Georgia Cease-Fire

August 15, 2008: Georgia's president, Mikheil Saakashvili announced that he had signed a cease-fire deal with Russia. Two days later, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia would begin its withdrawal from Georgia on Monday, August 18, 2008.¹

On August 19, 2008, Pentagon officials said they had seen no sign that Russian troops had indeed withdrawn from Georgia.²

Fast Facts

1. Truce demands withdrawal of Russian troops from South Ossetia
2. Deal mediated by Condoleezza Rice³
3. Both Russia and Georgia are supposed to pull forces back to positions held prior to the dispute in South Ossetia escalated²
4. Reports said Russian troops had not withdrawn from Georgian territory as of August 19, 2008²

South Ossetian Separatism

1. Early 1990s: South Ossetia claimed independence from the country of Georgia after a bloody war
2. Georgia rejected the independence and sent troops to the region
3. Russian peace keepers intervened
4. 1992: Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) began monitoring the peacekeeping mission
5. August, 2008: Tensions escalate. Heavy fighting erupts between Georgian forces and the separatists
6. Russia gave citizenship to many people in South Ossetia

South Ossetia

1. Population: Approximately 70,000
2. Capital: Tskhinvali
3. Languages: Ossetian, Georgian, Russian
4. President: Eduard Kokoiti
5. Major religion: Christianity

Failure of the First Truce

August 12, 2008: Following days of fighting in the South Ossetia region of Georgia, Russia and Georgia agreed to a ceasefire plan outlined by the French and Russian presidents.

The next day, however, it was reported that areas remained under siege by Russian troops. According to reports, the city of Gori continued to be bombed, while Russian armored trucks were seen headed deeper into Georgia, rather than back toward the border.⁴

First Truce Facts

1. Plan outlined by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and French president Nicolas Sarkozy
2. Agreement involves Russia and Georgia returning respective armed forces to normal positions
3. Fighting began when the Georgian military entered autonomous South Ossetia region
4. Russian military responded with attacks to defend the province
5. Georgia filed a lawsuit against Russia claiming ethnic cleansing

Russia's Delayed Reaction

On August 16, 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the cease-fire agreement. Reports said that Russian troops remained deep in Georgian territory, and it was not clear if or when they would pull back.^{5 6} On August 17, 2008, Medvedev announced that Russia would begin the withdrawal from Georgia on August 18, 2008.¹

The deal, mediated by Condoleezza Rice, obliges the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia followed by the immediate placement of observers and peace-keeping forces.⁷³

Related Pages on Mahalo

South Ossetia War 2008 | Georgia Sues Russia | Georgia Country | Russian Federation | South Ossetia | Abkhazia | Russia Invades Georgia | Mikheil Saakashvili | Dmitry Medvedev | South Ossetia Dispute | Georgia State of War

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