Timeline South Ossetia
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The capital of South
Ossetia is Tskhinvali.
(Econ, 8/21/04, p.41)
1989-1982 South
Ossetia defended itself from Georgia with aid from Russia and about
1,000 people died in the fighting. Some 25-40,000 people fled the area.
(SFC, 9/1/98, p.A10)
1990 Aug, South Ossetia, a region
of north central Georgia with a population of about 100,000, declared
itself sovereign. Ethnic Ossetians speak a language similar to Persian.
(SFC, 9/1/98, p.A10)
1990 Georgian leader Zviad
Gamsakhurdia declared South Ossetia part of Georgia and marched on
Tskhinvali, the declared capital.
(SFC, 9/1/98, p.A10)
1992 Jul, South Ossetia and
Georgia agreed to a cease-fire.
(SFC, 9/1/98, p.A10)
2004 Aug 15, Sporadic gunfire and
shelling took place overnight in the disputed Georgian region of South
Ossetia in violation of a fragile ceasefire, wounding seven Georgian
servicemen.
(AFP, 8/15/04)
2004 Aug 17, Georgian President
Mikhail Saakashvili appealed to world leaders to convene an
international conference on the conflict in breakaway South Ossetia,
where daily exchanges of gunfire threaten to spark a war. The province
operated as a conduit for smuggling between Georgia and Russia.
(AP, 8/17/04)(Econ, 8/21/04, p.40)
2004 Aug 18, In South Ossetia 3
Georgian peacekeepers were killed in overnight shooting.
(AP, 8/18/04)
2006 Sep 11, Leaders of the
breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia said they would hold a
referendum on independence in November, a move likely to infuriate the
government in Tbilisi and stoke already spiraling tensions.
(AP, 9/11/06)
2006 Nov 12, Voters in the
breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia declared overwhelming
backing for its independence drive in a referendum that underlined a
sharp split between Russia and the West and is likely to increase
tensions in the Caucasus region. A similar 1992 referendum proclaiming
the province's independence went unnoticed by the international
community, leaving it in limbo.
(AP, 11/12/06)(AP, 11/13/06)
2007 May 11, Authorities in
Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia launched a blockade of all
ethnic Georgian villages in the province and demanded that the central
government withdraw its police troops from the settlements.
(AP, 5/11/07)
2007 Jun 28, Hundreds of ethnic
Georgians confronted Russian peacekeeping forces in the breakaway
region of South Ossetia, throwing paint and gasoline on the troops and
forcing them to stop blocking a road project.
(AP, 6/28/07)
2008 Mar 5, South Ossetia appealed
for international recognition as an independent nation, further adding
to simmering tensions in Georgia and throughout the strategic South
Caucasus region.
(AP, 3/6/08)
2008 Apr 29, Russia announced it
was beefing up its peacekeeping force in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia
and South Ossetia regions, saying it had evidence Tbilisi was readying
its forces for an attack.
(Reuters, 4/29/08)
2008 Aug 2, Overnight fighting
that included sniper and mortar fire between Georgian forces and
separatists in the breakaway South Ossetia region left six people dead
and 13 wounded.
(AP, 8/2/08)
2008 Aug 3, The breakaway republic
of South Ossetia began sending hundreds of children across the border
to its Russian ally amid increasing violence between the republic and
Georgian government forces.
(AP, 8/3/08)
2008 Aug 7, Heavy shelling
overnight in the Georgian breakaway province of South Ossetia wounded
at least 21 people. Cyber attacks from Russia began to target Georgian
government Web sites. An organization known as the Russian Business
Network was the leading suspect in the attacks.
(AP, 8/7/08)(WSJ, 8/12/08, p.A9)
2008 Aug 8, Georgian troops
launched a major military offensive to regain control of South Ossetia,
prompting a furious response from Russia, which sent tanks into the
region. The convoy was expected to reach the provincial capital by
evening. Georgia said it shot down two Russian combat planes.
Separatist officials in South Ossetia said 15 civilians had been killed
in fighting overnight.
(AP, 8/8/08)
2008 Aug 9, Georgia, the third
largest contributor to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, said it's
pulling out its 2,000-strong contingent from Iraq to join the fighting
in the breakaway province of South Ossetia.
(AP, 8/9/08)
2008 Aug 9, Russia sent hundreds
of tanks and troops into the separatist province of South Ossetia and
bombed Georgian towns in a major escalation of the conflict that has
left scores of civilians dead and wounded. Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that some 1,500 people have been
killed, with the death toll rising. Russian military aircraft bombed
the Georgian town of Gori. Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili
proposed a cease-fire. As part of his proposal, Georgian troops were
pulled out of Tskhinvali and had been ordered to stop responding to
Russian shelling.
(AP, 8/9/08)
2008 Aug 10, Georgian troops
retreated from the breakaway province of South Ossetia and their
government pressed for a truce, overwhelmed by Russian firepower as the
conflict threatened to set off a wider war. Georgia said it has shot
down 10 Russian planes, including four brought down Aug 9. It also
claimed to have captured two Russian pilots, who were shown on Georgian
television. Ukraine warned Russia it could bar Russian navy ships from
returning to their base in the Crimea because of their deployment to
Georgia's coast.
(AP, 8/10/08)
2008 Aug 11, Swarms of Russian
jets launched new raids on Georgian territory and Georgia faced the
threat of a second front of fighting as Russia demanded that Georgia
disarm troops near the breakaway province of Abkhazia.
(AP, 8/11/08)
2008 Aug 12, Georgia's Pres.
Mikhail Saakashvili said his government will declare that its breakaway
regions are occupied territories and will designate Russian
peacekeepers as occupying forces. Russia ordered a halt to military
action in Georgia, after five days of air and land attacks sent
Georgia's army into headlong retreat and left towns and military bases
destroyed. More than 2,000 people were reported killed. A Dutch
television journalist was killed overnight when Russian warplanes
bombed the central Georgian city of Gori.
(AP, 8/12/08)
2008 Aug 13, Russian tanks rolled
into the crossroads city of Gori then thrust deep into Georgian
territory, violating the truce designed to end the six-day war. Georgia
said that 175 Georgians had died in five days of air and ground attacks
that left homes in smoldering ruins. EU foreign ministers agreed in
principle to send monitors to supervise a French-brokered ceasefire
between Russia and Georgia in the breakaway Georgian region of South
Ossetia. Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Russia will spend at least
$400 million in 2008 on restoring South Ossetia's battered capital
Tskhinvali.
(AP, 8/13/08)(Reuters, 8/13/08)
2008 Aug 14, Georgian and Russian
troops faced off at a checkpoint outside the key city of Gori, calling
an already shaky cease-fire into question. An American official said
Russia appears to be sabotaging airfields and other military
infrastructure as its forces pull back. The Russian General
Prosecutor's office said it has formally opened a genocide probe into
Georgian treatment of South Ossetians. For its part, Georgia this week
filed a suit against Russia in the International Court of Justice,
alleging murder, rape and mass expulsions in both provinces.
(AP, 8/14/08)
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Subject = South Ossetia
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