tinyurl.com/5s4u2y -> www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/10/2330218.htm
State of war: Georgian soldiers in Gori after Russian warplanes bombed the city. State of war: Georgian soldiers in Gori after Russian warplanes bombed the city.
Related Story: Background: South Ossetia and Abkhazia The situation has deteriorated over the past few months in Georgia's Russian-backed separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
August 1: Six people are killed in South Ossetia by fire from Georgian positions, according to the government of the rebel region. Tbilisi (Georgia's capital) says the Ossetians were the first to fire.
close to a "large-scale" military conflict, and that Georgian manoeuvres are undermining hopes of peace. August 4: South Ossetia evacuates hundreds of children to Russia following clashes. Georgia accuses the rebels of creating "an illusion of war". August 5: A top Russian diplomat says Moscow will not just stand by, but will defend Russian citizens in South Ossetia in the event of a conflict. August 6: Georgia and South Ossetia accuse each other of having opened fire on villages in the region.
sends reinforcements into the territory, saying Georgian attacks killed more than 10 of its peacekeepers. Tense history The two countries have a history of hostility and conflict. November 1989 South Ossetia declares autonomy from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, triggering three months of fighting. December 1990 Georgia and South Ossetia begin a new armed conflict which lasts until 1992. Both rebel statelets have significant Russian financial and political backing, but have not been recognised by any foreign government and officially remain part of Georgia. November 1993 South Ossetia drafts its own constitution. Russian troops also lead a joint peacekeeping force in South Ossetia. Russia denies being behind the attack, which killed one person. Georgia applies to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), angering Russia. Georgia also becomes a key US ally after agreeing to host oil and gas pipelines from the Caspian Sea to Turkey, avoiding Russia. Georgia arrests four Russian military personnel on spying charges. Moscow responds with sweeping economic sanctions, cutting all travel links, deporting hundreds of ethnic-Georgians from Russia, and stopping Georgian imports. November 2006 South Ossetia overwhelmingly endorses its split with Tbilisi in a referendum. Georgia's prime minister says this is part of a Russian campaign to stoke a war. April 2007 Georgia's parliament approves a law to create a temporary administration in South Ossetia, raising tension with Russia. June 2007 South Ossetian separatists say Georgia attacked Tskhinvali with mortar and sniper fire. October 2007 Talks hosted by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe between Georgia and South Ossetia break down. March 2008 South Ossetia asks the world to recognise its independence from Georgia following the West's support for Kosovo's secession from Serbia. March 2008 Georgia's bid to join NATO, though unsuccessful, prompts Russia's parliament to urge the Kremlin to recognise the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. April 2008 South Ossetia rejects a Georgian power-sharing deal, insists on full independence.
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