http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44912000/gif/_44912891_georgia_v4_466.gif

that graphic shows you all you need to know about why they are fighting. it's a big black line thru the middle.

from the bbc:
"George W Bush said Russian actions in Abkhazia and the other breakaway province of South Ossetia were "unacceptable in the 21st Century" and that Moscow was guilty of a "dramatic and brutal escalation"."

riiiiiiiiigggghhhhtttttt mister kettle, you are looking an awfully dark shade of grey today.


aaaaand... about the source here... i would say it's about as suspicious as it comes.

As far as I understand it. South what ever its called wants to be sovreign, russia wants to ensure that. The breakaway nation to the north west wants to be sovreign too... they are attacking now. Russia egged them on.

Georgia wants to become part of NATO, as does Ukraine so the russians say Ukraine pushed for georgia to go to south what ever its called.

In short, the main reason russia attacked? DONT WANT NATO NEAR US!

Quoted form the Washington Post August 10, page A 15 "War between Georgia and Russia Intensifies" front page story: "Georgia's aspiration to join NATO...is driven by its attmept to drag other nations and peoples into its bloody adventures."

What we clearly have here is a Russian Reversal... right back to the soviet days! In modern Russia, soviet reverses you!

PS: I like to get all sides of the story, and as I read it... all of the comments above are correct in their ways.

Dude, I know you're American, but just about every European news outlet is running the story.

Back to the video, I have to say, this makes me sick, the last thing the world needs is a sequel to chechnya, what disgusts me more is the fact the Russian population doesn't seem to care, and from a military standpoint they have nothing to worry about because Russian military > Georgian military, so he chance of a attack by georgia on Russian soil is some where between nil and zero.

Now for the lowdown as I have heard it, basically georgia functions as a sovereign state and all that, but there is a breakaway region that ignores national borders of Ossetia, with south Ossetia in georgia and the north in Russia, but both parts of Ossetia officially belong to their respective states.

This is where the water gets a little murky, Russia claims amongst other things that georgia was committing genocide in south ossetia, and that they had an obligation to the south Ossetians to protect them. The Georgians claim that Russia's attack was an unprovoked invasion.

So this is the point we are at currently, with Georgia declaring a state of war on Russia, while angling for a ceasefire/end to hostilities, and Russia quite clearly attacking civilians as you can see in the videos that are already appearing on the sift.

I am not one to usually jump the gun, but what the heck, I would place Russia in the wrong here, since some reports place Georgian dead at around 2000 people, and the way their country is run almost as a dictatorship by any other name.

^when swampgirl wrote "shatner" I read "shattered" and it seemed like a reasonable diagnosis...
... and what's with the shoe ejection? Good thing he was using breakaway safety laces so he didn't twist an ankle or something.

That is the greatest mockery I've ever seen. That skater should have learned to keep his head up on a breakaway. Smart play by the goalie.

Ron Hextall is THE shit. One of the BEST goalies ever, not to mention his awesome aggressiveness in keeping the crease clear. I still remember watching in awe when he used to come out of the crease and cross over the blue line to stop a breakaway.

[edit] Welcome to the Flyers Hall of Fame, Hextall!

yeah, breakaway, sugar-glass is a hell of a thing

love to know where you got your information...

In reply to this comment by ShadowM8:
Well lets define poverty. There is no question that Belarus had been spared the plundering of its natural resource, the complete and utter collapse of its social and economic system to the extent that was seen in Russia and almost all other counties of the former USSR. So the overall standard of living has been maintained, where as it dropped 10 fold in other breakaway republics and hasn't recovered since for the most part. So poverty is rather relative!

Well lets define poverty. There is no question that Belarus had been spared the plundering of its natural resource, the complete and utter collapse of its social and economic system to the extent that was seen in Russia and almost all other counties of the former USSR. So the overall standard of living has been maintained, where as it dropped 10 fold in other breakaway republics and hasn't recovered since for the most part. So poverty is rather relative!

what, not one single breakaway? booooooo

Even if it is a breakaway table, the dude still landed on his ass carrying someone over his shoulder. Is it wrong that I enjoyed those screams of anguish?