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• 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.Associated Press: Russia: Will begin pullout from Georgia on Monday (August 17, 2008)

  On August 19, 2008, Pentagon officials said they had seen no sign that Russian troops had indeed withdrawn from Georgia.FOXNews.com: Pentagon: No Significant Change in Russian...

• Fast Facts

  1. Truce demands withdrawal of Russian troops from South Ossetia
  2. Deal mediated by Condoleezza RiceGuardian Unlimited: Georgia agrees to ceasefire with Russia(August 15 2008)
  3. Both Russia and Georgia are supposed to pull forces back to positions held prior to the dispute in South Ossetia escalatedFOXNews.com: Pentagon: No Significant Change in Russian...
  4. Reports said Russian troops had not withdrawn from Georgian territory as of August 19, 2008FOXNews.com: Pentagon: No Significant Change in Russian... (August 19, 2008)

• 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.Yahoo! News: Russia defies truce with Georgia; US sending aid (August 13, 2008)

• 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.CNN.com: Russia signs cease-fire, tensions remain high (August 16, 2008) BBC News: Russia signs up to Georgia truce (August 16, 2008) On August 17, 2008, Medvedev announced that Russia would begin the withdrawal from Georgia on August 18, 2008.Associated Press: Russia: Will begin pullout from Georgia on Monday (August 17, 2008)

  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.Washington Post: Georgia president signs cease-fire with Russia(August 15 2008)Guardian Unlimited: Georgia agrees to ceasefire with Russia(August 15 2008)

• 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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