Russia Is Building New Military Facilities In South Ossetia

Author: Esmir Milavic

The Daily Telegraph reports about new construction of the outpost near the town of Tskhinvali. Those reports provoked Georgian warnings that former mother state Russia is actively preparing facilities for a repeat of the war which bursts on in August 2008. According to officials this Russian post will be situated on the further south than any previous listening post, and that will be greater than any other previous point. Unidentified officials stated that Georgia is unfinished business for Russia.

“It is actively preparing for another moment to strike but to do so it needs all available tools. The plans for the radar station and communications interception at the base in Tskhinvali represent a new threat to our security. The threat is real when you have bases like this inside your borders”, says this official to The Daily Telegraph.

Sophisticated equipment that Russia is bringing to South Ossetia will give a Russians clear ability to track air movements, also they will have uninterrupted ability to intercept mobile and other communications across the region as far as south Iran. Military base in Tskhinvali was recently leased to Russia by tiny enclave of South Ossetia who declares her independence from Georgia. According to South Ossetian Parliament decision Russia will build and operate this military facility for next 49 years, currently in this base Russia stationed more than 4000 troops backed by armed militias drawn from the 50,000 strong local population. South Ossetia is not alone; another breakaway of Georgia, Abkazia also hosts more than 2000 Russian troops and officials.

Head of the Georgian Security Council, Eka Tkeshelashvili is convinced that Russia was not paying price of international condemnation for occupation of Georgian territories.

“Russia is institutionalising its presence in Georgia by building bases in both the occupied territories. This is a direct assault on Georgia’s territorial integrity - which is under occupation according to the terms of international law - and can only be reversed by a Russian withdrawal. Instead Russia is transplanting people and resources to territories that are both otherwise closed to the outside world”, said Tkeshelashvili.

Georgian opposition gets encouraged by Russian actions; today their stand is that incumbent president Saakashvili endangered Georgia with his actions and with pro-western policies. One of the opposition leaders Irakli Chikovani said that Saakashvili’s government escalated bad relations with Russia to the maximum in last six years. On the other side president Saakashvili wins this week huge vote of confidence on the first elections since Russian occupation of Southern Georgia in 2008. Election official in Tbilisi said that Saakashvili’s Party won 65.6 per cent vote in municipal elections, many observers declared those elections as referendum on his presidency and politics towards Russia and the West.