That is becoming the inescapable conclusion about Putin's invasion of Georgia. Why does Putin do it one may ask? Dreams of a reborn USSR, fervid delusions of the great Soviet Bear oppressing neighbors to prove how powerful the Soviet Union is; by these mighty works Putin seeks to establish himself and Russia as a world power.
How else to explain the use of SS-21 SRBMs to attack Georgia. Now as Russian President and willing Putin puppet Medvedev says Russian forces are pulling out, all signs point to something else. From Gori, Russian tanks lurch forward and edge closer to Tbilisi bypassing the cease fire-fire no-mans land. Why do this? Perhaps to allow the SS-21s to get in range of Tbilisi and hold the capitol hostage to Russian whims.
By the use of SS-21s and bombing raids, Russia has succeeded in shutting down the Georgian port city of Poti. Thus forcing the shut down of the remaining oil pipeline that carries oil from Baku, Armenia to foreign markets. As a result, this makes the pipelines going through Ukraine and controlled by Russia, read Putin, the only pipelines to supply the energy needs of Europe. Thus holding Europe's future hostage.
Journalists are fair game it seems in this conflict. A female reporter for Georgia TV was wounded by a stray bullet. Meanwhile a Turkish reporter, fired upon by South Ossetian militia, has lost the sight in one eye due to a bullet fired by those militia. BBC reporters have also been fired upon by the same militias.
Finally there is the human toll of all this carnage. The Poti bombing raids killed people but left the port infrastructure intact. Russia wants Poti since it would give them a port on the Black Sea not controlled by a very scared Ukraine. Human rights groups are reporting that Russia is using cluster bombs in civilian areas; the bad thing about dumb cluster bombs is they are designed for wide area dispersal to kill large numbers of soft targets or to deny a large area to the enemy by placing these sub-munitions, not something to use to achieve military objectives in an urban area unless you want to prevent civilians from coming back to their homes. And finally there are those South Ossetian militias who have Russian passports and operate with Russian formations. Witnesses are reporting these bands are operating out of control. There are reports of raping, looting, and arson by these Russian paramilitary units. CCTV has even caught them robbing a bank. The objective of all this is clear, make places like Gori hell on earth for the Georgians who lived there so they never come back.
Many people have been worried about Iran becoming the first terrorist state with nuclear weapons. Vlad Putin has managed to create the first nuclear terrorist state.
2 comments:
If true, the placement of SS-21s is an ominous sign.
Does it mean that the Russians intend to stay in Georgia in some greater military capacity than they had up until their invasion?
Condi Rice is talking tough to our NATO allies, who are clearly more affected by potential oil and gas disruptions than we are.
But do our European allies in what Rumsfeld called "old Europe" have the stomach to stand up to Putin?
If they fail to do so now, they will have to do so later and the cost will be much higher.
Considering how NATO bleated and merely cut off talks with Russia, seems Old Europe does not have the guts to stand up to the Bear. So they ignore the trouble brewing like they have before. So as you say the cost will be higher later on.
I seem to remember an old Soviet adage: Charge forward with bayonets and if you encounter butter, keep charging forward. If you hit steel, then stop.
NATO/EU are butter melting away from the Russian bayonet.
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