The Russo-Georgian War broke out in August 2008 and involved Georgia, Russian Federation, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Background Events prior to August 2008 are described in 2008 Russo-Georgian diplomatic crisis.
Tensions began escalating in 2008 since Kosovo declared its independence, but the definitive trigger was a bombing on the road near Tskhinvali on 1 August, which wounded Georgian police officers. This provocation allegedly was planned in advance. A chain of reactions and counter-reactions followed.
Overview timeline August 1 - Five Georgians were injured in a bomb explosion targeting a car. South Ossetians were responsible for instigating this incident, which marked the opening of hostilities. In response, several South Ossetian militiamen were hit. South Ossetian separatists began shelling Georgian villages. These artillery attacks caused Georgian servicemen to return fire periodically since 1 August. August 7 - At 19:00, President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili declared a unilateral ceasefire. He urged the South Ossetians to halt fire. After this, the Ossetians escalated the assault against Georgian villages located in the South Ossetian conflict zone. August 8 - After responding with fire, Georgian troops proceeded to move in the direction of the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia (Tskhinvali) on the night of 8 August. President Saakashvili later stated that Russia had already sent tanks to South Ossetia before he gave the order for Georgian forces to launch a military operation. Russian "peace enforcement" operation against Georgia began several hours after Georgian troops had advanced into Tskhinvali. Russia claimed to be defending civilian population and peacekeepers. Russian airstrikes against Georgia were also launched. August 9 - A second front was opened by the military of the separatist Republic of Abkhazia in the Kodori Valley, the only region of Abkhazia still in effective control of Georgia. August 10 - The withdrawal of almost all Georgian troops from the conflict zone was announced by Georgia. Russia gained control of Tskhinvali. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, a naval confrontation took place between Russian and Georgian ships. August 11 - Russian forces advanced into western Georgia from Abkhazia. Another front in western Georgia was opened. Russian forces reached the town of Senaki that day and took a military base there. August 12 - President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev said that he had ordered an end to military operations in Georgia. However, Russian air raids did not stop in Georgia. Russian troops marched in Poti and took up positions around it. Abkhaz forces captured the Kodori Valley, from which Georgian forces and civilians had retreated. August 13 - Both Russia and Georgia approved a ceasefire deal negotiated by President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, which included provision to retreat all forces to the lines held before the beginning of the war. Russian occupation of Gori began several hours after the ceasefire deal. Gori is an important central Georgian city. August 15 - Reuters reported that Russian forces had pushed to from Tbilisi, the nearest during the war, and stopped in Igoeti at the same time as United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Rice was received by Saakashvili for signing the ceasefire. August 17 - The Russian forces expanded their presence in Georgia in spite of the western calls for withdrawal by advancing into Khashuri and Akhalgori. The occupation of Akhalgori enabled the Republic of South Ossetia to gain full control of its claimed territory. August 19 - Russian soldiers took twenty-one Georgian troops prisoner and captured five US Humvees in Poti, taking them to a Russian-occupied military base in Senaki. Prisoners of war were swapped by Russia and Georgia that day. August 22 - Russia withdrew troops from undisputed Georgia by the evening to South Ossetia and Georgia's principal east-west highway was now free for transit. August 26 - Russian president Medvedev issued decrees recognizing the independence of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia. August 29 - Georgia and Russia terminated the diplomatic relations with each other.
Detailed timeline
August 1
A Georgian police vehicle was blown up at 08:05 MSK on the Eredvi-Kheiti road. The bomb attacks, which had been probably engineered by South Ossetian separatists, wounded five Georgian police officers. 122 mm artillery shells had been used to make the explosives, according to Russian peacekeepers. Soon after the blasts, fire was opened by the South Ossetian forces. Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia David Bakradze said in the evening that "an ineffective peacekeeping operation that does not ensure security in the region" was responsible for the terror attack.
Matthew Bryza, official from the United States Department of State, said that a referendum should determine the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh welcomed Bryza's statement. Bryza also stated that Sukhumi and Tbilisi should first reach an agreement banning the use of force after the start of direct negotiations.
Russian Non-governmental organization Memorial sent a complaint to the Office of the Prosecutor-General of Russia. The organization asked to investigate the illegal deployment of the Russian Railway Troops to Abkhazia in May 2008.
According to the Russian peacekeepers, a Georgian sniper from near to Prisi murdered one South Ossetian militia member at about 18:17. According to South Ossetian source, sniper attacks on South Ossetia lasted until 21:00. According to the Russian peacekeepers, Georgian sniper fire against Tskhinvali killed 3 people and wounded 7 by 21:00 MSK. The South Ossetian part of the Joint Control Commission for Georgian–Ossetian Conflict Resolution (JCC) reported that Georgian forces began firing automatic firearms, grenades, mortars and heavy artillery into Tskhinvali at 21:20. By 21:28 MSK, the South Ossetian authorities claimed that Georgia started a "sniper war". By 21:45 MSK, Deputy defense minister of South Ossetia Ibrahim Gazseev claimed that Georgian military hardware was being concentrated in the villages near Tskhinvali, adding that South Ossetian armed forces were put on high alert. By 21:56 MSK, President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity accused Georgia of "attempting to spark a full-scale war". He accused Ukraine and the United States of being responsible for the Georgian sniper attack. Kokoity said that "our response to these aggressive actions of Tbilisi will be very harsh and very sensitive for Georgia," adding, "We reserve the right to strike Georgian cities, we have something to reach them." Kokoity announced by 22:31 MSK that the South Ossetian side opened fire on Georgian positions and that South Ossetia would no longer hold back from responding to Georgia. By 22:38 MSK, Georgian Interior Ministry official Shota Utiashvili said that the South Ossetians had renewed the shelling of the Georgian police checkpoints an hour before and that Georgians opened fire in response. Utiashvili denied the presence of Georgian snipers in the South Ossetian conflict zone and said that there were only the Georgian police and peacekeepers in the zone. The Georgian side had no casualties so far. Prime Minister of South Ossetia Yury Morozov said by 23:17 MSK that Georgia was waging "the most dishonest kind of war, the most twisted" one, which could no longer be tolerated. The South Ossetian casualties by 23:30 MSK were six killed, including one North Ossetian peacekeeper. All killed were males aged between 22-45. By 23:59 MSK, the South Ossetian authorities reported that firing on Tskhinvali had stopped.
South Ossetian separatists started to shell Georgian villages on 1 August. This caused Georgian peacekeepers and servicemen in the area to return fire. It was reported that Georgian forces were responding to the Ossetian attacks on the Georgian peacekeepers, which had begun at 22:00. According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, Ossetian shelling of the Georgian villages lasted until 08:00 in the morning of 2 August. During the night of 1/2 August, the most intense outbreak of violence in the past four years happened.
August 2 Ossetians reported that the shelling of Tskhinvali was resumed at 3:00. Russian peacekeepers reported a fire exchange began at 05:45 between the Georgian village of Zemo Nikozi and Tskhinvali. By the morning, the South Ossetian authorities stated that the total number of the wounded Ossetians was fifteen. The Georgian Interior Ministry stated that the Georgian villages of Zemo Nikozi, Kvemo Nikozi, Nuli and Ergneti were shelled. The Georgian casualties were six wounded civilians and one wounded police officer.
Commander of the Georgian peacekeepers Mamuka Kurashvili said that Ossetian shelling caused serious damage in the Georgian-controlled village of Nikozi. According to Kurashvili's explanation, the reason for the Ossetian attacks was that the terrorist attack on a Georgian police car in the morning of the previous day did not result in any casualties: "But from the news release at 21:00 they learned that there were no casualties. At 21:10 they were already in the trenches and were shooting in the direction of the Georgian villages of Eredvi, Avnevi and Kvemo Nikozi from all types of weapons - grenade launchers, heavy machine guns." Kurashvili stated that South Ossetian peacekeepers participated in the shelling of Nikozi. He also said that there was investigation regarding the role of the Russian peacekeepers. Later that day, the Russian Defense Ministry dismissed an allegation of possible participation of Russian peacekeepers in the shelling of Georgian settlements as "dirty informational provocation".
Head of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania Taymuraz Mamsurov promised Tskhinvali "to jointly repel this aggression." South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity declared that the Tskhinvali government would announce a military mobilization and they could "hardly contain the flow of North Caucasian volunteers." Gruziya Online news agency, analyzing Mamsurov's statement, concluded that "Russia is ready to declare the war on Georgia."
The Government of South Ossetia held an emergency session by 12:12 MSK where Prime Minister Yury Morozov ordered to organize the evacuation of the children, women and elderly. The evacuation from the Ossetian village of Dmenis began. First column of children from Dmenis were evacuated to Dzau District by 15:00 MSK.
Russian military commander Valery Yevtukhovich said Russian Airborne Troops were ready to be deployed to South Ossetia to aid the Joint Peacekeeping Forces. In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia later called "to train high-ranking soldiers in the basics of diplomacy," because such statements were encouraging further escalation by the separatists.
South Ossetian interior minister Mikhail Mindzaev said that the South Ossetian forces were put on high alert. He said: "If Georgia continues to carry out such provocative actions, our republic will respond with all available forces. Enough with pursuing a policy of restraint." He claimed that Georgian troops were being deployed to South Ossetian border and in the conflict zone. He also said that Georgian attack during the previous night inflicted a heavy damage on "the live force among the civilian population." He said that after South Ossetian servicemen were given the order to suppress the Georgian firing positions on the previous night, the Georgian side incurred heavy losses. he said: "Our people will no longer forgive the deeds that the Georgians have committed and are committing - this is ruled out." Mindzaev told Media News, "Should another provocation take place, we will strike back at Georgian cities."