did not work out right, then they can lay the blame on us, make us look like an enemy and unite the country again around certain political forces. Why does this supposition look surprising to you? I am surprised that you are surprised about the things I say. It all lies on the surface,” Putin told the CNN journalist.

Vice speaker of the Russian parliament, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, took up the version too.

“It is all being done for their person - John McCain - to win the elections on November 5. The US defense complex needs to have its own person in the White House – John McCain,” Zhirinovsky said.

“Dick Cheney is the prime enemy of humanity today. Bush is a puppet, just like Saakashvili,” the notorious Russian politician stated.

“US citizens were involved in the conflict. They acted so because they were ordered to act so, and the only person who could give such orders to them is their leader,” Putin said in his interview with CNN.

In the Russian text of Putin’s interview to CNN this idea was formulated as follows:

“We have serious reasons to believe that US citizens were staying in the combat zone. If it is true, if facts are confirmed, it would be very bad. It is very dangerous and this policy is erroneous,” Putin said.

His extensive interview to CNN in the Russian language can be found on the official website of the Russian government.

“Even during the Cold War, during the tough opposition between the Soviet Union and the United states, we always avoided direct clashes between our nationals, not to mention military men,” the prime minister emphasized.

Vladimir Putin expressed his regret about the fact that the United States had not interfered into the conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia and had not stopped the Georgian administration from escalating it.

“I was disappointed because the US administration had done nothing to stop Georgia in the initial stage of the conflict, Interfax quoted Putin as saying.

The Russian prime minister reminded that he was talking to US President Bush on August 8 in Beijing, during the opening of the Olympic Games. The US president said that he would not like a war to happen somewhere.

“At 12 o’clock local time, Georgian troops seized a peacemaking township in the south of Tskhinvali. It is not us to guarantee that we are not going to attack anyone. We have not attacked anyone. We ask for guarantees from others so that no one would ever attack us and kill our citizens,” Putin said.

Washington not only ignored Georgia’s aggression against South Ossetia, but also armed the Georgian army, Putin said.

“Why would anyone conduct long-standing negotiations looking for complicated compromises in ethnic conflicts? It is a lot easier to arm one of the feuding sides and push it towards murdering the people of the other side - done. It seems to be such an easy decision to make. As it turns out in reality, it does not happen so always,” Putin stressed out.

Putin said that it was President Dmitry Medvedev, who ordered the Russian troops to enter Georgia.

“Medvedev was aware of my opinion on the matter. But it was only the President of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Mr. Medvedev, who could make such a decision,” Putin stated.

Putin also said that Russia is not going to turn a blind eye on the killings of its citizens for the sake of its membership in international organizations.

“Are we supposed to let someone kill us, and they would keep us in, let’s say, the Group of Eight?” he said.

The Russian prime minister pointed out that he could hear the Western media and politicians talking a lot about a threat that was coming from Russia.

“You and me are sitting here and talking in the city of Sochi. US warships with missiles on board have arrived [in the Black Sea] being several hundreds of kilometers away from here. The range of their missiles is exactly several hundreds of kilometers. These are not our warships approaching our shores. These are your warships approaching our shores,” Putin told the CNN journalist.

“We do not want any complications, we do not want to argue with anyone, nor do we want to wage wars against anyone. We want to conduct a normal cooperation and see a respectful attitude to us and our interests,” Putin said.

The Group of Eight is inferior without China and India, Putin said in his extensive interview.

“The Group of Eight is an inferior organization in its current state. It is impossible to imagine the normal development of the world economy without inviting the People’s Republic of China or India,” the Russian premier said.

Answering the question about a possibility of Russia’s exclusion from the G8 club, Putin called into question the G8’s effective activities without Russia in such fields as the struggle against terrorism, drugs, infectious diseases and the prevention of WMDs proliferation.

“I think that one should not think about it and one should not frighten anyone with it. It is not frightening at all. One should only try to analyze the situation properly, look into the future and establish normal relations treating each other’s interests with respect,” Putin said.

Putin added that Russia still hopes for close cooperation with other states although it should be equitable cooperation.

“We want to live in peace and consent. We want to work normally in all directions – on the international security, disarmament, anti-terrorist and anti-drug struggle, on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear issue, we are ready for all of this,” Putin said.

“But we want this work to be honest, open, based on partnership, not selfishness,” the Russian premier said.

Putin believes that Russia can cease its cooperation with the West on the Iranian nuclear program under certain circumstances.

“If no one wants to talk to us on these issues and if cooperation with Russia is not required at this point – well, they can work there alone for god’s sake,” he said.

Putin was particularly emphatic expressing his opinion about the state-run Western media providing false information about the conflict in South Ossetia.

“As for the perception of the events in South Ossetia by the general public, it largely depends on how politicians can manipulate the media and how they can affect the public opinion in the world. Our US colleagues are definitely a lot better at that than we are,” Putin told CNN.

Putin exemplified his point of view with the interview of the US girl of Ossetian origin, Amanda Kokoyeva, and her aunt on Fox News.

“He [the host] was constantly interrupting her. As soon as he did not like what she was saying, he began to interrupt her, he started to cough and croak. He was ready to poop his pants and do it so expressively to make them break off. Is this the honest and objective presentation of information? Is this what they call information? No, this is not. This is misinformation,” Putin said.

The rest is at this link: (Link) In Russian!

Russia: USA Passport Found in Georgian Commando Building!

A U.S. passport was found in a building in South Ossetia occupied by Georgian troops, a Russian military spokesperson revealed on Thursday. After Russian peacekeepers cleared the heavily defended building, a passport belonging to a Texan named Michael Lee White was discovered inside.

Deputy Chief of Russia's General Staff Anatoly Nagovitsyn showed photocopies of the passport to media in a press briefing on Thursday.

“There is a building in Zemonekozi - a settlement to the south of Tskhinval that was fiercely defended by a Georgian special operations squad. Upon clearing the building, Russian peacekeepers recovered, among other documents, an American passport in the name of Michael Lee White of Texas," said Nagovitsyn.
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Wonder if he is still alive?

Kyle & Svet

Russia Strikes Back: Putin Upsets The Western Apple Cart!

Hello,

Today: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the US of provoking the conflict in Georgia, possibly for domestic election purposes.

In a Interview with CNN, Mr Putin said: "The fact is that US citizens were indeed in the area in conflict during the hostilities. He also said: "It should be admitted that they would do so only following direct orders from their leaders."

Mr Putin added: "The American side in effect armed and trained the Georgian army." Then he went on and said: "Why... seek a difficult compromise solution in the peacekeeping process? It is easier to arm one of the sides and provoke it into killing another side. And the job is done."

"The suspicion arises that someone in the United States especially created this conflict with the aim of making the situation more tense and creating a competitive advantage for one of the candidates fighting for the post of US president."
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Now to us in Russia this is not new information. This is very old information, in fact, I have been pointing to several issues of American and NATO interference from the beginning. Russia has been screaming about USA military involvement the second day they pushed Georgia back from South Ossetia. Russia has found much evidence to support American meddling in the Caucus region.

Strange how all of a sudden the Western world has gone off the deep end, calling Putin names again and reiterated the threats double time!

I guess: Putin is a powerful individual. The West is scared of him....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Video of Georgian Tanks Driving Down a Tskhinval Street Just shooting all that moves!

Hello,

Have a video of the Georgian tanks attacking Tskhinval on 8-8-08, These are peoples homes that they are attacking.....



Basically from what I understand them saying is: Attack homes, fire only two three shots at a time, Shoot roofs, catch homes on fire and choose targets!

If you understand better than I do, please let us know exactly what they say.

Sad...

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: America wants Their Hummers Back!

MOSCOW. Aug 26 (Interfax-AVN) - Twenty people driving around in American Hummer vehicles near Poti have been detained and eight of them have been released, Russian General Staff Deputy Head Anatoly Nogovitsyn has said.

"We have checked these 20 and released eight of them. The 12 remaining persons are being checked further," Nogovitsyn said at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday.

The Russian side has a special interest in this incident, he said. "It is not accidental, as we can see that the Pentagon is worried about its Hummer's," the general said.

"We have discovered a lot of interesting things stuffed into these vehicles. And we continue working in this direction," he said.
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The U.S. hands over military secrets to Moscow

Russia's military is surprised by the Georgian army's negligence

Nikolay Barsegov, — 21.08.2008
An elite group of Georgian special forces drove into the "Russian-occupied" Poti on 5 U.S. military Hummers this week. The vehicles were carrying explosives, firearms and top-secret satellite technology — the pride of NATO generals.

The Russian military learned the special forces were approaching the city long before their arrival. Their movement was detected by satellite and reports had been received from local Georgians angered by Saakashvili's recent military actions.

According to Russian officials, they didn't expect that a key unit of Georgian intelligence trained by top NATO specialists would drive directly into their hands. The Georgian officers were overtaken without causalities.

"We knew there was a lot of negligence going on in the Georgian army, but not to this degree," one well-known, highly-positioned Russian general told me, who didn't want to reveal he is currently stationed in Georgia.

There were also three Arabs among the 20-odd Georgians. The Russian military is interrogating the officers who say they didn't intend to blow anything up. All the artillery in the vehicle was there by chance, they say. They forgot to unload the Hummers before departing. They had arrived together in such a large number to carefully study the situation in the port city.

The U.S. equipped the Georgian army with these Hummers.
It's likely NATO will have to re-encode their entire military and space system after the operation, which will be costly. This will certainly give them something to think about: Are closer military relations with Georgia and Ukraine really worth the hassle?
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No wonder NATO is pissed: Russia is discovering all kinds of skeletons in the closet!

This goes along with the original Hummers and lots of American Military equipment that has been found and confiscated by Russia. The USA and NATO is very, very, very involved in the Georgia attack on South Ossetia........

My Grandma always said: "Those who whine the loudest are hiding something!"

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Medvedev And The SCO!

Hello,

Want to see a deliberate alteration of the truth? According to CNN: Russia failed again and that is what everyone from America to BBC (Europe) readers are reading right now. Take a read and see what you think....

Russia fails to win support of Asian alliance! (CNN) Russia's hopes of international support for its actions in Georgia were dealt a blow Thursday, when an Asian security alliance denounced the use of force and called for respect for every country's territorial integrity, according to reports. The joint declaration from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, left Russia further isolated as pressure mounts over its actions in Georgia. "The presidents reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of respect for historic and cultural traditions of every country and efforts aimed at preserving the unity of a state and its territorial integrity," the declaration said, The Associated Press reported. "Placing the emphasis exclusively on the use of force has no prospects and hinders a comprehensive settlement of local conflicts," AP reported the nations, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as saying.

China, Central Asian states back Russian role in Georgia conflict! DUSHANBE, August 28 (RIA Novosti) - China and the other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) voiced their support on Thursday for Russia's actions in Georgia and South Ossetia following the recent conflict. However, the Asian countries stopped short of backing Russia's move to recognize the independence of the breakaway province, along with Georgia's other rebel region, Abkhazia. "The leaders of the SCO member states welcome the signing in Moscow of the six principles for regulating the South Ossetia conflict, and support Russia's active role in assisting peace and cooperation in this region," a joint declaration adopted at the SCO summit in Tajikistan said. The security bloc, is seen as a counterweight to NATO's influence in Eurasia, comprises China, Russia, and four Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Now from the SCO information itself:

The six leaders called for peaceful dialog to resolve ongoing tensions.

"The SCO member states are deeply concerned over tensions around the South Ossetian issue, and call on all sides concerned to peacefully resolve existing problems through dialog," the declaration said.

"The leaders of the SCO member states welcome the signing in Moscow of the six principles for regulating the South Ossetia conflict, and support Russia's active role in assisting peace and cooperation in this region, But placing the emphasis exclusively on the use of force has no prospects and hinders a comprehensive settlement of local conflicts," a joint declaration adopted at the SCO summit in Tajikistan said.

"The presidents also reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of respect for the historic and cultural traditions of every country and efforts aimed at preserving the unity of a state and its territorial integrity," the declaration said.

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So I see it that CNN turned what the SCO said into "Evil Russia Fails" and RIA Novosti adds sugar to the story. RIA is much more accurate and CNN completely degrades the facts.

The statement from the SCO is one of support for Russia, but with the understanding that force, history, culture, traditions and territorial integrity are very important. But Russia is in no way condemned and degraded by the SCO statements. In fact, the part that has to do with force is directed at Georgia in its attempt to destroy South Ossetia! The Western press has taken parts of the story and written a Evil Russia article to appease the War Mongers in America!

Why does media not just print what really happened?

Kyle & Svet

Russia: This is how the World Looks at Russia!

Russia: Medvedev at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) two-day summit!

Hello,

Russia: President Medvedev has gone to a meeting.....

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will discuss the situation in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia at a two-day summit which opens on Wednesday in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe.

The post-Soviet regional bloc, that is widely seen as a counterweight to NATO's influence in Eurasia, comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The group primarily addresses security issues, but has recently moved to embrace economic and energy projects.

What is the SCO?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation creation of which was proclaimed on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its prototype is the Shanghai Five mechanism.

The main goals of the SCO are strengthening mutual confidence and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture as well as education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection and other fields; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, to move towards the establishment of a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order.

Proceeding from the Spirit of Shanghai the SCO pursues its internal policy based on the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and aspiration towards common development, its external policy is conducted in accordance with the principles of non-alignment, non-targeting anyone and openness.

The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the highest decision-making body in the SCO. It meets once every year to take decisions and give instructions on all important issues of SCO activity. The Heads of Government Council (HGC) meets once every year to discuss a strategy for multilateral cooperation and priority directions within the Organisation’s framework, to solve some important and pressing issues of cooperation in economic and other areas as well as to adopt the Organisation’s annual budget. Besides sessions of the HSC and the HGC there are also mechanisms of meetings on the level of Speakers of Parliament, Secretaries of Security Councils, Foreign Ministers, Ministers of Defence, Emergency Relief, Economy, Transportation, Culture, Education, Healthcare, Heads of Law Enforcement Agencies, Supreme Courts and Courts of Arbitration, Prosecutors General. The Council of National Coordinators of SCO Member States (CNC) is in charge of coordinating interaction within the SCO framework. The Organisation has two permanent bodies – the Secretariat in Beijing and the Regional Antiterrorist Structure in Tashkent. Secretary-General and Executive Committee Director are appointed by the HSC for a period of three years. From 01 January 2007 these posts are held by Bolat K.Nurgaliev (Kazakhstan) and Myrzakan U.Subanov (Kyrgyzstan) respectively.

The SCO member states occupy a territory of around 30 million 189 thousand square kilometers, which makes up three fifths of the Eurasian continent, and have a population of 1.5 billion, which makes up a quarter of the planet’s population.



History of The SCO!

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an international organisation composed of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People of Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The SCO was created on the basis of the Shanghai Five, which came into being after signing in 1996-97 the agreements among Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan on building military confidence and mutual reduction of military forces in border areas.

In January 2001 Uzbekistan requested to join the Shanghai Five as a full member. The Five’s transformation into the SCO happened at a summit in Shanghai on 15 June 2001 when the heads of six countries signed the Declaration on SCO establishment and the Shanghai Convention on combating terrorism, separatism and extremism. The newborn Organisation proclaimed "strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transportation, ecology and other fields; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, to establish a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order" as its goals. The Council of National Coordinators was founded with the aim of establishing interaction among relevant ministries and departments of SCO member states.

On 14 September 2001 Almaty hosted the first meeting of heads of governments of SCO member states, who signed the Memorandum among the Governments of SCO Member States on Main Objectives and Directions of Regional Economic Cooperation. The prime ministers also announced the creation of a mechanism of regular meetings of heads of government within the SCO framework.

At a summit in Saint Petersburg on 07 July 2002 the heads of member states adopted the SCO Charter enshrining the goals, principles and main directions of cooperation within the Organisation. Besides the Charter the summit also signed the Agreement among SCO Member States on the Regional Antiterrorist Structure.

On 23 September 2003 Beijing hosted a meeting of heads of governments of SCO member states. They approved the Programme of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation among SCO Member States as well as adopted the Organisation’s first budget for 2004. The Programme clearly determined the main objectives and tasks of economic cooperation within the SCO framework, and set a direction for the free movement of goods, capital, services and technology inside the region during the next twenty-year period.

Besides the Heads of State Council and the Heads of Government Council the SCO also set up mechanisms of regular meetings on the level of speakers of parliament, national security councils, ministries of foreign affairs (MFA Council), ministers of defence, law enforcement agencies, ministers of economy, transportation, emergency relief, culture, education and healthcare, heads of border agencies, prosecutors general, supreme courts and courts of arbitration, national coordinators (CNC).

The headquarters of SCO Secretariat in Beijing and SCO Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent opened in January 2004.

At a session in Tashkent in 2004 the Heads of State Council approved the Regulations on Observer Status at the SCO and granted such status to Mongolia. A summit of SCO leaders in Astana in 2005 admitted India, Pakistan and Iran as its new observers.

The launch of the SCO’s permanent bodies was followed by the creation of a mechanism of permanent representatives of SCO member states to the Secretariat. At a summit in Astana in 2005 the heads of member states took a decision to establish a mechanism of permanent representatives of SCO member states to the RATS.

A summit in Shanghai in 2006 appointed Bolat K.Nurgaliev to the post of SCO Secretary-General and Myrzakan U.Subanov to the post SCO RATS Executive Committee Director. They assumed responsibilities on 01 January 2007. (Link)

I learn something new everyday and this is it.

The East will grow as the West will stagnate! Moscow pulls ever father from the European roots! & encompasses the Asian roots: Seems to me that Europe has forgotten its Eastern roots and has embraced the Western Military Monolith!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Stories from Soviet Childhood: Rat-Rat-Rat!

Hello,

on Wednesdays we have a tradition to publish here translation of Russian books what we read and enjoyed in my Soviet Childhood. Today we will read one more story by a very good Russian writer of children's book Nikolai Nosov. And today we read his next story Rat-Rat-Rat 1938: about life and adventures boys in a pioneer camp.

Rat-Rat-Rat

Mishka, Kostya and I went to the country this summer a day before the rest of our Pioneer group moved out. We had been sent on ahead to put the place in order before the others arrived. We had begged Vitya, our Pioneer leader, to let us go because we wanted to get out to the country as soon as possible.

Vitya came along with us. They were just finishing with the cleaning when we arrived, and we set to work at once to hang pictures and coloured posters on the walls and cut out coloured paper flags which we threaded in chains and hung under the ceiling. Then we picked lots of meadow flowers and arranged them in bouquets on the window-sills. By the time we were finished the place looked very nice indeed.

In the evening Vitya went back to town. Marya Maximovna, the care-taker who lived in a little cottage next door to our house, came and offered to put us up for the night. She thought we would be afraid to sleep by ourselves in the empty house. But Mishka told her we weren't afraid of anything.

When Marya Maximovna had gone, we put on the samovar and sat on the door-step to rest while it boiled up.

How lovely it was out there in the country! There were tall rowan-trees next to the house and a row of great lime-trees, very tall and very old, over by the fence. The branches of the lime-trees were dotted with crows' nests and the crows circled over the trees cawing loudly all the time. The air was filled with the humming of cockchafers. They whizzed by in all directions. Some flew smack into the wall and dropped to the ground. Mishka collected the stunned ones and put them in a box.

The sun sank behind the forest and the clouds glowed red as if they were on fire. It was so beautiful that if I had my paints with me I would surely have painted a picture then and there with the pink clouds on top and our samovar below and the smoke curling up from our samovar chimney like the smoke from a ship's funnel.

After a while the red glow went out of the sky and the clouds began to look like grey mountains. Everything looked so different that we began to think we had landed by some magic in a strange country.

When the samovar boiled, we took it inside, lit the lamp and sat down to drink tea. Moths flew in through the open windows and danced round and round the lamp. There was something strange and exciting about sitting there drinking tea by ourselves in the quiet, empty house, listening to the faint hissing of the samovar on the table.

After tea we prepared for bed. Mishka locked the door and fastened the handle with a bit of string.
"What's that for?" we asked him.
"So the robbers shouldn't get in."
We laughed at him. "Don't be afraid, there aren't any robbers around here," we told him.
"I'm not afraid," he said. "But you never know what might happen. We'd better close the shutters too."

We laughed at him, but we closed the shutters to be on the safe side. We pushed our beds together so we could talk without shouting across the room.
Mishka said he would sleep near the wall.

"You want the robbers to kill us first, is that it?" said Kostya. "All right, we're not afraid."
But even that didn't satisfy him. Before he got into bed he brought in a chopper from the kitchen and hid it under his pillow. Kostya and I nearly burst our sides laughing.
"See you don't chop our heads off by mistake!" we told him. "You might take us for robbers in the dark."
"You needn't be afraid," said Mishka. "I won't make any mistakes."

We blew out the lamp, curled up under the blankets and began telling each other stories in the dark. Mishka was first, I was next, and when it was Kostya's turn he told us such a long and frightening story that Mishka hid his head under the blanket with terror. Kostya started knocking at the wall to scare Mishka some more and said that someone was at the door. He kept it up for so long that I got a bit scared myself and I told him to stop it.

At last Kostya stopped fooling. Mishka calmed down and went to sleep. But for some reason Kostya and I couldn't fall asleep. It was so quiet we could hear Mishka's beetles rustling in the box. The room was as dark as the darkest cellar because the shutters were closed. We lay for a long time listening to the silence and whispering to each other in the darkness. At last a faint glimmer of light came through the shutters. Day was breaking. I must have dozed off because I woke up with a start to hear someone knocking.

Rat-tat! Rat-a-tat!
I woke Kostya.
"There's someone at the door."
"Who could it be?"
"Sh! Listen!"
For a minute all was silent. Then it came again: Rat-tat!
"Yes, someone is knocking," said Kostya. "Whoever can it be?"
We waited, holding our breath. There was no more knocking and we began to think we had dreamed it.
And then we heard it again: Rat-tat! Rat-tat!
"Sh-sh," whispered Kostya. "Let's pretend we don't hear it. Perhaps they'll go away."
We waited for a while, and then the tapping came again: Rat-tat!
"Oh dear, they're still there!" said Kostya.
"Perhaps it's someone from town?" I said.
"Who would come at this hour? No, let's lie still and wait. If they knock again, we'll ask who it is."
We waited, but no one knocked.
"Must have gone away," said Kostya.
We were just beginning to feel better when the tapping sounded again: Rat-a-tat!
I started and sat up in bed. "Come on," I said. "Let's go and ask who it is."
We crept over to the door.
"Who's there?" said Kostya.
There was no answer.
"Who's there?" Kostya 'repeated, louder this time.
Silence.
"Who's there?"
No answer. "Must have gone away," I said.
We went back. No sooner had we reached our beds than:
Rat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat!
We dashed to the door. "Who's there?"
Silence.
"Is he deaf, or what?" said Kostya. We stood listening. We thought we heard something rustling outside.
"Who is it?"
Nobody answered.

We went back to bed and sat up holding our breath. Suddenly we heard a rustling on the roof above our heads, and then something went crash—bang on the tin roof.
"They've gone and climbed on to the roof!" said Kostya.
Bang! Crash! Bang! This time the noise came from the far side of the roof.
"Sounds as if there were two of them," I said. "What are they doing on the roof, I wonder."
We jumped out of bed and closed the door to the next room which led to the attic. We pushed the dining-table against the door and another smaller table against that and then a bed. But the banging on the roof continued, now on one side, now on the other, now both together. There seemed to be three of them up there. And then someone started knocking at the door again.
"Perhaps somebody is doing it just to frighten us," I said.
"We ought to go out and jump on them and give them a good hiding for keeping us awake," said Kostya.
"They're more likely to give us a good hiding. There may be twenty of them out there!"
All this time Mishka was sleeping soundly. He hadn't heard a thing.
"Perhaps we'd better wake him," I suggested.
"No. Let him sleep," said Kostya. "You know what a coward he is. He'd be scared out of his wits."
As for us, we were ready to drop from sleepiness. Finally Kostya couldn't stand it any longer. He climbed into bed and said:
"I'm fed up with all this nonsense. They can break their silly necks on the roof for all I care. I'm going to sleep."

I pulled the chopper out from under Mishka's pillow and put it next to me and lay down to try and get some sleep. The noise overhead quieted down gradually, until it sounded like rain pattering on the tin roof. I fell asleep.

We were awakened by a terrific banging on the door. It was broad daylight and there was a great commotion outside in the yard. I snatched up the chopper and ran to the door.
"Who's there?" I shouted.
"Open the door, you chaps! What's the matter with you? We've been knocking for half an hour!" It was Vitya, our Pioneer leader!

I opened the door and the boys crowded into the room. Vitya noticed the chopper.
"What's that for?" he asked. "And what's the meaning of this barricade here?"
Kostya and I related what had happened during the night. But the boys wouldn't believe us. They laughed at us and said we must have imagined it all out of sheer fright. Kostya and I were so sore we could have cried.
Just then there was a knocking overhead.
"Hush!" cried Kostya and raised his finger.

The boys quieted down. Rat-tat-tat! The rapping noise was distinctly heard. The boys looked at one another. Kostya and I opened the door and went outside. The others followed. We walked a little away from the house and looked up at the roof. Perched up there was a plain, ordinary crow. It was pecking at something, and its beak went "Tap, tap, tap," against the tin roofing.
When the boys saw the crow they burst out laughing and the crow flapped its wings with fright and flew away.

Several of the boys got hold of a ladder and climbed up on to the roof.
"The roof is covered with last year's rowans!" they shouted down to us. "That's what the crow was pecking at."
How did they get there, we wondered. Then we noticed that the branches of the rowan-trees spread over the house. In the autumn when the rowans are ripe they must fall right on to the roof.
"But who knocked at the door, then?" I said.
"Yes," said Kostya. "What were the crows doing, tapping at our door? I suppose you'll say they wanted to come inside and spend the night with us."
No one could answer that one. They all ran over to examine the door. Vitya picked a rowan up from the door-step.
"They didn't knock at the door at all. They were picking up the rowans from the door-step, and you thought they were knocking at the door."
We looked and sure enough there were some rowan berries on the door-step.
The boys had a good laugh at us. "Aren't they heroes! Three of them scared by one crow!"
"There were only two of us," I said. "Mishka slept all through it."
"Good for you, Mishka!" cried the boys. "So you were the only one who wasn't afraid of the crow?"
"I wasn't afraid at all," said Mishka. "I slept and didn't hear anything."
Ever since then Mishka has been considered the brave one, and me and Kostya, the cowards.


Best wishes and I wish all our fears can turn to such funny stories!

Svet

Russia: Rebuilding Georgia, Is America That Rich?

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and thinking about the information that I heard about the USA was thinking of spending 2.3 billion tax payer dollars to rebuild Georgia......

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili says he needs 2.3 billion dollars to reconstruct his country. Much of the damage was done in the disputed region of South Ossetia, which has already been promised reparations from Russia.

Amidst the credit crunch, mortgage crisis, and the spiraling cost of gas, many Americans are doing all they can to save a buck these days, with the national debt rising on average by over a billion a day.

Saakashvili could address a joint session of Congress - a request has been made by the Congressional Georgia Caucus which helps the Caucasian republic – a place few Americans paid much attention to before it began making headlines and campaign speeches. (Link)

I for one, have some issues with America spending any money on Georgia!

I really am confused by America, the problems back home need serious work and that work takes money. I read the news coming from America (CNN, Time, USA Today, etc.) and all it talks about is kids shooting kids in school, housing market spiraling downward, millions of people with out health care, prostitution in underage kids is rampant, banks failing everyday and on and on and on! Now, Georgia is the last place to be spending American money....

Besides the most damage was done in South Ossetia and America could care less about sending aid to South Ossetia! Yet the USA proclaims that Georgia has Border Integrity to be maintained. The aid (aid in form of food, not Military) to Georgia was needed before the war, Georgia with the exception of its Capital, was in deep poverty.

America like the rest of the world has already divided Georgia, Russia just approved it.

So America gives and gives to Georgia in the same sense that a rich Daddy gives to his spoiled brat kid!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russian News: August 26th, 2008!

RBC, 26.08.2008, Kiev 19:44:39.Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's delegation headed by acting First Deputy Minister Yury Kostenko has cancelled its visit to Russia, the ministry reported today. The meeting was initiated by Moscow and provided for holding political consultations on Wednesday. The visit was cancelled due to Russia's decision to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are internationally acknowledged as integral parts of the sovereign republic of Georgia, the RBC Ukraine reported today.

RBC, 26.08.2008, Moscow 19:36:41.Experts believe that the escalation of the conflict due to Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is not likely to result in a halt in trade relations between Russia and the West. Some major investment projects are projected to be suspended, but international trade is not likely to stop, analysts note, adding that this would be too expensive for Europeans. Industries that depend on foreign investment are anticipated to feel the negative impact of the current developments.

RBC, 26.08.2008, Moscow 18:58:52.Russia is not afraid of a new Cold War, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told the Russia Today television channel in an interview. He noted that Russia was ready to accept the consequences of recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia. However, Medvedev expressed hope that other countries would assume a reasonable stance on the matter and understand the reasons for Russia's decision.

RBC, 26.08.2008, Moscow 18:27:46.The Russian stock market was able to regain part of the previous loss late in the afternoon. After a 6-percent plunge following President Dmitry Medvedev's announcement of Russia's recognition of the sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the RTS index edged up to 1,577.55 points around 5:40 p.m., a 4.26-percent drop from the close on Monday. The MICEX index, which had plummeted as much as 5.5 percent during the session, showed a decline by merely 1.98 percent before the close, reaching 1,294.39 points.

RBC, 26.08.2008, Moscow 17:56:46.Vladimir Pekhtin, first deputy head of the United Russia faction in the State Duma, expects other nations to support Russia and recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in due course, he told RBC today commenting on the respective decree signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. While it was a difficult decision for Russia, the speed with which it was made provides further evidence of Russia's intention to stop bloodshed and bring peace in the region, Pekhtin said. He stressed that Russia was acting solely as a peacekeeper.

RBC, 26.08.2008, Moscow 16:29:53.Russia's Federal Security Service has prevented some 10 acts of terrorism in the Southern Federal District, the service's public relations department reported today. In July, the FSB received information that members of armed gangs operating in the North Caucasus region on behalf of al-Qaeda were preparing a number of terrorist attacks in Russia's Southern Federal District. During this morning's operation, an FSB group discovered two militants, who mounted armed resistance in an attempt to flee and were shot down as a result. The militants had all components for making bombs with them, the agency reported.

RBC, 26.08.2008, Moscow 16:23:48.Foreign leaders' criticism of Russia is not supported by evidence, said deputy head of the Russian military's General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn. He commented on NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer's announcement that NATO would not have the same relations with Russia after Moscow's involvement in the Georgia-Ossetia conflict and German chancellor Angela Merkel's statement that Georgia would join NATO. Even Georgia acknowledged that the damage caused to it from the military activities was smaller than that incurred to South Ossetia, Nogovitsyn pointed out.

RBC, 26.08.2008, Moscow 10:20:52.Moscow has expressed "serious concern" about yet another case of a great number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, where as a result of an airstrike by the US air force on August 22, 89 civilians lost their lives in Herat Province, including 19 women and 50 children, the Russian Foreign Ministry's information and press department announced.

Russia: Medvedev recognizes independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia!

Hello,

Russia has made it official. Abkhazia and South Ossetia are considered independent.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced Tuesday on Russian TV that he has signed a decree recognizing the independence of the breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Medvedev said Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili had forced Russia's hand by launching an Aug. 7 attack to seize control of South Ossetia by force.

"Saakashvili chose genocide to fulfill his political plans," Medvedev said. "Georgia chose the least human way to achieve its goal - to absorb South Ossetia by eliminating a whole nation."

After Russia's parliament urged the move Monday, the U.S. State Department said recognition of the two areas would be "unacceptable" and U.S. President George W. Bush urged the Kremlin against it. (Link)

I guess I will say it one more time: Neither Russia or Medvedev could care less what Bush or the USA has to say.......

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Is Not With Out Reprisals!

Hello,

I was thinking today while drinking my morning cup of coffee about the threats of sanctions that the USA is throwing at Russia!

Seems Russia has a few slaps back in the American face that may hurt....

1. Moscow may respond at the UN Security Council, where it can put obstacles on the way of US intentions to punish Iran for its nuclear ambition.

2. All anti-terrorist programs, the struggle against drug mafia, Syria, Venezuela and Hamas can be added on the list too.

3. Russians may stop their cooperation with the USA, with the cooperation in the energy industry.

4. The USA needs to obtain Russia’s help in the endeavor to make Iran and North Korea shut down their nuclear programs.

5. Russia started the shipments of first components of its very effective S-300 missile system to Iran. Russia is in the deals now with India for missiles to arm India's new submarines. Russia is also working on Arms deals with Syria, Jordon and Venezuela on arms deals.

6. Russia may complicate USA’s and NATO’s supply of the coalition in Afghanistan In April, Moscow gave France and Germany a right to transit non-combatant cargoes via Russia.

7. Russia is capable of blocking any sanctions at the UN Security Council.

8. Moscow can also pull out from a number of treaties, including the one signed with the USA about the liquidation of short and smaller range missiles after the expiry of START-1 Treaty in 2009.

9. The USA would hardly prefer Moscow disposing of its dollar assets. Moscow has already started the actions to sell Russian crude for rubles, which would obviously affect long-term dollar positions.

10. Can you think of any more?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Medvedev Will Drop NATO Like a Hot Potato?

Hello,

On TV today in Moscow:

President Medvedev has said that Russia is ready to break off its relations with NATO if necessary. A statement from Medvedev about NATO.

"We've been developing our relations with the North Atlantic Alliance for a long time. We would like these relations to be full-fledged and to be real partners, but we don't want any illusions of partnership. When we're being surrounded by military bases along our borders, and when more and more countries are being dragged into NATO, we certainly don't like it," said Medvedev.

This was stated after a meeting with Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin. Dmitry Rogozin briefed Medvedev on NATO's attitude towards the current situation in South Ossetia. In his view they're applying a double standard as they're blaming Russia, although Georgia began the conflict.

Medvedev will do it....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: The Race to the Center of the Earth!

Hello,

I found an interesting subject from the Soviet era: The Kola Superdeep Borehole!

It reached a depth before stopping: 12,262 meters = 44,290 ft = 7.62 miles! :)

The Kola Superdeep Borehole (Russian: Кольская сверхглубокая скважина) was the result of a scientific drilling project of the former USSR. The project attempted to drill as deep as possible into the Earth's crust. Drilling began on May 24, 1970 on the Kola Peninsula, using an "Uralmash-4E" and later an "Uralmash-15000" drilling device. A number of boreholes were drilled by branching from a central hole. The deepest, SG-3, was completed in 1989, creating a hole 12,262 meters (40,230 ft or 7.62 mi) deep, the deepest hole ever made by humans.


The project was first proposed in 1962 and was assigned to the Interdepartmental Scientific Council for the Study of the Earth's Interior and Superdeep Drilling. The drill site was chosen in 1965 in north-west Soviet Union, 10 kilometers (6 mi) west of the town of Zapolyarny, Russia.

The initial target depth was set at 15,000 meters (49,210 ft). On June 6, 1979, the world depth record held by the Bertha Rogers hole in Washita County, Oklahoma (9,583 meters (31,440 ft) was broken. In 1983, the drill passed the 12,000 meters (39,370 ft) level and stopped drilling for about a year to celebrate the event. This idle period may have contributed to a disappointing break-down on September 27, 1984: after drilling 12,066 meters (39,587 ft) down, 5,000 metres (16,400 ft) of boring pipes tore off and were left in the earth. It was decided to drill again from 7,000 meters (22,970 ft). The hole reached 12,262 meters (40,230 ft) deep in 1989. In that year the hole depth was expected to reach 13,500 meters (44,290 ft) by the end of 1990 and 15,000 meters (49,210 ft) by 1993. However, due to higher than expected temperatures at this depth and location, 180 °C (356 °F) instead of expected 100 °C (212 °F), drilling deeper was deemed unfeasible and the drilling was stopped in 1992. With the expected further increase in temperature with increasing depth, drilling to 15,000 meters (49,210 ft) would have meant working at a projected 300 °C (570 °F), at which the drill bit would no longer work.


The Kola borehole penetrated about a third through the Baltic continental crust, presumed to be around 35 kilometers (22 mi) thick, exposing rocks 2.7 billion years old at the bottom. The project has been a site of extensive geophysical studies. The stated areas of study were the deep structure of the Baltic Shield; seismic discontinuities and the thermal regime in the Earth's crust; the physical and chemical composition of the deep crust and the transition from upper to lower crust; lithospheric geophysics; and to create and develop technologies for deep geophysical study.


To scientists, one of the more fascinating findings to emerge from this well is that the change in seismic velocities was not found at a boundary marking Jeffreys' hypothetical transition from granite to basalt; it was at the bottom of a layer of metamorphic rock that extended from about 5 to 10 kilometers beneath the surface. The rock there had been thoroughly fractured and was saturated with water, which was surprising. This water, unlike surface water, must have come from deep-crust minerals and had been unable to reach the surface because of a layer of impermeable rock.


Another unexpected discovery was the large quantity of hydrogen gas, with the mud flowing out of the hole described as "boiling" with hydrogen.

The site is currently controlled by the State Scientific Enterprise on Superdeep Drilling and Complex Investigations in the Earth's Interior (GNPP Nedra) as the Deep Geolaboratory.

That is a long ways straight down.......

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Ukraine Going To Give Saakashvili Extra Ties To Chew On!

Ukraine opposition to send Georgian leader neckties to chew on

from Russia News

Ukraine's opposition party has pledged to send 365 neckties to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was recently caught on camera nervously chewing his garment while discussing the Georgian-Russian conflict. :)

Saakashvili has caused an internet sensation with his tie-chewing antics, captured during a phone conversation with a top Western official and aired by the BBC, and also over footage of him running in apparent terror after speaking to reporters, believing he was about to be attacked by Russian planes.

Russia: Death Toll in South Ossetia!

Hello,

While drinking my morning cup of coffee the TV reported death tolls from the conflict in Georgia.

Georgia lost 215 of its nationals in the conflict, including 13 policemen, 133 military personnel and 69 civilians, said the Georgian parliament's defense and security committee.

Russian Ministry said, 64 Russian servicemen had been killed in the recent conflict, with more than 370 injured. Russia also said, 2,100 South Ossetians were killed in during the conflict. The number of deaths is rising as the rubble of destroyed buildings is cleared.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Saakashvily Really Named A Street After George W. Bush!

Seems George W. Bush is very Loved in Georgia.

Russia: London Symphony Orchestra conductor performs in Tskhinvali

Valery Gergiev

Hello,

Updated:
Thursday night we got a treat on TV in Russia:

London Symphony Orchestra conductor performs in war-torn Tskhinvali

The principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev, will lead a concert in Tskhinvali on Thursday. The performance will be staged next to the destroyed parliament building in the bombed-out capital of South Ossetia.

Gergiev is of Ossetian origin but was born in Moscow. He grew up in North Ossetia and studied in St Petersburg.

“I’ve got a lot of friends and relatives living in South Ossetia. Although I haven’t lost my loved ones, my friends lost five relatives,” Gergiev said.

He believes that Russia did everything possible to save Ossetians from complete extermination.

According to the Mariinsky Theatre, the concert will feature Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s fifth and sixth symphonies and Dmitry Shostakovich’s famous “invasion” theme from his sixth symphony. (Link)

Part 1


Part 2


The principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev, has led a concert in Tskhinvali. The performance was staged next to the destroyed parliament building in the bombed-out capital of South Ossetia.

This is the whole concert and it is very, very, very good!

Kyle & Svet

comment always welcome.

Russian News: August 22nd, 2008!

RBC, 22.08.2008, Novoogaryovo 15:50:03.Real disposable incomes of Russians are expected to rise 2-2.5 times by 2020, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said during a meeting on Russia's long-term development. He pointed out that the respective goal was defined in the project of Russia's strategies of social and economic development until 2020.

RBC, 22.08.2008, Moscow 15:40:45.Severstal is looking to acquire US coal mining company PBS Coals Corporation, the Russian steel maker said in a press release today. Severstal intends to offer $7.99 per each PBS Coals share, and the value of the deal has been estimated at $1.3bn. The US company will reportedly be bought through the purchase of Penfold Capital Acquisition Corporation, now merging with PBS Coals. The deal, which has yet to be approved by the regulating authorities, will be paid for in cash. If the deal fails, PBS Coals will, in certain circumstances, have to pay a penalty fee of $40.1m to Severstal. Both PBS Coals and Penfold Capital Acquisition have agreed to strike the deal, which is to be completed in mid-October.

RBC, 22.08.2008, Moscow 14:59:28.Russia's armed forces will react accordingly in the event of possible terrorist attacks on the country's Black Sea Fleet, deputy chief of the Russian military's General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn told a press conference in Moscow today. He noted that all related matters, including the possibility of such attacks, were stipulated by the existing Russian-Ukrainian treaties. The recent announcements regarding attacks being prepared are aimed at undermining relations between Russia and Ukraine, which is quite regretful, Nogovitsyn stressed.

RBC, 22.08.2008, Moscow 14:40:12.Russian troops are being withdrawn from the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone on schedule, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the Russian armed forces General Staff, told a press conference today. Russia does not intend to revise this schedule, the official stressed. He added that air forces were being relocated and troops were moving back to Russia. For instance, 25 strike fighters and 3 fighter planes have already returned to their permanent base, Nogovitsyn said.

RBC, 22.08.2008, Moscow 13:59:06.Investors are expecting a further rise on the Russian stock market, experts told RBC TV today. While Russian stocks opened higher today thanks to an increase in oil prices, trading activity slowed considerably half an hour into the session. Analysts point out that Russian shares are likely to remain highly volatile. Given that oil prices may correct downwards, this could affect the Russian market, experts fear. The RTS index is projected to ease gradually to 1,700 points, or even to the 1,680 mark, by the end of the day, analysts note.

RBC, 22.08.2008, Moscow 13:48:58.The situation in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone is 'far from normal', deputy chief of the Russian armed forces General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn told a press conference today. He pointed out that the situation in both the Georgian-Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zones could not be characterized as stable. Nogovitsyn also noted that Georgia's armed forces were massing in the central part of Georgia, restoring their military efficiency and prepared for further actions. In particular, they conducted reconnaissance, as well as prepared military actions in the Georgia-Ossetian conflict zone.

RBC, 22.08.2008, Moscow 12:55:06.A Russian convoy of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for South Ossetians is to set out from Vladikavkaz, the capital city of the Russian region of North Ossetia, for Tskhinvali today, said Sergei Shatirov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's industrial policy committee and a member of the coordination council for humanitarian aid set up by the Russian parliament's upper house. He noted that articles of prime necessity, as well as refrigerators, furniture, and power generators, would be delivered to Tskhinvali. This is everything South Ossetians need the most at the moment, Shatirov stated. Russia plans to send a total of 260 tonnes of humanitarian aid collected by the Federation Council along with the country's constituent entities, according to Shatirov.

RBC, 22.08.2008, Moscow 09:45:04.Russia's cooperation with NATO is a complex issue, and until the government makes a decision on its future, military cooperation with the alliance has been temporarily frozen, the Mayak radio station reported Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin as saying. Rogozin pointed out that Russia's Defense Ministry had sent a formal notice to NATO that Moscow was halting military cooperation. The alliance has already confirmed its receipt.

Russia: Top Five (5) Countries Olympic Medals!

Medal Standings

Total

1	CHN	46	15	22	83
2	USA	28	34	31	93
3	GBR	17	12	11	40
4	RUS	16	16	19	51
5	AUS	11	13	14	38

Russia: The West Fades into the Sunset!

Caskets

Hello,

Today while drinking my morning cup of coffee, I came across interesting articles from all over the world. Articles from Western press, that act in horror that Russia is not going to pull out of South Ossetia! The Western world has ignored Abkhazia and the fact that Russia will not be pulling out of Abkhazia either.

I have said all along that Medvedev is pissed off about this situation down in Georgia. You must understand the reality, that South Ossetia & Abkhazia are no longer part of Georgia in Russians minds. In fact Russian State Duma MPs and Federation Council members have made it clear that they are ready to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

As I live amongst the Russians, I have come to conclude that there are several areas that are still considered Russian! The Caucus Region, The Crimea and The Black Sea are just a few. When you talk about areas like these, many Russians just automatically consider them Russian.

I also this morning read about the waffling of Ukraine's tough stance against Russia's Black Fleet! One minute Ukraine is threatening to blocking the port, the next minute they say welcome back please remember to leave by 2017!

Talk about Medvedev, He is telling NATO farewell, goodbye and so long. He says Russia has no use for a Cold War relic like NATO! America stuttered and stammered on that news, while Europe most likely said: See we told you so!

The same goes true for the G8, World Trade Organization and any other USA backed organizations. The USA has effectively steered Russia into Iran, China and the Eastern worlds arms. The chance that the Western world had to influence Russia is gone.

One last statement about the death counts: Due to the heat and decomposing bodies, people were forced to bury bodies in gardens, courtyards and even incinerated many. There are masses of those unidentified hillocks. Only in some cases have they been able to determine who is buried there. (The death is not counted unless the Western world does an autopsy.) If you ever have been near dead humans by the dozens or hundreds (like I have), you would understand why you have to bury them and bury them quick. I have chosen not to print pictures of the dead, just caskets. We have seen hundreds on the news and that is enough for Svet & I!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: What is Happening in Russia! 8-20-08

1. Russia has rejected a new draft United Nations resolution on South Ossetia at an emergency session held in New York. Moscow says the text doesn't entirely reflect the six principles of settling the conflict, drawn up by the presidents of Russia and France last week. A vote on the issue is likely to provoke a veto from Russia.

2. Russia has submitted a new draft resolution on Georgia to the UN Security Council in New York. The country's representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, says it's based on the six principles worked out by the Presidents of Russia and France last week. Russia rejected an earlier draft resolution submitted by France.

3. Russia's ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin has dismissed media reports that the Georgian city of Gori is "in ruins." He called the allegations a "disinformation campaign" and pointed to the fact that Russian peacekeepers have in fact performed a humanitarian mission there.

4. Russia’s ambassador to the UN says a French resolution aimed at ending the crisis in the Caucasus does not entirely reflect the six principles agreed by all parties. Vitaly Churkin made his comments after the UN Security Council held emergency consultations on the situation in South Ossetia.

5. The total number of casualties of the Georgian – South Ossetian conflict has been revealed. According to local authorities the conflict has claimed the lives of 1492 Ossetians.

6. The Abkhazian Parliament has approved an official appeal to Russia to recognize its independence.

7. Medvedev has high approval (76%) of how he handled the Georgian Issues. (I can attest to that personally!)

8. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko cut short her vacation in Sardinia yesterday to return to Kiev, at the demand of President Viktor Yushchenko. The latest hot scandal in their relations concerns relations with Russia. Using growing public concern in Ukraine about a Russian invasion, Yushchenko is trying to assume the role of guarantor of national security, accusing Tymoshenko, who did not support Georgia, of conspiracy with Moscow.

9. U.S. agreements on deploying elements of its missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic provoke an arms race and do not provide for European security, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

10. An officer of Russia’s army, Mikhail Khachidze, was detained in the Stavropol region on suspected spying for Georgia, Interfax reported with reference to a spokesman of the PR Center of Russia’s FSB. A criminal case was opened under Clause 275 (High Treason).

Russia seems to have had an interesting day, from United Nation issues to a Spy....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Finally Some Pictures of What is Left Of Tskhinvali!

It has been very hard to acquire pictures of the destroyed South Ossetian Capital. Finally some showed up on a Russian Government Website......

Truck with coffins is kinda sad!

Going to be hard to rebuild very fast!

I hope to get pictures of the city as it gets rebuilt, we will see....

Kyle & Svet

Russia: Tskhinvali is Being Rebuilt!

Tskhinvali restoration:

Russia's Emergencies Ministry in a TV news statement says it needs the help of local people to rebuild South Ossetia's devastated infrastructure. Progress is being made and restoration work is in full swing, with the water supply to the capital Tskhinvali having been almost been fully restored. Another key task is to repair broken windows before cold weather sets in.

The authorities have pledged to restore schools before September 1 and hospitals are also at the top of the reconstruction list.

Many foreign journalists have received accreditation to work in the region and are being given guided tours by local officials to show them the scale of the damage and devastation.

Russian combat engineers are still involved in mine-clearing operations in South Ossetia and they're still finding unexploded mines and artillery shells across the region.

Russia is to spend $US 60 million by the end of the year on the reconstruction of South Ossetia’s infrastructure.

The Chechen Republic has also joined the humanitarian aid program for the region. It is providing food and construction materials. (Link)

Kyle & Svet

Russia: Official Known Deaths In South Ossetians!

Georgian war leaves 1492 Ossetians dead:

The total number of casualties of the Georgian – South Ossetian conflict has been revealed. According to local authorities the conflict has claimed the lives of 1492 Ossetians. This is the verified known deaths.

According to Anatoly Nogovitsyn of the Russian Defence Ministry, who was speaking at a news conference on Wednesday television: 64 Russian soldiers were killed in action and 323 were wounded, more than 5,000 people from South Ossetia are still in refugee camps in the south of Russia.

Approximately 30,000 people fled from Georgia’s offensive on August 8. According to officials, some 15,000 of them have returned over the last week to start rebuilding their country.

Kyle & Svet

Russia: NATO Had Been Busy Training Georgia forces!

Hello,

When Georgia started her attack the USA had already landed at Tbilisi and was getting ready for a 3 week training session......
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U.S. Trainers Say Georgian Troops Weren't Ready:

20 August 2008 / The Moscow Times, Georgia -- U.S. military trainers say the Georgian soldiers they knew who were sent to battle the Russians had fighting spirit but were not ready for war.

The Georgians were "beginning to walk, but by no means were they running," said U.S. Army Captain Jeff Barta, who helped train a Georgian brigade for peacekeeping service in Iraq. "If that was a U.S. brigade, it would not have gone into combat."

Now on standby at the Sheraton Hotel in the Georgian capital, unarmed and in civilian clothes, six of the U.S. trainers offered a glimpse at the five-year U.S. mission and at the performance of the outnumbered and out gunned Georgian military in its defeat by Russia.

The Americans arrived for work Aug. 7 to unexpectedly find training was over for the unit they had been assigned to for three weeks, the 4th Brigade: The Georgian soldiers were sitting on their rucksacks and singing folk songs as an Orthodox priest walked among them chanting and waving incense.

Then buses and trucks took the troops off toward Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, where there had been sporadic clashes and shelling during the previous week. That night the Georgian army began an offensive trying to retake the Russian-supported region, and by the following morning hundreds of Russian tanks were rolling across the border.

"From what I've heard, a lot of the 4th Brigade was hit pretty hard," said Rachel Dejong, 24, a Navy medic.

The Georgian company commander who was training alongside Barta was killed.

"Some of the soldiers seemed really grateful for the things we taught them," said Barta, 31, but he acknowledged that it was not nearly enough.

Trainers start with the basics of infantry warfare -- shooting, taking cover, advancing -- then on to squad and platoon maneuvers, Barta said.

The Georgians do not lack "warrior spirit," he said, but added that they were not ready for combat.

They inherited bad habits from the Red Army, whose soldiers would not move without a direct order from a superior, and need to be taught to think on their own, Barta said. To make things more difficult, many soldiers "come from the hills of Georgia, and some of them sign for their paycheck with an X," he said.

The Georgian army has five regular infantry brigades, each with some 2,000 troops. Only one of them -- the 1st, which was rushed home from Iraq by U.S. planes after fighting broke out -- has been trained to a NATO level.

There are also units of poorly trained reservists, Georgian men who do 18 days of one-time military training and then eight days a year into their 40s. Officially, the government says it has 37,000 regular soldiers and 100,000 reservists.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, some of the U.S. trainers spoke bluntly about problems with the Georgian troops, who one veteran sergeant said "got torn up real bad."

The Americans were training them to use the U.S. military M-4 rifles, he said. But when fighting broke out, the Georgians went back to the Soviet AK-47, the only weapon they trusted. They appeared incapable of firing single shots, instead letting off bursts of automatic fire, which is wildly inaccurate and wastes ammunition, he said.

Another problem was communications: As soon as combat began, the army's communications network largely collapsed, he said, so troops conducted operations using regular cell phones. That left their communications easily accessible to Russian intelligence.

"Were they ready to go? The answer is no," the sergeant said.

The U.S. trainers come from different branches of the military: Marines, Army, Navy and special forces. Most have combat experience in Iraq or Afghanistan. At the moment, according to the trainers, there are fewer than 100 of them in the country.

Officially their job is to get the Georgians ready to serve in Iraq, where the country has maintained a 2,000-man contingent. Unofficially, some of the trainers acknowledge, the program hopes to give the U.S. a more robust ally on Russia's border in a country that houses a vital oil pipeline.

The Americans are not the only ones here. Georgian corporals and sergeants train with Germans, the navy and alpine units work with French instructors, and special operations and urban warfare troops are taught by Israelis, said Georgia's deputy defense minister, Batu Kutelia.

While the U.S. mission is specifically aimed at getting troops ready for Iraq, the "overall goal is to bring Georgia up to NATO standards," Kutelia said in an interview Sunday.

Georgia has allied itself with the West and has hopes of joining NATO, ambitions that Russia has seen as a challenge to its influence and security.

Kutelia said Georgian troops who had trained with the Americans and other foreign forces -- about half of the military -- performed better in the war than those who did not.

It is not clear how many Georgian units actually had a chance to put what they learned into practice.

One Georgian officer who returned from the front said the army succumbed not to one-on-one combat but to overwhelming Russian air power. The officer, who appeared shaken by what he saw, showed photographs of Georgian military jeeps destroyed from the air, the bodies of their occupants lying bloated on the road. He would not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

Barta, the U.S. Army captain, said of the company he was training: "I know specifically that Bravo Company, I'm sure, and I hope from what I did for them, that they're better off than they would have been if this happened four weeks ago."

An independent Georgian military expert, Koba Liklikadze, said the U.S. training was not a deciding factor, attributing the army's loss to bad decisions by the government.

The U.S. program has been interrupted, and critically damaged, by the war. Many Georgian military bases, including the main U.S. training facility at Vaziani, were damaged or destroyed.

The U.S. trainers now lounging at the Tbilisi Sheraton have been relegated to following the situation from the hotel's carpeted halls and glass elevators. They seem eager to either get back to work or leave.

With the future of their mission uncertain, the trainers have been drafted to help the U.S. aid operation that began last week. But it is hard to avoid the impression they would rather be elsewhere.

"I'm not saying that we're suffering here with the 1 million thread-count sheets or checking out the local females at the pool," said Captain Pongpat Piluek, a veteran of the Afghanistan war. "But if our job now is to sit here and put down roots in the couch, I'd rather do it at home." (Link)

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I guess the truth will slowly come out. Seems that the NATO was doing some serious playing in Russia's backyard.....

Kyle & Svet

Russia: NATO Talking Tough and Saakashvili Chewing Over His Next Move!

Hello,

I just had a good laugh.....

The 26 NATO nations agreed to tough language towards Russia due to Moscow's failure to withdraw its troops from Georgia, a French diplomat said.

I know that I would be scared!

What does tough language mean and does it involve name calling?

Also why would America back: Mikheil Saakashvili who feels severe stress and cannot control himself, This is what the Serbsky Institute of Social and Forensic Psychiatry concluded based on a few incidents broadcast by TV, Interfax reported. Watch the interesting video of Saakashvili who does not realize he is on camera for an interview with BBC! (only 17 seconds, but you will laugh) :)



Chewing over his next move....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: NATO is it Going to Collapse?

Hello,

I have had a few comments about the issue of NATO and whether NATO is a viable organization any more. The latest issues are Russia and the split of the Old and New NATO!

Germany and France have been cautious in their diplomatic approach to Moscow.

China and South Africa have supported the Russian Ambassador at the Security Council.

Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, has said, Georgia's offensive was "genocide against the people of South Ossetia" also Fico openly accused Washington of interference.

The President of the Czech Republic, Vaslav Claus, has spoken critically of the role of NATO and the EU in the conflict. He said he could not compare recent events to the ones in 1968, when Soviet troops entered the Czech capital Prague to restore communist power there. According to Vaclav Claus, that was a tough political move, unlike now when Georgia's actions have caused a humanitarian disaster. He also linked events in South Ossetia with the recent declaration on Kosovo's independence.

London stands and will stand for the development of relations with Moscow. David Miliband, has said isolating Russia would not be a good response to the crisis.

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has said that Russia's calm and wise military response to Georgian aggression will ensure peace in the Caucasus for many years to come. Lukashenko made the comment following a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi. (Link)

NATO is seems to have a rift down the Atlantic Ocean! What do you think is NATO a viable organization any more?

I think that Europe would be better with out NATO and more secure! Seems to me that one of the most important issues is getting along with your neighbors.

The USA has given Europe something to think about......

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russian news: August 19th, 2008!

RBC, 19.08.2008, Moscow 14:55:28.Speaker of the Federation Council Sergei Mironov does not believe in Russia's isolation, due to the conflict in South Ossetia. The official made this statement today, commenting on the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice's appeal to the NATO Council to isolate Russia. The council will hold a meeting in Brussels today. Mironov pointed out that Russia was located on two continents, had energy resources, and had a serious influence in the global arena. He believes that Saakashvili has brought shame to the European Union by making a speech against the EU flag.

RBC, 19.08.2008, Moscow 14:35:10.The Russian stock market is likely to continue declining, analysts told RBC TV today. A military conflict in Georgia is not longer the key factor that influences that market, and therefore, market participants have turned their attention to the global oil price and current trends on foreign stock exchanges, experts say. Analysts note that it is hard to predict when the downward trend on the oil market will change.

RBC, 19.08.2008, Moscow 13:15:51.Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has intelligence that Georgian special services are preparing terrorist attacks on Russian territory, FSB chief and head of the national anti-terrorism committee Alexander Bortnikov told a committee meeting in Moscow today. He stressed that he had given instructions to take measures as appropriate to ensure anti-terrorism security of national government bodies, as well as transportation, industrial, energy, and life support facilities, and populated areas, the Mayak radio station reported. The FSB chief stressed that such measures had to be taken primarily in the Southern Federal District.

RBC, 19.08.2008, Baku 12:48:06.Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has denied information on the introduction of restrictions for the passage of foreigners through Azeri-Russian border. The border between Azerbaijan and Russia is operating as usual, and there are no restrictions, Spokesman for the republic's Foreign Ministry Khazar Ibragim was reported as saying by Trend news agency. However, the ministry did not specify if any restrictions had been introduced during the military conflict in South Ossetia.

RBC, 19.08.2008, Moscow 12:19:55.Syria's President Bashar al-Asad is expected to pay a working visit to Russia on August 20-21, 2008 at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the press office of the Russian leader reported today.

RBC, 19.08.2008, Tbilisi 11:50:20.Georgian authorities have announced that the first exchange of prisoners of war has taken place in Igoeti, Georgia. According to the country's Interior Ministry, Russia's corresponding ministry has handed over 15 prisoners of war to Georgia, while the latter handed over five people, including two pilots of Russian planes that were shot down by Georgians.

RBC, 18.08.2008, Moscow 18:47:13.The Russian Foreign Ministry continues to receive numerous appeals from Russian citizens to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor calling to bring action against the Georgian leadership for committing international crimes on South Ossetian territory. As reported by the ministry's information and press department, these appeals are directed by the agency to the International Criminal Court for consideration.

RBC, 18.08.2008, Moscow 17:54:10.The refugees that have returned to Tskhinvali are asking be sent back to North Ossetia, the Russian Armed Forces' Deputy Chief of General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn has announced. He said that, having returned to the South Ossetian capital, the people see that there are no schools, no food, and there are problems with humanitarian aid deliveries.

Russia has the Capabilities for Protection - Economic, Political and Military!

Hello,

NATO seems to want to stir up the Russian Bear some more. Could that be because NATO is strictly a USA mouth piece?

Washington called an emergency meeting of the 26 NATO foreign ministers to review ties with Moscow and discuss help to Georgia. U.S. envoy to NATO Kurt Volker told Reuters on Saturday no specific response had yet been decided, but regular meetings of foreign and defense ministers, and of NATO ambassadors with their Russian counterpart would be part of the review. The results of the meeting Saturday seemed pretty inconclusive and may point to a rift between Old NATO & New NATO!

Russia (Medvedev) made a response: "If anyone thinks they can get away with killing our citizens and officers, we will not allow this," Dmitry Medvedev said. "Anyone who tries to do something of the kind will receive a powerful response, and Russia has the capabilities for this - economic, political and military."

"The act of aggression on the part of Georgia's authorities is unprecedented, it goes beyond understanding, when a country whose army has been equipped by another country uses its armed forces against civilians, against peacekeepers," the Russian president said.

"We have always been a peace-loving nation. The Russian, Soviet state has never started a war. But even the most peace-loving state should have an effective army," Medvedev said.

Now: Everyone needs to stop hitting the Bear with sticks! The Russian Bear has woke up, would it not be better if we let her mellow out, instead of smacking her with threats?

Kyle & Svet

Russia: Siberian Traffic Officers Tell True Ladies, How To Drive! (Ouch)

Hello,

Seems that men in Russia get in trouble with women as much as they do in America, especially when they provoke the women with a, ’Driving Rules for a True Lady’ manual.......
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Traffic police in Siberia have risked incurring the wrath of the fairer sex with a new guidebook telling women how to bring their driving up to scratch. The controversial document, ‘Driving rules for a true lady’, claims female drivers flirt with passing males, park in the middle of the street and only use the rear view mirror for putting on make-up.

The booklet, which has a pink cover, aims to draw attention to female motorists’ most common mistakes.

But despite its lack of political correctness, police in Krasnoyarsk say they don’t want to cause offense, but are trying to make the roads safer.

They came up with the idea after noticing the number of road accidents caused by women is growing rapidly.

“Women certainly are just as good drivers as men are,” said a police officer. But he added that they suffered a great deal of trouble because of stilettos and tight skirts, which restrained body movement.

However female drivers have complained at being singled out. They say they don’t see why a similar booklet wasn’t made for men, who are accountable for more then a half of all accidents on the road.

“It’s a pretty offensive text and they seem to have written it for idiots, not responsible drivers,” says one driver, Maria. “When someone is at the wheel their gender is irrelevant. They either follow the rules or they don’t.”

Another said: “This is banality. Especially the color. I think women are the most careful drivers.”

But Nadezhda, another Krasnoyarsk driver, said the booklet won’t change anything, because some women drivers “think they are beyond the rules”.

Krasnoyarsk police’s ’Driving rules for a true lady’:

#1. A true lady never breaks traffic rules because she respects the law.

#2. A true lady uses rear-view mirrors to check the road, not her appearance.

#3. A true lady won’t start a race against a male driver.

#4. A true lady will make way for another car when rules call for it - even if it means making way for a man.

#5. A true lady shall never use a mobile phone without a hands-free kit, even to learn the latest news on sales and discounts.

#6. Keeping her car fit is as important for a true lady as taking care of her looks.

#7. A true lady doesn’t flirt at the wheel and doesn’t get distracted by the looks of passing men. She knows it’s in bad taste.

#8. A true lady never sees the middle of the road as “a convenient spot to park the car”.

#9. A true lady always keeps her papers in order and in one place.

#10. A true lady keeps to her lane and uses indicator signals when she wants to change.
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Looks like the traffic cops in Krasnoyarsk are looking to get in trouble! What do you think, Would this go over in America or the UK? :)

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: A Walk In Moscow!

Hello,

After a Visit to My Cardiologist last week, my wife and I walked to the Metro and Svet decided to take pictures of our walk. The camera came out, because of this phone both that has been turned into a store. (Wounder what would happen if I needed to use the phone?)

Next we snapped pictures of some of the train stations in the area.

Then we came across a vendor selling dancing dolls. They made us laugh!

Then as we got ready to enter the Metro building we saw two guys and at least 4 (four) guitars!

The streets of Moscow are always busy and never a dull moment. Another reason I love Russia!

Kyle & Svet

coments always welcome.

Russia: 2008 Chinese Festival Concert!

Hello,

Today in Moscow Russia while drinking my morning cup of coffee, I was thinking about a concert that we went to a couple of weekends ago. It was during the Chinese Festival (Link)....



This is just the warm up to the real concert and we have to say it was very good. Just thought we would show you another part of Russia....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Pulling Out Of Georgia!

Russia has started to withdraw troops from the conflict zone in Georgia in accordance with a French-brokered peace plan, Col-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn of the General Staff said on Monday. At 10:00 am Moscow Time.

I know, I know, I know, You all think Russia was not going to pull out!

Enough Said!

Kyle & Svet

Why Does Russia Pay The Price, When The USA is The Master Of "Disproportionate Force!"

Hello,

Rice is moving her lips again:

Rice, who is flying to Europe on Monday to talk with NATO allies about what message the West should send to Russia, said Russia can't use "disproportionate force" against its neighbor and still be welcomed into the halls of international institutions.

"It's not going to happen that way," she said. "Russia will pay a price."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When does the USA pay the price for much worse actions?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Gori was not Destroyed!

Media outlets including CNN jumped on Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili's claim to have witnessed "first hand" two Russian planes bombing the city, and reported it as fact. Footage shot by RT shows a ghost town, where a statue of Stalin towers over the main square. Russia's UN ambassador said the allegations were part of a "disinformation campaign."

Kyle & Svet

Link to Photos of "Situation in Gori!"

Russia: South Ossetian People will Decide their Destiny!

Hello,

Looks like things are starting to take a turn toward the better in South Ossetia! The International organizations have finally acknowledge that something bad happened to the Ossetian people and it was not Russia's doing.

South Ossetian people will decide their destiny - OSCE chief:
South Ossetia's constitutional future must be decided by its people, according to the leader of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut made the comments following a visit to the breakaway republic in the wake of the five day conflict between Russia and Georgia.

"The destiny of South Ossetia will be decided by the South Ossetian people, taking into account history and the present realities of life," he said. "It is also necessary to take into account close cooperation and relations with North Ossetia." (Link)

OSCE mission gives ear to refugees in North Ossetia:
With the continuing humanitarian crisis in the region, a mission from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has visited the Alagir refugee camp in North Ossetia.

Lead by OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin, members of the mission spoke to the refugees to get an objective overview of the conflict.

Perrin praised Russia for the work done in helping the refugees.

Earlier Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for a stronger role for the mission in the region.

He also stressed the readiness of the Russian side for close interaction. (Link)

The OSCE is the world's largest regional security organization whose 56 participating States span the geographical area from Vancouver to Vladivostok.

Regions of the OSCE:

• South-Eastern Europe
• Eastern Europe
• South Caucasus
• Central Asia
• Western Europe and North America

Good organization!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Olympic Medals as of Sat. August, 17th 2008!

Medal Standings

Total

1	CHN	30	13	10	53
2	USA	19	19	24	62
3	GBR	11	6	7	24
4	GER	9	5	6	20
5	AUS	8	10	11	29
More...

Russia: Again The Western Media Cuts The Truth - Literally!

The Truth about Georgia gets censored again on TV. A reporter makes a comparison to the US reaction to 911 to Russia's reaction to Georgian attacks and the satellite feed drops off in the middle of his question. TV is censored every day and every hour but sometimes the censorship is plain to see.This time it was on CBC in Canada.

Kyle & Svet

Russia: American 12 Year Old Girl Makes Fox News Run, about the Georgia War!

12 Year Old Girl Tells the Truth on Fox News about Georgia. Fox News even had to cut them off right in the middle of the account of Georgian aggression even though they had just come from a commercial break 2 minutes prior to that. Fox News and corporate media do not want the truth out. Every main stream news agency in the world feeds the world propaganda every day! Not just an American Flaw! (Comment from poster of video!)

Russia: Not Enough Coffins!

Russian rescuers are continuing to recover bodies from underneath the debris in the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali – with many being buried in backyards without coffins. Doctors are working around the clock in mobile hospitals to care for the hundreds of injured people. (Link)

Russia: Ukraine is Going to Lose Crimea if They Continue to "Play Games"!

Hello,

Next on the agenda the Crimea will be in dispute. Why? Because Ukraine is playing games, not because Russia is playing games but because "Ukraine is playing Games!"

Russia's military said Thursday that it would ignore a decree by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko requiring its Black Sea Fleet to give 72 hours' notice before undertaking any movements from its Crimean port.

Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the armed forces' General Staff, said the order, which also would require the Russian Navy to submit a request 10 days before ships return to the Crimean port, was illegitimate and violated previous agreements.

The Black Sea Fleet has been deployed to the Georgian coast as part of Moscow's military action against Georgia.

"We don't consider such orders as legitimate," Nogovitsyn told a briefing. "We will follow the existing agreements."

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the Ukrainian move Thursday, saying it reflected "an obsessive desire to please NATO and join it."

The chief of Ukraine's General Staff, Serhiy Kirichenko, promised to fulfill Yushchenko's decree. "The president's decree on the Black Sea Fleet will, of course, be implemented on the territory of Ukraine," Kirichenko told reporters, the Unian news agency reported. "The Defense Ministry and the General Staff are among those state bodies responsible for this task."

Yushchenko's order, issued Wednesday, is seen as a strong show of support for Georgia as both countries seek to break free of Moscow's influence. (Link)

So you understand: The Russian base that Ukraine is playing games with is located in the Crimea....

Russia has a contract for this Navel Port until 2017 and Russia pays its Rent.

So, if someone changes the lock with out permission, you kick the door down.....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Watch The Truth, South Ossetia!

The video stands for itself.

Russia: TIME Tells a little bit of Truth on the Georgia / South Ossetia War!

Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008

Tracking the Russians in South Ossetia

By John Wendle/Tskinvali

From Russia there is only one way to get in and out of South Ossetia. The Transcaucasian Highway, or Transkam, runs from Vladikavkaz, the capital of the semi-autonomous republic of North Ossetia to the 3.5 km-long Roki Tunnel, which opens into South Ossetia. All the men and material that Russia is now using to fight Georgia came along this road.

I went up the Transkam on Wednesday to determine if the Russian army was pulling any men or machines out of the fight that Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said was over. Driving up the winding road through a half dozen tunnels blasted into the cliff face, with the Terek River rushing down the gorge in a gray stream, I passed a troop convoy of 19 trucks heading south, holding around 20 soldiers apiece. Later I passed a second, smaller convoy of a half-dozen trucks carrying more soldiers headed in the same direction. A third convoy of around a dozen fuel trucks accompanied by armed soldiers riding atop armored personnel carriers (APCs) ground its way up to the 9,840-ft.-high Roki Tunnel, raising clouds of dust that completely obscured the road and surrounding mountains. In the valley below, next to the braided river, two swaths of flatland had been turned into rear operating depots.

When I asked my driver to stop, he opened the hood to feign engine trouble in order to camouflage my efforts to take photos of the oncoming convoys crossing a bridge in the fading light. Coming to a halt about 15 km. from the heavily monitored border crossing into South Ossetia. near the village of Nar and a memorial honoring the 19th century Ossetian poet Konstantin Khetagati, a megaphone below echoed across the valley, announcing that it was illegal to stop along this section of the highway. After being detained twice in the last three days by Russia's federal security service, my driver and I were both anxious to head down the valley back to Vladikavkaz. As a helicopter gunship flew low overhead — its rocket pod racks empty — I headed back to North Ossetia having seen evidence that Russia was re-supplying and re-enforcing its soldiers now fighting in South Ossetia and Georgia.

I had gone through the Roki Tunnel the day before with Russian troops, when the Kremlin had finally agreed to allow Western journalists accompany them to see Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. The road into the city was covered in smoke. Every fifth house seemed to be on fire. Every fourth house was gutted, burned out by fires during the last week of fighting. With no roofs, the windows of the houses looked like empty, sky-blue eyes. People had left lunch sitting on the table in their arbor-covered courtyard — like they had left in a hurry. There was a dead and bloated cow lying fatly on its side in the middle of the road, baking in the sun. The Russian armored personnel carrier we rode in almost hit it.

The Russian army was not visible on the road but was definitely in control of the villages. In one, about 20 km. beyond the border, the village soccer field had been turned into a vehicle park. Old, white and blue buses used to pick up refugees were parked there around a massive bust of Vladimir Lenin. Soldiers in dark green fatigues and big, bright green round helmets lay in the sun eating lunch.

The low-slung, treaded APCs rolled up through the heavy dust. The Russian APC is like a tank without a turret. Twelve journalists and photographers climbed into a space made for eight. Even though we were doing this for our safety, the special forces soldiers sitting up top opened the hatches — it helped to keep us from sweating to death in the dark, but didn't help with potential snipers.

After grinding along at high speed for 45 minutes with incredible noise, a soldier tapped me on the shoulder and told me to look. I put my head out slowly and the road was a disaster — houses on fire, windows broken, every gate ajar in a country where tidiness is valued. Smashed Russian-made cars lay on their sides in ditches, windows shot out — sometimes one big bullet hole, sometimes dozens. A large traffic jam had formed and was nearly obscured by the smoke of burning houses and the combined diesel exhaust of troop trucks, transport trucks for Hurricane rockets, tanks, self-propelled guns, radar-guided anti-aircraft guns and APCs heading south into the city.

The smoke of the burning city and Russian army was mixed with the exhaust of dozens and dozens of shot-up cars and three-wheel motorcycles carrying irregulars who had joined the fighting on Moscow's side. These were men between the ages of 15 and 45 and they could be picked out because they mostly wore the camouflage trousers and blouse of Russian army along with white running shoes or plastic sandals. In the heat, some had forgone the blouse altogether and wore the blue and white striped undershirt of the Russian army. Others were in what they were wearing when they started fight: track suits, jeans, t-shirts. Many walked along the side of the road, swinging their AK-47s over their shoulder by the barrel. A handful could be seen riding down the road on three-wheeled motorcycles or even tractors, carrying refrigerators, air conditioning units and roto-tillers in the back. The spoils of war.

The army was only nominally in control of the mayhem. Officers were continually getting out of their trucks into the street to scream at looters and irregulars to make way for army convoys. At one point we were told the traffic jam was due to a three km. convoy of bread and water. It turned out a troop transport had parked too near a tank and had created a bottleneck. Many of the drivers had camouflage bulletproof vests slung over their windows — a further testament to the incomplete victory the Russians had won here. Georgian snipers still made the night dangerous.

Finally reaching a neighborhood east of the South Ossetian foreign ministry building, the APCs stopped and we got out and saw the remains of a fierce battle for an intersection. Two tanks lay mangled and burned black in the middle of the T-intersection. The white concrete columns of a recital hall were bent and cracked in half and a turret from a third tank had been blasted into the front of a Soviet-era office building. The fire that had destroyed the tanks was so hot that the main machine gun on one had melted. The steel wheels of the tank had melted into shining pools of fresh steel — shining in the sun. A shell crater in the street was filled with debris — a saw blade, trash, a South Ossetian license plate — and as I photographed it, I noticed an unexploded tank shell almost under my feet.

Old women and men — some injured, all in shock — wandered the streets. Some carried cloth shopping bags even though not a single store was open, let alone one that had not been riddled with small arms fire. A human foot, severed at the ankle, lay about 50 feet from the two tanks.

Next we went to the Old Jewish Quarter of Tskhinkali. Whereas three and five story houses had been standing in the previous neighborhood, here all of the old one and two-story houses had collapsed — burnt out or knocked down by rockets. Walking up the dirt road through the charred homes was Madina Dzhoyeva, 45, wearing a red blouse and long skirt, accompanied by her husband and their dog. They were examining the damage to their neighborhood.

"We went down into a bunker. Everything was already burning. Grad rockets began coming down in great numbers. It killed lots of people. There was blood everywhere," she said. Walking down the lane, she pointed out a shallow crater covered by wooden planks fallen from a wall. "You wouldn't believe that this is a spot where a person was almost killed," she said. A neighbor and her daughter, a woman of about 24, had fallen there during the attack. "Now I don't know where or how they are," she said.

"The fire was so bad people weren't even left with a handkerchief," she said. Reaching her house, she looked up at the burnt-out shell. Flaking off a chip of paint on the mailbox, she began to cry. "We just finished this house. Where will we live now?" she said.

In another area of the neighborhood, a man walked through the rubble in plastic flip-flops and an unzipped track jacket. A Kalashnikov hung over his shoulder. As Russian special forces guards looked on, he said his name was Mamukha Zenashvili. "I am Georgian," he said. In intense fighting between Georgian forces and combined Russian and South Ossetian forces, this man had stayed. When asked if he had fought against the Georgians he simply said, "I defended my family. My wife was pregnant." She had safely had the baby, he said, in Vladikavkaz on Monday. "It's a girl, but I don't know her name," he said. "I haven't seen her yet."

• Find this article at:
• http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1832771,00.html

Russia: Mikhail Gorbachev!

We had no choice
Leaders in the Caucasus must stop flexing military muscle and develop the grounds for lasting peace

o Mikhail Gorbachev

The past week's events in South Ossetia are bound to shock and pain anyone. Already, thousands of people have died, tens of thousands have been turned into refugees, and towns and villages lie in ruins. Nothing can justify this loss of life and destruction. It is a warning to all.

The roots of this tragedy lie in the decision of Georgia's separatist leaders in 1991 to abolish South Ossetian autonomy. Each time successive Georgian leaders tried to impose their will by force - both in South Ossetia and in Abkhazia, where the issues of autonomy are similar - it only made the situation worse.

Nevertheless, it was still possible to find a political solution. Clearly, the only way to solve the South Ossetian problem on that basis is through peaceful means. The Georgian leadership flouted this key principle.

What happened on the night of August 7 is beyond comprehension. The Georgian military attacked the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali with multiple rocket launchers designed to devastate large areas. Russia had to respond. To accuse it of aggression against "small, defenceless Georgia" is not just hypocritical but shows a lack of humanity.

The Georgian leadership could do this only with the perceived support and encouragement of a much more powerful force. Georgian armed forces were trained by hundreds of US instructors, and its sophisticated military equipment was bought in a number of countries. This, coupled with the promise of Nato membership, emboldened Georgian leaders.

Now that the military assault has been routed, both the Georgian government and its supporters should rethink their position. When the problems of South Ossetia and Abkhazia first flared up, I proposed that they be settled through a federation that would grant broad autonomy to the two republics. This idea was dismissed, particularly by the Georgians. Attitudes gradually shifted, but after last week it will be much more difficult to strike a deal even on such a basis.

Small nations of the Caucasus do have a history of living together. It has been demonstrated that a lasting peace is possible, that tolerance and cooperation can create conditions for normal life and development. Nothing is more important. The region's political leaders need to realise this. Instead of flexing military muscle, they should devote their efforts to building the groundwork for durable peace.

Over the past few days, some western nations have taken positions, particularly in the UN security council, that have been far from balanced. As a result, the security council was not able to act effectively from the very start of this conflict. By declaring the Caucasus, a region that is thousands of miles from the American continent, a sphere of its "national interest", the US made a serious blunder. Of course, peace in the Caucasus is in everyone's interest. But it is simply common sense to recognise that Russia is rooted there by common geography and centuries of history. Russia is not seeking territorial expansion, but it has legitimate interests in this region.

The international community's long-term aim could be to create a sub-regional system of security and cooperation that would make any provocation, and the very possibility of crises such as this one, impossible. Building this type of system would be challenging and could only be accomplished with the cooperation of the region's countries themselves. Nations outside the region could perhaps help, too - but only if they take a fair and objective stance. A lesson from recent events is that geopolitical games are dangerous anywhere, not just in the Caucasus.

· Mikhail Gorbachev was the last president of the Soviet Union; he was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1990
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank You
Mikhail Gorbachev

Russia: Tskhinvali after the war!

The situation in Tskhinvali is gradually returning to normal. But it is too soon to say that most of its residents are back in the city. Many have nowhere to come back to. Link To Pictures!

Russia: This Sums Up The Propoganda From America!

Hello,

I have tried to see what the USA has to gain by lying in such a dogmatic; dictatorial way!

Elections, Oil, Increased Military Budget, Miss the Cold War or just plain Stupidity!

* (Stupidity (also called fatuity) is the property a person, action or belief instantiates by virtue of having or being indicative of low intelligence or poor learning abilities. Stupidity is distinct from irrationality because stupidity denotes an incapability or unwillingness to properly consider the relevant information. It is frequently used as a pejorative, and consequently has a negative connotation.)

I now have no doubt that the so called major free press in America is one of the least free medias on earth. The major news sources print nothing but what they are told to print. Seems that the USA Government controls the media, at least the major sources. Take a look at these statements that come from Western Media..........
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Time Magazine Prints:

Moscow's ruthless attempt to suborn, subdue and subordinate this tiny, independent democracy is reminiscent of Stalin's times. The assault on Georgia is similar to what Stalin's Soviet Union did to Finland in 1939: in both cases, Moscow engaged in an arbitrary, brutal and irresponsible use of force to impose domination over a weaker, democratic neighbor. The question now is whether the global community can demonstrate to the Kremlin that there are costs for the blatant use of force on behalf of anachronistic imperialist goals.

Bush Ran His Mouth:

Washington's response to the crisis in Georgia this morning, declaring "solidarity with the Georgian people" after a series of meetings with intelligence and national security advisers in which reports of continuing movements by Russian forces in the region raised fears that Moscow might still be pursuing military ambitions in the country. The sum effect of Bush's statements was to turn what had been a cautious approach from Washington into an aggressive one, and it raised the possibility of a sharper confrontation with Moscow.

Bush raised the rhetorical temperature several degrees in his statement. "Russia's ongoing action raised serious questions about its intentions in Georgia and the region," Bush said in a Rose Garden announcement Wednesday. In a veiled threat of isolating Russia from the World Trade Organization, the G-8 and the NATO consultative relationship it has held for more than a decade, Bush said Russia was "putting its aspirations [of international integration] at risk."

Rice threatens again:

The US secretary of state has warned Russia that it risks isolation abroad if does not observe a ceasefire with Georgia and withdraw its troops.

Washington is showing unwavering support for Georgia in its conflict with Russia, a BBC correspondent notes.

USA Plays Games:

The Black Sea patrol ship Ladny had been due to take part in NATO's Operation Active Endeavour in August and September involving anti-terrorism exercises and practicing search and rescue operations at sea, Russia's navy command said last month.

It had already arrived off the coast of Turkey to take part in the operation.

But the diplomat said that following the fighting in the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, Washington had withheld its agreement for the Russian ship to join the mission, launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Time and CNN express concern:

A Russian military convoy challenged a cease-fire agreement Wednesday and rolled through a strategically important city in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, which claimed fresh looting and bombing by the Russians and their allies.

"The United States stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia and insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected," Bush said sternly in Washington.

Bush and the Embarrassment of a Speech: He forgot that Georgia killed South Ossetians, In fact GWB forgot about everything but Evil Russia!


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The Western press seems to have forgotten that Georgia was the one to attack a sleeping city in the night. The Western press seems to have forgotten all the facts except "Russia Invades Georgia!"

In Russia we get this for news.
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Kommersant says:

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov clarified yesterday the standing of Moscow in respect of the peace deal with Georgia. Russia heads for the international recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and insists on excluding Georgian military from peacekeeping forces in the conflict area. It looks like the West will have to bargain implementation of these terms. Moscow will not hold negotiations either with Mikheil Saakashvili or his people.

Kommersant says:

U.S. President George W. Bush threatened Russia with international isolation yesterday and announced the beginning of military intervention in the Russian-Georgian conflict. As part of its humanitarian operation in Georgia, the United States is sending military airplanes and ships to deliver aid to the victims of the war and to guard Georgian ports and airports. At the same time, an even more powerful military force, fresh from exercises of a naval blockade of Iran, are converging in the Persian Gulf.

RIA Novosti says:

The U.S. secretary of state has said Russia faces international isolation if it does not honor a ceasefire with Georgia.

"[There is a] very strong, growing sense that Russia is not behaving like the kind of international partner that it has said that it wants to be," Condoleezza Rice told a news conference on Wednesday.

RIA Novosti says:

"I listened to George Bush's statement ... and was surprised ... the facts he cited are untrue," Lavrov said, echoing earlier denials by Russian officials that Russian troops were not advancing on Georgia's capital Tbilisi.

RIA Novosti says:

Russian peacekeepers are removing equipment and weapons from an arms depot discovered near the Georgian town of Gori, close to the border with South Ossetia, a peacekeeping spokesman said on Wednesday.

"We have discovered an undefended Georgian army depot containing a significant amount of military hardware and weapons near the town of Gori. The military hardware is in full working order and combat ready," the spokesman said.

Russiatoday says:

The total number of refugees from South Ossetia has topped 34,000. Convoys of refugees continue to stream into Russia's southern regions, where they are being provided with food and shelter. And with the humanitarian corridor now open, aid is continuing to arrive.

Russiatoday printed:

"Saakashvili is responsible. Who are we? Are we animals or people? I have no house because of him. My daughter's pregnant and I don't know where she is. I have nothing. Saakashvili is responsible for this. We're here because of him. And where are the georgian journalists to tell about this?" refugee Victoria Ivanadze said.
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Russia does not understand why the USA can not tell the truth and the truth is:

Saakashvili the glorified USA puppet, attacked a sleeping city of South Ossetians! He used Grad rocket launchers to bombard the Ossetians into submission and killed several thousand of them in a matter of hours. Now the USA ignores what Georgia did and plays a game of threating: Bush only talks about the USA unwavering support for a homicidal maniac and Russia better watch their P's & Q's.

The last shred of faith that I had in my Government has gone down the drain. My Grandma would have said: "Get your boots on, the cow piles are getting deep!"

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: “We’re Glad Georgia Has Had to Withdraw Its Forces from Iraq”

“We’re Glad Georgia Has Had to Withdraw Its Forces from Iraq”

http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=1011127
The son of the Libyan leader talks to Kommersant about events in Georgia
Libya supported Russia in the UN Security Council in the conflict with Georgia
Thanks to the assistance of Oleg Mitvol, former deputy director the federal agency Rosprirodnadzor, Kommersant was able to ask the eldest son of Libyan leader Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi Saif-al-Islam Gaddafi, who told Mikhail Zygar why the Arab world is behind Russia.
Why has Libya decided to support Russia in the situation with Libya?

First, Libya has always supported Russia; there are excellent relations between us. We consider Russia a great country. Our prime minister spoke to Vladimir Putin about that during his last visit to Moscow. But that is not the only reason. All Arabs are mad at Georgia because it sent its troops to Iraq and took part in the occupation of that Arab land. Therefore, now people in all the Arab countries are glad that Georgia has had to withdraw its forces from Iraq. We understand that it wouldn’t have happened without Russia. If it weren’t for Russia, Georgian forces would still be in Iraq.

What happened in Georgia is a good signal. It means that America is no longer the only country in the world that can make the rules of the game. Now, not only America, but Russia, is a great power. Now there is balance in the world. Russia is being reborn, and we value that. It is very good for us, for all of the Middle East.

We understand, of course, that Georgia started the war first. The Georgian simply thought that the Americans would stand up for them, come and help them, fight along with them. And that is a signal to all countries that rely on America alone, thinking that closeness to the United States will allow them to do anything they want. It’s not so.

In general, I should say that it’s very silly when the Georgian president complains about the Russian invasion. How can you talk about occupation, when you are occupiers yourself? The Georgians along with the Americans occupy Iraq! And now they are trying to portray themselves as fighters for freedom and democracy.

Is that the position only of the Libyan leadership, or have you discussed it with your partners in other Arab countries?

Well, it is Libya’s opinion, of course. But believe me, all Arabs are glad Georgia has withdrawn its troops from Iraq. We simply decided to come forward first because Libya is a member of the UN Security Council and our voice will have weight.

Does Libya plan to introduce a resolution on Georgia in the Security Council, or just to support Russian initiatives?

We will support a Russian resolution. Our ambassador will be briefed and will consult with the Russian representative in the UN Security Council.

Do you think that joint Russian and Libyan actions in the Security Council will be successful?

We will support Russia in any case. We understand that Georgia was the first aggressor. And Russian peacekeepers were forced to respond. Russia should have the right to defend its citizens.

Libya has exerted a lot of effort recently to restore relations with the U.S. and Europe. Aren’t you risking damaging those relations now with strong statements?

No. Not at all. We have good relations with the West and with Russia. But Libya chose Russia as its strategic partner. Of course, Russia is our strategic partner, and we cannot compare it with any other country for closeness. That’s obvious.

Relations between Russia and Libya became so close after Vladimir Putin’s last visit to Tripoli. All at once, huge contracts were concluded on Russian Railways and Gazprom work in Libya. What was the reason for such closeness?

Not at all. Libya’s affinity for Russia has a long past. Libya has great affinity and respect for the Russian people. That’s the truth. Our cooperation has gone on for 40 years. That is the whole reason, and nothing more.

Libya was a pariah state. Now many are calling for Russia’s isolation. Do you think it is a real threat for Russia?

No, I don’t think so. The whole world needs Russian gas, Russian oil. It is not expedient for Europe to let relations with Russia worsen. And then we, the Libyans, will do everything possible to work in Russia and invest in its economy. Because Russia is a great country.

Is the idea of creating a natural gas OPEC still realistic?

We discussed that idea with Russia and said that we are ready to join that club. But the support of the other gas producing countries is needed still.

In the last few days, the Middle Eastern press has been writing that five American and British aircraft carriers suddenly appeared in the Persian Gulf. Do you think the U.S. can strike at Iran in the present situation?

No, I don’t think that will happen. Because Iran is not Georgia. And prices for oil are very high and the consequences of such an attack would be very serious.

The last question concerns your personal future. There have been rumors recently that you may replace your father soon as leader of Libya. Can you confirm or deny that?

It is true that many are trying to find the answer to that question now, especially in Libya. But you will be the first I answer. I will have to say a lot about it soon, but I have decided to leave politics. Instead, I will devote all my attention to the development of civil society and business in Libya, philanthropy. I decided to take a few steps back.
Interview by Mikhail Zygar

Russia: Independence first, talks with Georgia second - Abkhazia

Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry says its principal condition of beginning talks with Georgia is Tbilisi’s recognition of Abkhazian independence. It also says that recent sessions of the UN Security Council have illustrated the absence of any possible security guarantees from the international community in case of military aggression against it. The Abkhazian Foreign Ministry statement said: “Georgia’s actions, supported by disinformation by leading American and British media, once more confirm that Georgia was, and still is, considering the use of force in resolving the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict.

“Abkhazia considers it essential to keep a substantial contingent of Russian peacekeepers present on its territory, as only Russia can guarantee the preservation of the Abkhazian people and stability in the whole region.

“In particular the UN Security Council and the OSCE have proved helpless and incompetent in urgent conflict prevention.”

Currently, Abkhazia is a de facto independent state not recognised by any country. It proclaimed independence from Tbilisi in the 90s which resulted in a year-long war.

Abkhazia’s officials believe the independence of Kosovo earlier this year have set a precedent, and along with the outcome of the conflict in South Ossetia, it will be enough to provide a basis for a long-awaited resolution of the country's status. (Link)

Russia: America and Double Standards!

Speaking on South Ossetia's events earlier this week, the Russian prime minister accused the West of double standards.

"They [the U.S.] of course had to hang Saddam Hussein for destroying several Shiite villages," Vladimir Putin said.

"But the current Georgian rulers, who in one hour simply wiped ten Ossetian villages from the face of the earth, who used tanks to knock down children and the elderly, and who burnt civilians alive - they (Georgian leaders) are players who of course have to be protected."

Russia: Maybe We Will Go See Israel in October!

Hello,

My wife and I are thinking about going to see Israel this October. Russians do not have to have a visa starting September 30th, 2008 and I being an American citizen do not need a visa either. So we have just about made up our minds to go to Israel.

The reason we want to go is because in reality says that this may be a last chance for awhile to see Israel. With the complications arising from the Iran-USA-Israel triangle, who knows the political issues that come up or even the possible destructive issues. Israel seems to become more unstable everyday.

Israel is the Holy Land for Christians and we would like to see it before something happens to it. So even with the risks getting higher everyday, we say, "Lets Go!"

Air fair runs about $400 dollars per person round trip. (That is not bad.) The hotels are running around $60 dollars a day. There is about 1,000,000 things to see so that will take about two weeks. :)

We found a: WARNING: Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen block passports containing Israeli stamps or visas, as these countries do not recognize Israel. If you intend to visit one of these countries, ask to stamp a blank page, rather than your passport, when entering Israel. We have to think about this warning because I would like to travel to Iran also.

I see that Egypt is located right next to Israel, that would be fun to see the pyramids!

Well, enough on that subject, we will let you know if we are able to go in a few weeks.

Anyone been there and have any suggestions on what to see in Israel?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Mikhail Gorbachev: Said, "Russia had No Choice!"

MOSCOW, August 13 (RIA Novosti) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Russia had no choice but to launch a counterattack to Georgia's offensive in breakaway South Ossetia, but it is still possible to find a political solution to the crisis.

"What happened on the night of August 7 is beyond comprehension," Gorbachev said in an article The Guardian published on Wednesday. "The Georgian military attacked the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali with multiple rocket launchers designed to devastate large areas."

"Russia had to respond. To accuse it of aggression against 'small, defenseless Georgia' is not just hypocritical but shows a lack of humanity," he said in the article.

Rest of article here.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080813/116014626.html

Russia: Thousands of Wounded and Dying Ossetians are Being Brought to Moscow!

Worst of the war wounded to be treated in Moscow:

An influx of thousands of injured victims of the conflict in South Ossetia have started arriving in Moscow for specialist medical treatment. Hit by Georgian attacks on their homes and hospitals, they were forced to hide in cellars for days.

As their wounds decayed in the August heat, many refugees scrambled through mountains and slept in forests to get to Vladikavkaz.

Those who have received wounds that cannot be treated in South Ossetia’s hospitals, with wounds caused by everything from burns and bullets to mines and grenades, are being flown from Vladikavkaz to specialist hospitals in Moscow.

None of the wounded who have so far arrived in Moscow, a mixture of Ossetians and Russians, were well enough to answer doctors' basic questions.

A clinic in north-west Moscow has received the first of its war patients. Its senior doctor, Aleksey Kuzmichev, says the nature of Georgia's bombing campaign guaranteed multiple civilian casualties, as many are wounded by mines and artillery shelling.

“As soon as the war started we reduced our number of regular patients in preparation for the wounded. We knew there would be vast numbers of victims,” he said.

The injured are also being checked by psychologists. Doctors say the cases of mental trauma suffered by Ossetian victims are some of the worst they have seen.

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How many of these people will die from injuries received in the war zone?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Putin plays chess while Dubya plays checkers!

Russia, and especially Putin, have learned quite a bit this past decade and a half in regards to the new rules of geopolitics. Every action taken by the Russians that was criticized by the Americans and the western press was quickly defused with the Russians throwing back into their faces everything that the Americans/Brits have done since the end of the Cold War?

Invasion? Sorry, humanitarian intervention.

Destruction? No, we're countering ethnic cleansing and genocide conducted by the Georgians.

Regime change? Well, if Hussein had to go, so must Saakashvili.

The USA had to be taken down a notch and that's exactly what's happened. But rather than learning a lesson about hypocrisy, the Americans are even more intent on engaging in American exceptionalism, as Cheney, McCain, Rice, and Bush indicate with their poor arguments.

Putin plays chess while Dubya plays checkers.

Russia: Georgia Panicked over its Own Tanks.

Hello,

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili declared Georgia’s victory over Russia during a mass rally in Tbilisi yesterday. This was just hours after he panicked the city and lied about Russians invading Tbilisi and Gori! With a mass evacuation happening because of his foolery!

But in Georgia, people’s moods improved as they learned that Russia’s troops were not close to Tbilisi, moreover, they even hadn’t entered Gori.

This information was reported by Georgia’s all military bodies on Monday night, which caused quite a panic in the capital: people hurried to leave the city, and you could see long queues in the shops – everyone wanted to buy bread and other foodstuffs. Later it was found out that the mess was a result of the Georgian military men’s mistake: they took a column of their own trucks, tanks and armored troop-carriers, which were evacuated from Gori, for Russian machines. (Link)

You see the fact is: You have been told that Russia destroyed Gori with tanks and ground forces. You have been told and shown pictures of South Ossetia's destruction played off as pictures of Gori destruction. By the way Gori is the spot that Georgia launched the Grad Missiles from, that struck the Ossetians while they where sleeping. That is why Russia did air raids on the area around Gori because it was a Military stronghold of Georgia.

I want you to see a video of the Great Saakashvili in one of his finest roles as an actor playing a President....



"Saakashvili heard the noise of Russian airplane and trying to escape under bodies of bodyguards. When the noise is gone, bodyguards tells journalists to stop shooting and go away. Saakashvili is very scared, he is running away for his life.)

What more can be said....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Tskhinvali, Was where Civilians Lived!

Hello,

If you would like to see the results of the Georgian War on the Capital of South Ossetia follow this link.....

http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20080812/115971545.html

The tall buildings you see are called Flats. Flats are where people live. In this part of the world a Flat houses the whole family from Grandma to Great Grand kids. They all live under the same roof.

So if you bomb a flat you are killing the whole family. The small hole on the outside of the building is like a bullet hole on a human. Tiny entrance but what a mess inside!

Sad!

Kyle & Svet

The Ossetia War from Reporter (Alan Tsorion) Who Was There!

South Ossetia: This wicked, dirty, bitter war…
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080813/115999488.html

13/08/2008

TSKHINVAL, SOUTH OSSETIA (Alan Tsorion for RIA Novosti). - It is evening of August 7. The South Ossetian capital is quiet. After so much shelling and endless gunfire it feels like the silence can be smelled and breathed.

A deep breath fills the lungs, and straightens your insides crumpled in the fist of war like the cellophane wrapper from a cigarette pack. I breathe in the calm. The silence is only broken by mice stirring somewhere between the ceiling and the garret. It is hard to believe that anyone can go about one's daily chores at such a time.

The rodents up there are busily moving things, rolling from place to place as if they know that several hours ago the Georgian president promised not to shell the Ossetian capital any more. If there is to be no shelling you can go back to your daily chores.

However, the rodents and I have only five more minutes to attend to our household chores. At 10.05 p.m. the "mice" play comes to an end: Mikheil Saakashvili breaks his word. Rockets and shells rain on the city, shaking the walls and windows. It is as if every blast chips away parts of the sky and hurls them against the window. Along with several other people we rush to the basement of the house in Stalin Street (now probably destroyed) in the center of Tskhinval.

We are dressed in what the raid caught us in - slippers, bathrobes and shorts... Many had already gone to bed when the Georgian shells started raining on the city, and all the agreements and promises flew away with the chunks of house foundations and twisted metal that used to be cars.

"Ma tars, ma tars..." (Ossetian: "Don't be afraid"), a mother calms her son Batradz. The boy, aged about 8, has buried has head in his mother's lap and, jolting with every explosion, asks her: "Mum, why are they shooting, don't they know that the Olympics start tomorrow? Why doesn't anyone tell them that there should be no fighting during the Olympics?"

At around 11 p.m. the lights go out in the basement where we are hiding, like in the whole of Tskhinval. Your senses become sharper when it is pitch-dark. Like a blind man you distinguish the slightest shades of sounds, which immediately translate themselves into pictures before your mind's eye.

Up on the surface, the black night sky is illuminated by the white flare of exploding shells, momentarily making it look like a huge photograph negative. Splinters whiz by like bumblebees flying close to the ground. Bullets emit a strange whistle as if somebody has shaped his lips to whistle but instead just breathes air in. The gun of an armoured vehicle goes "ta-ta-ta... ta-ta-ta".

"Iratta razma!" ("Come on"), a focused, almost businesslike voice comes from the street. Quick steps of six pairs of military boots on broken glass and splinters of brick and plaster.

"Ma tars, Batradz. Ma tars," the mother's words are drowned out by the deafening echo of a shell which blasts a neighbouring block of flats to smithereens. It is as if somebody banged a heavy door close to your ear. Pieces of concrete fall from the basement ceiling...

But even the howitzers in nearby Ergneti and Nikozi do not sound as terrifying as the salvos of the Georgian Grad (Hail) artillery rockets fired from much further away, in Gori. As the rockets zero in on the target they emit a sound like a flame on gigantic arrows with burning tips. The Grads are fired at random so that the clouds of "arrows" fall on the roofs of Tskhinval's peaceful houses.

As the shelling goes on, people get ready to spend the night in the basement.

...The morning of August 8, 5 a.m. The bombardment of the city from Georgian positions is in its seventh hour. My cell phone shows that the battery is about to die, leaving me with no communications. I ring the editorial office in Moscow to say that communications are about to be cut because I have nowhere to recharge my cell phone.

The battery in my phone is dead by 9 a.m. It is already light in Tskhinval. Remembering the great rule that "in war he who runs survives," I leave the basement to move to another place. I run along hugging a wall, my head drawn into my shoulders. Bullets and fragments hit the road raising little fountains of dust. In the city Georgian commandos and Ossetian fighters are exchanging fire. I hear the Ossetian OMON fighters shouting: "Come on, quick! A 'box' [armoured vehicle - A.Ts.] is stuck on Hetagurova Street."

Insensible to fatigue, I'm running very fast and turn the corner. "Bang!" - I fall on my stomach after being hit in my ears and eyes. Clouds of dust rise over the ground, approaching my feet. They are caused by a grenade that exploded five meters away. I get up and run, spitting out dust. Moving in my direction on the other side of the street are four Ossetian fighters. One of them reloads his automatic rifle as he runs. The oldest looks no more than 23. A few more steps and I dive into the entrance of a five-storey block of flats.

I see silhouettes of men in the doorway. Women and children are taking shelter in the basement beneath the staircase. I hear muted weeping from below. "How long will the bombing last? Let us raise our hands and surrender before they have killed us all. It looks like Russia has forgotten us," a tired woman's voice is heard from the basement. Surrounded by old people, women and children you cannot help feeling guilty. A young man's place now is in the war, defending his people; he has no place among the elderly and the children.

There are about twenty people in the basement and hardly anyone dares to go up. Only an old man, Inal, a former peacekeeper who saw action in 1992, calmly strolls the street opposite the entrance while the shelling is still on. "F--- the war, exercise is the main thing," the veteran mumbles as two Ossetian policemen carry a fighter with arm and leg wounds towards the entrance.

...The wounded man has glazed eyes over which his long lashes flutter like the wings of a butterfly. He is dazed by pain. His fatigues are pierced in two places, and red arterial blood is streaming down his left hip. The fighter is carried into the entrance. A stocky policeman slings the rifle from his shoulder with a practiced movement and unwinds a bandage wound around the stock to twist a touniquet. Someone has brought ammonium chloride.

"Shai ho, kuyzh kuylyhai na maly" ("OK, a dog doesn't die from lameness"), the policeman tells the fighter, who clenches his teeth in pain. That is the Ossetian equivalent of the Russian proverb "it will heal by the time you have your wedding." The stocky South Ossetian policeman rubs the wounded man's chest and face after dipping his huge work-beaten hands into a bucket of cold water. "OK, we have to go," the policeman says grabbing the wounded man under his armpit.

"Where are you from?" the old man Inal asks me. "I am a journalist from Moscow," I reply. "Let's go and have a bite," the former peacekeeper says in a voice hoarse from smoking. "War or no war, you have to eat."

"The Russians will come today, they'll help us," says Inal setting fire to a piece of dry spirit which he puts on a gas stove: "I wish they would strike Gori and Tbilisi - I want nothing more."

"Georgian tanks are already in town, it'll be hard without the Russians," the former peacekeeper says, sipping the freshly made coffee.

The best I can do is to keep silent. However, our silence is broken by two Georgian SU-25 planes. One of them opens fire on the house where we are - just for kicks. Inal and I hasten to the basement.

Once again damp darkness. There is a small hole where the pipes run through the wall. It faces south to where the Georgian commandos are advancing. Putting your head in the hole is dangerous: bullets come through the hole and hit the concrete basement ceiling with a hollow sound.

I catch myself thinking that my whole short life, the efforts of my grandparents who brought me up, my universities and the clever books I have read - all this was but preparation for this moment when shells explode over your head, you instinctively draw your head into your shoulders and sweat streaks down your spine. It looks as if death is nearby and it smells of dampness and the dryness of your lips. Now when the planes make another dive to fire on you, and you know that they will fire on you as the roar of the engines approaches, you feel that it may be your last day. This is not fear, but rather grief over what you might have said and done.

Suddenly the planes stop bombing and fly south towards Georgia. What's happening? Within seconds a deafening chorus of a thousand voices shouting "Hurray!" comes from the street. A crowd is welcoming a column of Russian armored vehicles that have entered Tskhinval. "A-a-a! You have come, boys," Inal shouts. "Now we will show them!"

I run into the street, the roar of Russian armour is heard nearby. The Russian soldiers are driving the Georgian troops out of Tskhinval. A man, his eyes bulging with horror, runs up to me. "Help me. What shall I do? I am Georgian, I worked here in Tskhinval. I am a worker, where shall I go?" he shouts in broken Russian. "Run," I tell him, and again wonder at the wickedness of war in which innocent civilians are the first to suffer.

The clock shows 3 p.m.

At 7 p.m., when the shooting and shell blasts subside and the bursts of machinegun fire are petering out, I leave Tskhinval, engulfed in flames and sorrow. The Russian troops have driven the Georgians out of the city, but this is not yet the end of the war. There are still civilians in the city. Tskhinval is still in the grip of the dirty hands of war. A war unleashed without warning under the cover of night. A war whose victims were and will always be civilians. A war that seizes your soul and rubs it between its bloody palms like the cellophane wrapper of a cigarette pack.

Sergei Lavrov: Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation!

Why Russia’s response to Georgia was right: posted in the Financial Times.

Sergei Lavrov

For some of those witnessing the fighting in the Caucasus over the past few days, the narrative is straightforward and easy. The plucky republic of Georgia, with just a few million citizens, was attacked by its giant eastern neighbour, Russia. Add to this all the stereotypes of the cold war era, and you are presented with a truly David and Goliath interpretation – with all its accompanying connotations of good and evil. While this version of events is being written in much of the western media, the facts present a different picture.

Let me be absolutely clear. This is not a conflict of Russia’s making; this is not a conflict of Russia’s choosing. There are no winners from this conflict. Hours before the Georgian invasion, Russia had been working to secure a United Nations Security Council statement calling for a renunciation of force by both Georgia and South Ossetians. The statement that could have averted bloodshed was blocked by western countries.

Last Friday, after the world’s leaders had arrived at the Beijing Olympics, Georgian troops launched an all-out assault on the region of South Ossetia, which has enjoyed de facto independence for more than 16 years. The majority of the region’s population are Russian citizens. Under the terms of the 1992 agreement to which Georgia is a party, they are afforded protection by a small number of Russian peacekeeping soldiers. The ground and air attack resulted in the killing of peacekeepers and the death of an estimated 1,600 civilians, creating a humanitarian disaster and leading to an exodus of 30,000 refugees. The Georgian regime refused to allow a humanitarian corridor to be established and bombarded a humanitarian convoy. There is also clear evidence of atrocities having been committed – so serious and systematic that they constitute acts of genocide.

There can be little surprise, therefore, that Russia responded to this unprovoked assault on its citizens by launching a military incursion into South Ossetia. No country in the world would idly stand by as its citizens are killed and driven from their homes. Russia repeatedly warned Tbilisi that it would protect its citizens by force if necessary, and its actions are entirely consistent with international law, including article 51 of the UN charter on the right of self-defence.

Russia has been entirely proportionate in its military response to Georgia’s attack on Russian citizens and peacekeepers. Russia’s tactical objective has been to force Georgian troops out of the region, which is off limits to them under international agreements. Despite Georgia’s assertion that it had imposed a unilateral ceasefire, Russian peacekeepers and supporting troops remained under continued attack – a fact confirmed by observers and journalists in the region. Russia had no choice but to target the military infrastructure outside the region being used to sustain the Georgian offensive. Russia’s response has been targeted, proportionate and legitimate.

Russia has been accused of using the conflict to try to topple the government and impose control over the country. This is palpable nonsense. Having established the safety of the region, the president has declared an end to military operations. Russia has no intention of annexing or occupying any part of Georgia and has again affirmed its respect for its sovereignty. Over the next few days, on the condition that Georgia refrains from military activity and keeps its forces out of the region, Russia will continue to take the diplomatic steps required to consolidate this temporary cessation of hostilities.

Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s president, has stated that “unless we stop Russia, unless the whole world stops it, Russian tanks will go to any European capital tomorrow”, adding on a separate occasion that “it’s not about Georgia any more. It’s about America”. It is clear that Georgia wants this dispute to become something more than a short if bloody conflict in the region. For decision-makers in the Nato countries of the west, it would be worth considering whether in future you want the men and women of your armed services to be answerable to Mr Saakashvili’s declarations of war in the Caucasus.

Russia is a member of the Security Council, of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations and partner with the west on issues as varied as the Middle East, Iran and North Korea. In keeping with its responsibilities as a world power and the guarantor of stability in the Caucasus, Russia will work to ensure a peaceful and lasting resolution to the situation in the region.

The writer is minister of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation

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Thank You Sergei Lavrov for a good article.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia - Georgia: World "Wake up and Smell The Coffee!"

Sitting ducks for a stray bomb........?

Hello,

I just read an article about the Presidents of.......
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Presidents attend Georgia rally after cease-fire deal:
The presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland showed support for Georgia by appearing on stage with Georgia's president in front of a large crowd in Tbilisi. Earlier, the Russian and French presidents announced a six-point plan for settling the conflict in Georgia. (Link)
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I want to say something,: If Russia is such a bad, evil, terrible, tyrannic and despicable Empire. What are the Presidents of five (5) countries that hate Russia, doing standing all together in a so called war zone of death, on a stage proclaiming their hate for Russia!

The way I look at this situation if Russia was all they say, there would be five (5) less presidents at this moment. They either are the least intelligent Presidents that live on earth or they know that Georgia has been feeding the world a line of elephant droppings to exploit the media system.

I think that the World needs to wake up and see the "Hand Writing on the Wall" or better yet as my Grandma would have said, "Wake up and Smell the Coffee!"

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: The 6 principles to resolve S.Ossetia crisis

1. The first is not to resort to the use of force.

2. The second is to halt all military action.

3. The third is free access to humanitarian aid.

4. The fourth is that Georgian Armed Forces should return to their bases.

5. The fifth is that Russian Armed Forces should pull back to their positions prior to combat.

6. The sixth is the beginning of international discussions on the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and on ways to ensure their security.

" Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a news conference with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy."

Sounds fair to me. What about you?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

CNN Steals War Footage and Then Changes Facts!

American broadcaster CNN has been accused of using misleading footage in their coverage of the conflict in South Ossetia. A Russian cameraman says footage of wrecked tanks and ruined buildings, which was purported to be the town of Gori, was in fact the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali.

Gori was said to be about to fall under the control of the Russian army but the cameraman says the video was actually shot in Tskhinvali, which had been flattened by Georgian shelling.

Aleksandr Zhukov, from the Russiya Al-Yaum channel, said: “When we arrived and news came that Gori was being shelled, I saw my footage. I said: that’s not Gori! That’s Tskhinvali. Having crawled through the length and breadth of Tskhinvali, I don’t need much to tell from which point this or that footage was recorded. I can swear in front of any tribunal. I can point at this location on the map of the town, because I and the cameraman of the Rossiya channel videotaped that.”

Good Ol CNN...

Kyle

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28880

comments always welcome.

Russia, Moscow says: Saakashvili "better go!"

(MOSCOW) —Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ordered a halt to military action in Georgia Tuesday, saying it had punished Georgia and restored security for civilians and Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia.

In a nationally televised speech he ordered the military to defend itself and quash any aggressive action and armed resistance from Georgian forces.

Russia's foreign minister said that Georgia's president must leave office and Georgian troops should stay out of the breakaway South Ossetia region for good.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow won't talk to President Mikhail Saakashvili and Saakashvili "better go."

The Russian statements came as French President Nicolas Sarkozy was heading to Moscow to negotiate an EU-brokered truce for the fierce conflict over the breakaway region.

Medvedev Orders Russia to Stop!

Russia 'ends Georgia operation'

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says.

He told officials he had taken the decision to end the operation after restoring security for civilians and peacekeepers in South Ossetia.

However, Russia has remained highly critical of Georgia's leadership, and there were no signs of imminent talks.

Looks like French President Nicolas Sarkozy may have worked some magic.....

Russia: The Georgian War!

Hello,

Lets see what is happening in Georgia....
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1. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country currently chairs the EU, is to meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow before travelling to Georgia for talks with its president, Mikhail Saakashvili.

2. Russian-backed Abkhazia say they have begun an operation against Georgian forces, which now appear under pressure on two fronts. Abkhazia says they are trying to push Georgian forces from a strategic gorge in the west of the breakaway province.

3. George W Bush said Russian actions in Abkhazia and the other breakaway province of South Ossetia were "unacceptable in the 21st Century" and that Moscow was guilty of a "dramatic and brutal escalation". (What a statement from a killer of 100,000 + Iraq's)

4. Georgia has been withdrawing its troops and armour towards Tbilisi after four days of bloody fighting in South Ossetia with Russian troops and rebel fighters. (But Georgia has still continued to fight in South Ossetia)

5. No one expected Georgia to be occupied that fast, not even Saakashvili, who, Georgian Kommersant sources say, has received an ultimatum from Moscow of three points in exchange for peace. The main point, in addition to capitulation and signing an agreement on the non use of force in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, is his resignation. (Good Idea!)

6. Over 30,000 refugees have crossed the border between South Ossetia and Russia in the last four days, seeking safety, but not all of them made it alive. Some South Ossetians risked their lives to bring the bodies of their loved ones to North Ossetia because they were unable to bury them back home.

7. We have watched media from the USA. The air waves are flying with how bad and evil Russia is. No one seems to care that Georgia started this by killing several thousand South Ossetians. Russia took about 20 hours to respond to the attack. Seems a little slow to me. Russia was not ready for this kind of attack on South Ossetia. (Contrary to Western news)

8. Ukraine, another American Democratic Puppet is starting to flap it jaws like I said they would in a previous article.

9. The French Foreign Minister and head of the European mediation mission, Bernard Kouchner, has visited one of the biggest refugee camps in North Ossetia-Alania - a region that's part of Russia and borders South Ossetia.

10. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says.

Now we wait and see if Georgia plays games.

Kyle & Svet

Russia: Chinese Festival in Moscow!

Hello,

This weekend we went to a Chinese Festival in Moscow. It was not very big, but it was relaxing and quiet. Svet bought some fortune telling coins that you keep in your money pocket so that you will be rich! Yippy :) The pictures below are of the of the Chinese Festival.....

Dragons everywhere , the little kids loved them!

The Chinese Lanterns hit me in the head all the time.... (But they are beautiful)

We then walked around the park after looking at all the Chinese stuff....

Kite flying everywhere! Park is dedicated to WWII.




All in all it was a fun weekend and we are glad we went. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Putin Scorches the USA!

Hello,

Today Putin has left no doubt about his thoughts on the USA. Medvedev seems to be very quiet in this issue and that worries me.....
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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the U.S., which has backed Georgia's NATO membership aspirations, is hampering the peacekeeping operation in South Ossetia by flying the Georgian troops from Iraq to Georgia.

"It's a pity that some of our partners instead of helping are trying to get in the way, I mean the United States using its military transport aircraft to relocate Georgia's military contingent from Iraq virtually into the conflict zone, among other things," Putin said during a government meeting.

Putin said pulling Georgian troops out of Iraq would not change the situation, but called the move a "step back from a settlement."

He said he was astonished by the double standards and cynicism of U.S. foreign policy and accused U.S. diplomats of retaining a Cold-War mentality, labeling the aggressor the victim while the real victim ends up being blamed as the aggressor.

"Of course, it was right that Saddam Hussein was hanged for butchering several Shia villages, while the current Georgian rulers, who wiped out ten Ossetian villages in no time and burnt people alive in their homes, must be protected," Putin said sarcastically.

A top Russian diplomat accused foreign media on Sunday of showing pro-Georgian bias in their coverage of the ongoing conflict. (Link)
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I see something different than most people are seeing, I see a upset Putin but I see a pissed off Medvedev! (Medvedev is way to quiet!)

Georgia is in trouble with a capital T!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Is America Crazy?

US sends more arms to Georgia – Israeli media

The United States is sending fresh supplies of weapons to Georgia from its base in the Jordanian port of Aqabah. That’s according to the Israeli newspaper – Maariv.

The paper says the US began flying weapons from the transport hub on Saturday.

According to Maariv, the US is hiring Russian-made freight planes belonging to UTI Worldwide Inc. to transport arms and ammunition to Georgia. The paper says the Pentagon is redirecting supplies to Tbilisi that were earmarked for Iraq.

The Aqabah terminal is used by the US to supply troops in Iraq. The American military relies on the hub mainly because it’s safer to use Aqabah than Iraq’s own ports in the Persian Gulf.

Georgia stocks a wide range of weapons from many sources. This is a strategic move in case Russia were to block off the channels through which it gets its military supplies.

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I hope this is not true, if it is, America just put the nails in Georgia's coffin! Lets wait to see what Medvedev and Putin say.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Georgia Fixed The Water problem to South Ossetia!

Funny (Not Ha Ha!) How the Georgia controlled Water supply of South Ossetia has started working again. Seems that Georgia cut the water supply over a month ago.....

Water supply resumed in South Ossetia's capital

from Russia News

The mains water supply has been restored in South Ossetia's capital of Tskhinvali, the administration of the violence-torn breakaway Georgian region said on Monday.

I guess all the bombing fixed the water supply! Now they just need new pipes to run it in...

Georgia on my mind!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Bush Speaks Firmly to Putin!

Hello,

My day has been made! George Bush showed his power.....

"I said this violence is unacceptable," Mr Bush said, adding: "I was very firm with Vladimir Putin.

Talk about the "Pot Calling the Kettle Black!" (Link)

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Putin Speaks About The USA!

In a stinging attack on the US, Putin told government ministers: "It's a pity that some of our partners, instead of helping, are trying to get in the way”.

He said the US was using “its military transport aircraft to relocate Georgia's military contingent from Iraq virtually into the conflict zone”.(Link)

Russia: Lets Overturn Another Georgian lie!

BP Said Russia’s Jets Didn’t Attack Oil Pipeline in Georgia

from Kommersant

Spokesman of British Petroleum has refuted the allegation of Georgia about Russia’s air attacks on the oil pipeline.

Russia: Can we get Some Real Western news Coverage?

Hello,

Russia wake up! Western media just like its counterpart the Eastern media has been lying so long that they are experts. The Iraq War is a perfect example of this!
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"We want television screens in the West to be showing not only Russian tanks and saying Russia is at war in South Ossetia and with Georgia, but also to be showing the suffering of the Ossetian people, the murdered elderly people and children, the destroyed towns of South Ossetia, and [regional capital] Tskhinvali. This would be an objective way of presenting the material," Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told a RIA Novosti news conference. (Link)
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So forget the front page coverage of truth in Western (USA) Media. The Government controls the media!

By the way to clarify something: I consider Western media to be from the USA side of the world. The media that is from Europe has a different tone to it, than the far West media. So when I say East and West media I use the Atlantic Ocean as a dividing line. Remember Russia is considered part of Europe...... (well some times!)

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.