Category: Caucasian Politics

Russia has bombed the town of Gori, one close to the hearts of every Georgian because of its connection to Soso Dzhugashvili (Stalin). As I said yesterday, the next 24 hours would define how things go. The escalation by Russia has confirmed that. I had a long chat with Cian last night where we talked…

Firstly, the conflict and how it started. The Georgians are saying Russia launched a “full scale invasion”. Russia is saying Ossetia is defending itself against Georgian aggression. Who do I believe right now? Georgia. The volume of Russian units entering Georgia is significant and pre-planned. It’s also mid August, a perfect time for action given…

Abkhazia is claiming that an L-39 shot down the Georgian drone. The video clearly shows a Mig 29. The giveaway feature is the twin vertical stabilisers at the rear of the plane. The L-39 only has one. A Russian military official denied a Russian Mig was in the area at the time.

Given that the bomb did not explode, and given the history, it seems to me more likely that Russia did not attack Georgia – but that Georgia planned the whole thing. Georgia would have the means and the motive to create this situation – it seems far too strange for two Russian jets to drop…

The ructions over South Ossetia continue. What is going on? The latest clash is over South Ossetia, one of two Georgian regions that fought their way to unofficial secession in the 1990s. There have been fisticuffs and tit-for-tat blockades between Georgian troops and Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Last week, Georgia’s parliament, accusing Russia of…

Amongst people that I have met from the former Soviet Union, most especially those from Georgia, Stalin is a figure that is applauded in Soviet history. I have had very interesting conversations with Georgians about the legacy of Stalin, and most say that what Russia needs now is another ‘man of steel’, to bring the…

It could be political or criminal, you never know in this region: Near-simultaneous blasts rocked three slot machine halls in the Russian Caucasus town Vladikavkaz on Thursday, killing two people, the local Emergencies Ministry said. There was no word on what had caused the blasts in the gaming parlors, which are popular across Russia after…

What would have been the consequences had the grenade gone off? A Georgian man has been sentenced to life in prison for throwing a grenade at a rally attended by US President George W Bush in Tbilisi last May. Vladimir Arutyunian was found guilty on charges including terrorism, treason, attempted assassination and the killing of…

Rather large protests indeed, but not as many as the opposition expected – they say thanks to police intimidation. The government of President Ilham Aliyev allowed the opposition to stage a three-hour rally in the outskirts of the capital, Baku. Election officials have ordered re-runs in two districts and one recount. About 15,000 protesters attended…

Elections in Azerbaijan have led to the reinstatement of the existing leader Ilham Aliev. It appears though, that the elections were far from fair. It is what you might expect from Azerbaijan. The Economist reports: One campaign has involved decrees on electoral propriety from Ilham Aliev, Azerbaijan’s president, the open registration of candidates, plans for…