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Battle of Tskhinvali

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Battle of Tskhinvali
Part of 2008 South Ossetia war

Movements of opposing forces around Tskhinvali. Blue arrows show Georgian movements, red show Russian movements
Date8–11 August 2008
Location
Tskhinvali, Georgia
Result Strategic Russian victory
Georgian withdrawal
Belligerents
Georgia (country) Georgia  Russia
 South Ossetia
Commanders and leaders
Georgia (country) Mikheil Saakashvili (commander-in-chief)[1]
Georgia (country) Davit Kezerashvili (Defence Minister)[1]
Georgia (country) Mamuka Kurashvili (Peacekeepers)[2]
Georgia (country) Vano Merabishvili (Minister of Internal Affairs)
Georgia (country) Zaza Gogava (Chief-in-Staff)		 Russia Anatoly Khrulyov of the 58th Army (WIA)[3][4]
Russia Marat Kulakhmetov of the peacekeeping forces
Russia Sulim Yamadayev of the GRU
South Ossetia Kazbek Friev (Commander of North Ossetian peacekeeping forces)[5][6]
South OssetiaAnatoly Barankevich[7][8]
South Ossetia Vasiliy Lunev[9]
Strength
Georgia (country) 10,000–11,000 soldiers in the entire area, 3-4,000 in Tskhinvali[10] Russia 1,000 troops serving as peacekeepers.[11]
Up to 10,000 troops arrived from Russia as reinforcements
South Ossetia up to 3,500 troops.[12]
Casualties and losses
Georgia (country) 45 killed in Tskhinvali including 20 losses due to airstrikes. 90 killed in South Ossetia and Georgia proper, 163 killed in total during the war[13][14] Russia fewer than 64 killed, 3 missing in action[15]
fewer than 283 wounded (total during the war)[15]
South Ossetia Ministry of Defense: 26 KIA,[16] Ministry of Internal Affairs: 6 KIA,[17] Ossetian Peacekeeping Battalion: 4 KIA[18]

The Battle of Tskhinvali (Template:Lang-ru, Georgian: ცხინვალის ბრძოლა) was a fight for the city of Tskhinvali, capital of South Ossetia. It was the only major battle in the 2008 South Ossetia War. Georgian ground troops entered the city on early 8 August 2008, after an extensive artillery barrage. Their advance was stopped by South Ossetian militia and members of the International peacekeeping force[19] stationed in the city. Later that day, Russian combat troops began entering South Ossetia through the Roki tunnel. After being initially forced to withdraw, the Georgian troops made several attempts to retake the city. Due to the difficult logistics of the terrain, the arrival of Russian reinforcements was slow. After fierce fighting, Georgian troops were finally forced to withdraw from the city on the evening of 10 August. On 11 August, all Georgian troops left South Ossetia. Parts of Tskhinvali were devastated in the three-day fighting.[20]

Background

Deployment and goals

The cities of Tskhinvali and Gori are located in the valley of the Greater Liakhvi River, within about 32 km (20 mi) of each other. The Georgian military was based at Gori, to the south, while Tskhinvali was the primary objective of the Georgian forces. It was suggested by Civil Georgia, that the ultimate goal of the Georgian forces was to control the Roki Tunnel further north, which is the sole major land route from Russia to South Ossetia.[21] Another strategically important target was the Didi Gupta bridge, which links the northern part of South Ossetia to its southern part where Tskhinvali is located.[22]

The Georgian forces deployed on the South Ossetian border on 7 August included the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Infantry Brigades, the Artillery Brigade, elements of the 1st Infantry Brigade, and the separate Gori Tank Battalion, plus special forces and Ministry of the Internal Affairs troops  — as many as 16,000 men, according to Moscow Defense Brief.[23] International Institute for Strategic Studies and Western intelligence experts give a lower estimate, saying that the Georgians had amassed about 12,000 troops and 75 tanks on the South Ossetian border by 7 August.[24][25] On the opposite side, there were said to be 1,000 Russian peacekeepers (under the mandate of Joint Control Commission for Georgian–Ossetian Conflict Resolution) and 500 South Ossetian fighters ready to defend Tskhinvali, according to an estimate quoted by Der Spiegel.[26][27][28]

The South Ossetian military forces consisted primarily of light rifle battalions with seconded artillery units and obsolete Soviet-made armoured vehicles. The total strength of the republic's military and law enforcement personnel, including reserve units which took part in the combat, was less than 3,500.[12] In anticipation of a Georgian operation to destroy the Roki tunnel, South Ossetia had deployed the bulk of its force to protect the tunnel and the town of Java in the north, which had left Tskhinvali sparsely defended.[29][30]

According to Konstantin Makienko, Deputy Director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), the Georgian objective in the Battle of Tskhinvali was a rapid destruction of Ossetian armed forces and a lightning capture of Tskhinvali before the Russian army could have a chance to intervene. "It appears that during the night from 7 to 8 August. Tbilisi intended to deliver strikes on the positions of the Russian peacekeepers and the South Ossetian army in order to paralyze the chain of command. The next objective was to take Tskhinvali during 8 August, install a puppet government by Dmitry Sanakoyev and bring residents of Georgian enclaves in the republic onto the streets during pro-Georgia mass rallies."[30]

Battle

Georgian attack

Artillery preparation

Situation in South Ossetia before the war
Tskhinvali after the Georgian bombardment. The sign (in Russian) reads "Secondary school #6". August 2008.

At 23:35 on 7 August, Georgian artillery units began firing smoke bombs into South Ossetia. Soon afterwards, Georgia opened fire against fixed and moving targets of enemy forces. The less than 10 minute interval was supposed to allow the civilian population to leave dangerous areas.[31] At 23:45, OSCE monitors reported, that shells were falling on Tskhinvali every 15–20 seconds.[32] The equipment used in the artillery and rocket barrage included 27 rocket launchers, such as BM-21 Grad units; 152-millimetre guns, as well as cluster munitions.[33]

Georgian advance

Russian peacekeepers base in Tskhinvali

Early on the morning of 8 August, Georgia launched a ground attack (according to some sources codenamed Operation Clear Field[34]) against Tskhinvali, as well as operations on the left and right flanks of the city. The left flank operation was undertaken by the 4th Infantry Brigade coming from Vaziani, while the 3rd Infantry Brigade from Kutaisi took to the right flank. The aim of the flank operations was to occupy important heights around Tskhinvali and then, moving further northwards, to take control of the strategically important Didi Gupta bridge and the roads, including the Ossetian-controlled Dzara by-pass road, leading from the Roki tunnel to Tskhinvali. This was done in order to block Russian reinforcements from travelling through the tunnel to Tskhinvali.[31] The 2nd and 3rd Brigades seized several strategic South Ossetian villages located on higher ground around the city.[35][36][37][38]

The Georgian ground offensive began with an attack east of Tskhinvali by two battalions of the 4th Brigade, taking the village of Muguti without a fight and then seizing the village of Khetagurovo after a battle with an inferior South Ossetian force. Another battalion took the Znaur District to the west of the city without encountering resistance, while the Leninogorsk District was occupied without a fight by squads of Georgian Interior Ministry commandos.[30]

At 2:00 AM, the Russian Army intervened, when reinforced battalions from the 693rd and 135th Motorized Rifle Regiments began arriving in South Ossetia through the Roki Tunnel. They began securing positions on the road from the Roki Tunnel to Tskhinvali, so as to ensure the safe entry of additional Russian forces into the region.[30]

After the heights surrounding Tskhinvali were occupied, special forces of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), equipped with Otokar Cobra armoured vehicles, moved into the city. Their assault was supported by artillery, tanks and Su-25 ground attack planes.[31][39] Georgia says that the entry to Tskhinvali took place at 06:00 am;[39] according to South Ossetian sources, a tank attack by Georgian forces on the southern suburbs of Tshkinvali had already been repelled by South Ossetian forces at 03:46 am.[40] At 4:00 AM, Georgian forces approaching Tskhinvali began engaging South Ossetian forces and militia, with Georgian tanks shelling South Ossetian positions from a safe distance. Georgian troops also attempted to take the village of Kvaysa, west of Tskhinvali, but were repelled by a platoon of South Ossetian troops manning fortified positions, losing several wounded. At 6:00 AM, the Georgian 3rd Brigade launched an offensive into the Eredvi region, east of Tskhinvali, seizing villages and strategic vantage points. They soon encountered resistance from a company-sized South Ossetian force, firing from the Prisi Heights.[30]

According to Ossetian sources, Georgian Su-25 planes bombed the village of Kvernet. Ossetian forces claimed to have downed one Georgian Su-25 early on 8 August. The Russian peacekeepers' southern compound, manned by about 250 soldiers, lay in immediate vicinity of the entrance to the city. After Georgian troops approached the compound, an exchange of fire with Russian peacekeepers broke out. The Georgian Otokar Cobra vehicles opened fire at the base with heavy machine guns, and the Russians positioned three BMP-1 armored vehicles at the perimeter of the base. The Georgians then called in tank support, and three T-72s from the Independent Combined Tank Battalion soon arrived. At 6:30, the tanks opened fire. The first shell destroyed an observation post on the roof of the compound, killing a Russian peacekeeper and a South Ossetian observer. The tanks also shelled the three Russian BMP-1 vehicles stationed in front of the base, killing five of their crews. During the engagement, one of the Georgian tanks, which became trapped in an irrigation ditch near the compound, was damaged by an RPG-7 rocket, and abandoned by its crew. The other two tanks pulled back and continued shelling the compound from a distance, and were soon joined by artillery and mortars. According to Russian sources, Georgian troops had captured the Southern Base of the Russian peacekeepers by 11:00 a.m. and were attempting to take the northern peacekeeper base.[41] Georgian forces then sent in armored units to smash resistance offered by Russian peacekeepers and Ossetian militia. [30][42][43] The servicemen stationed at the northern base repelled five Georgian attacks and were continuing to engage overwhelming enemy forces. At this point, the peacekeepers allegedly suffered their first casualties: two servicemen killed and five wounded.[11] Georgia maintains that it only targeted Russian peacekeepers in self-defence, after coming under fire from their bases.[44] An estimated 10,000–11,000 soldiers took part in the general Georgian offensive in South Ossetia.[45]

At 12:15 am on 8 August, the commander of the Russian JPKF peacekeepers, Marat Kulakhmetov, reported to the OSCE monitors that his unit had come under fire and that they had casualties.[46] According to Russian military commander, total of 10 Russian peacekeepers were killed during the war. The peacekeepers' cafeteria was completely destroyed and all of their buildings went up in flames.[46][47][47][48]

By 8 am. on 8 August, Georgian infantry and tanks had entered Tskhinvali and engaged in a fierce battle with Ossetian militia and the Russian peacekeeping battalion stationed in the city.[23][49] Georgian forces entered particular parts of the city, located Ossetian positions, and then pulled back and called in artillery and airstrikes on identified enemy positions. Georgian snipers fired on Ossetian militia in support, and according to Ossetian sources, indiscriminately shot civilians, including people outside the city hospital.[50]

Georgian shelling left parts of the capital city in ruins. The shelling of the city was extensively covered by Russian media prior to the military counteroffensive that followed. Russia claimed to have responded to an attack on the peacekeepers base and in defense of South Ossetian civilians against what they called "a genocide by Georgian forces".[51] South Ossetian and Russian authorities claimed that the civilian casualties in Tskhinvali may amount up to 2,000.[52] These high casualty figures were later revised down to 162 casualties.[53] According to Ossetian sources, Georgian troops burned down the South Ossetian Presidential Palace, Ministry of Culture, and Parliament.[54] A number of apartment blocks were set ablaze, and the streets were pocketed with numerous bomb craters.[55] A Guardian reporter claimed that while some neighborhoods were intact, "there were patches of terrible destruction".[56]

Georgian advance is stopped

Russian artillery took positions in the north of the city and opened fire on Georgian forces, and the Russian Air Force began flying sorties against Georgian targets early on 8 August, utilizing Su-24, Su-25, Su-27, and Tu-22M aircraft, hitting Georgian armored columns and artillery positions. Georgian forces abandoned two T-72 tanks, along with some armored vehicles and pieces of equipment after a Russian Su-25 airstrike killed 20 soldiers and wounded more.[43] According to Georgian officials, 1,500 Georgian ground troops had reached the centre of Tskhinvali by 10 a.m. on 8 August, but were pushed back three hours later by Russian artillery and air attacks.[1][49] By the afternoon, the Georgians had captured most of Tskhinvali, but were unable to take the northern quarters, where they were meeting heavy resistance from Ossetian militia and Russian troops, including regular Russian forces arriving from the Roki Tunnel. The Georgian 2nd and 3rd Brigades also ran into resistance, and were unable to take the Didi Gupta Bridge and the main routes leading to the Roki Tunnel. A Georgian air attack against the Didi Gupta bridge also failed to destroy it.

Ossetian militia and armed civilian volunteers engaged the Georgians in heavy street fighting, mainly utilizing ambushes. South Ossetian reinforcements passed from Dzhava on the Zara highway and entered Tskhinvali, carrying with them anti-tank weapons which proved successful in fighting Georgian armor.[50] Three Georgian T-72 tanks were destroyed in the city centre of Tskhinvali by Ossetian forces utilizing RPG-7 anti-tank rockets. Two other Georgian tanks were abandoned on the Zars road, and were subsequently detonated by Russian troops.[43] Ossetian military and civilian casualties mounted, and the operating room at Tskhinvali hospital was relocated to the basement. According to the hospital's head surgeon, about 700 operations were performed by candlelight. As blood supplies were low, many doctors donated their own blood before performing surgery. Priority was given to treating lightly injured Ossetian militiamen, so that they could rejoin the street fighting, only a few blocks away. The hospital itself was repeatedly hit by shelling, and 25 of the staff were killed or wounded.[57] According to Georgia, Russian military aircraft violated Georgian airspace around 10 a.m. on 8 August.[58] By the afternoon of 8 August, Georgian forces had captured large parts of Tskhinvali, but had been unable to take the Northern quarter and the city centre. However, the Georgians were meeting heavy resistance from Ossetian militia and Russian reinforcements coming in from the Roki Tunnel. Georgian flank operations were unsuccessful in their goal of blocking the Gupta Bridge and the main routes leading to Tskhinvali from the Roki Tunnel and Java base.[59] The Georgians became bogged down and their advance was stopped. Ossetian militia using handheld anti-tank weaponry proved effective against Georgian armor, knocking out a number of Georgian tanks, which eventually stopped disorganized and un-coordinated attacks. Isolated from the main Georgian forces, the Georgian Army's battalion-strong Kchevi Tank Group attacked from a Georgian village enclave and attempted to hit Russian forces moving along the detour Zara highway in the flank, but was stopped by Russian artillery fire and airstrikes.[50]

During the evening of 8 August, vicious fighting took place in the area of Tskhinvali and in other parts of South Ossetia.[60] The fighting in South Ossetian towns and villages was done by the local militia and volunteers, while Russian troops concentrated on engaging larger Georgian army groups. Three Tactical Battalion Groups of the 19th Motorized Rifle Division deployed in battle formation pushed Georgian forces from the roads and heights near Dzari, Kverneti, and Tbeti districts, and as far west as the western edge of Tskhinvali.[23] Russia also undertook action to suppress Georgian artillery fire. Russian special units reportedly prevented Georgian saboteurs from blowing up the Roki Tunnel, which could have hindered the sending of reinforcements to South Ossetia.[61] Russian media reported that exchanges of fire between Russian and Georgian troops continued throughout the night.[62]

Russian counterattack

Arrival of Russian reinforcements

Burned Georgian T-72 tank

According to Western intelligence agencies, the involvement of Russian regular forces began at 07:30 on 8 August, when Russia launched an SS-21 short-range ballistic missile against military and government bunker positions in the city Borzhomi, southwest of Gori.[33] The first Russian air attack was recorded two hours later, at around 09:30, on the village of Shavshvebi in the Gori District.[63]

The Security Council of South Ossetia appealed to Russia at around 11:00 on 8 August, requesting military help.[64] Soon after this, the Russian government made a decision to conduct an operation to prevent Georgia from seizing the territory of South Ossetia.[23] Starting around 2 p.m., international press agencies began running reports of Russian tanks in the Roki Tunnel.[65]

At 2:00 AM, the Russian Army intervened, when reinforced battalions from the 693rd and 135th Motorized Rifle Regiments began arriving in South Ossetia through the Roki Tunnel. They began securing positions on the road from the Roki Tunnel to Tskhinvali, so as to ensure the safe entry of additional Russian forces into the region.[30]

According to a senior Russian official, the first Russian combat unit, the First Battalion of the 135th Motorized Rifle Regiment, was ordered at around dawn of 8 August to move through the Roki Tunnel and reinforce the Russian peacekeeping forces in Tskhinvali. According to him, the unit passed through the tunnel at 2:30 p.m. It reached Tskhinvali in the evening, meeting heavy resistance from Georgian troops. Georgia disputed the account, saying that it was in heavy combat with Russian forces near the tunnel long before dawn of 8 August.[66] Some Western intelligence experts believe that Russian troops did not begin marching through the tunnel until roughly 11 a.m. on 8 August.[25]

According to the Georgian account the first Russian units crossed the tunnel at 5:40 on 8 August, passed through Java and proceeded to advance on Tskhinvali, using the Dzari bypass road. The first motorcade of Russian tanks, armored vehicles and ammunition trucks reached Tskhinvali at 18:44 and opened fire on the Georgian forces in the city and surrounding heights. The second motorcade, which also came from Russia via the Roki tunnel, was stopped near the Georgian-controlled area of Dmenisi, 7 kilometers north of Tskhinvali, and the Russians commenced heavy fire on Georgian forces.[67]

Air operations in South Ossetia

Russian aircraft—including Su-24, Su-25, Su-27 and Tu-22M models—started flying missions over South Ossetia in the early hours of 8 August. Targets inside Georgia proper were also bombed.[59] Some sources have claimed that Russia managed to establish air superiority.[68] However, according to CAST, Russia never gained air superiority in the South Ossetian theatre, as the Russian Air Force took early losses (3 Su-25s) to Georgian anti-aircraft fire, and was forced to stop making sorties for the rest of the battle. Citing eyewitness reports, CAST writes that "... there were no Russian aircraft over Tskhinvali on 8 August or the following day, that is, during the most critical period of the conflict. In effect, the Russian military command was forced to bring motor-rifle units into battle from the march, without first gaining superiority in numbers and firepower."[30] Russian aviation only reappeared on 10 August.[24] The Georgian troops had at least one battalion of relatively modern Buk-M1 self-propelled SAM systems, at least two battalions (a total of eight units) of Osa-AK self-propelled SAM systems and 6 to 10 of the upgraded Osa-AKM version. The Georgian army managed to deploy surprisingly strong, air defenses right in the conflict zone.[30]

During the early stages of the battle, three Russian Sukhoi Su-25 planes were shot down by Georgian anti-aircraft fire. A Russian Tupolev Tu-22M was also shot down by Georgian air defenses. Three of its crew members were killed, and another was taken prisoner.[69][70] According to some reports, two other Russian jets were shot down by friendly fire.[71]

The Russian Air Force made a total of 200 sorties during the war, including missions in Georgia proper. Due to the lack of widespread night-vision equipment, it mostly operated during daytime, while the Georgian Air Force was able to operate at night as well. Problems in suppressing enemy air defences (partly due to lack of training in this role), meant that the Russian air force was unable to provide direct support to its own troops. Even by 11 August, Russia had not completely achieved air dominance, and the Georgian aircraft were still attacking Russian troops and Tskhinvali, according to International Institute for Strategic Studies.[24] Moscow Defense Brief strongly criticised the performance of the Russian Air Force, saying that there was a total absence of co-operation between the army and air force, and that of the total 6 Russian planes lost during the war, half were downed by friendly fire.[72]

Fighting between Georgian and Russian forces

Parliament of South Ossetia, after the fighting

Later on 8 August, according Moscow Defense Brief, three tactical battalion groups from the 135th, 503rd and 693rd Motorized Rifle Regiments of the 19th Motorized Rifle Division (based in Vladikavkaz) of the 58th Army of the North Caucasus Military District were deployed in battle formation to Java and Gufta and by the end of the day had cleared the roads and heights around Dzari, Kverneti and Tbeti districts and as far as the western edge of Tskhinvali.[23] In total, the Russians moved between 5,500 and 10,000 troops to South Ossetia through the Roki Tunnel, according to Der Spiegel.[26] Because of the gradual increase in troops, the combined amassed Russian and South Ossetian forces in South Ossetia outnumbered the Georgians for the first time on 9–10 August.[35]

During the evening of 8 August, vicious fighting was going on in the area of Tskhinvali and in South Ossetia.[73] Russia undertook action to suppress the Georgian artillery and the Russian Air Force launched strikes on Georgia's logistical infrastructure.[74] Russian special units reportedly prevented Georgian saboteurs from blowing up the Roki Tunnel, which could have hindered the sending of reinforcements to South Ossetia.[74] Official military casualties, as reported on 8 August, were claimed to be 30 Georgians including 20 which were killed by airstrikes and 21 Russian soldiers so far.[75]

Experiencing growing resistance, the Georgian forces withdrew from the centre of Tshkinvali but still held their positions in the southern parts of the town.[59] They were regrouped and reinforced by the 2nd Infantry Brigade from Senaki. The 4th Brigade reinforced the Ministry of Interior special forces in Tshkinvali, while positions and objectives of the 4th Brigade on the left flank were transferred to the 2nd Brigade.[59]

The passage of Russian forces through the narrow Roki Tunnel and along the mountain roads was slow and the Russians had difficulties in concentrating their troops, forcing them to bring their forces into battle battalion by battalion.[23] In the afternoon of 9 August, a fierce battle took place as the regrouped Georgian troops tried to regain their control of position in Tskhinvali.[23][59] The Georgians were able to launch several attacks, including some with tanks. The assault was met with resistance and the Georgians suffered losses, forcing them to withdraw.[59]

The ambush

At 3 a.m. on 9 August, a convoy led by Russia's 58th Army commander Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov moved into Tskhinvali from the Roki Tunnel and got ambushed by Georgian special troops aided by a number of reservists. Only 5 of the original 30 vehicles strong mechanized battalion were initially reported to had survived the attack.[76] General Khrulyov was wounded very early by shrapnel and unable to control the situation. A Russian major named Denis Vetchinov created a defense perimeter to evacuate the wounded. Eyewitness accounts from the journalists who moved with the column state that Khrulyov was constantly trying to call for reinforcements shouting into the radio that his entire unit was about to be wiped out. While the Georgians were tightening the ring, Vetchinov managed to keep them at distance and is credited with killing a Georgian soldier while being wounded severely in both legs. When trying to change position he got hit in the head and died en route to hospital. Vetchinov was awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously.[77] Among the wounded were two Russian journalists embedded with the column.[78] The remaining Russian units managed to break out of the encirclement carrying out their general and badly wounded Vetchinov. The Georgian forces eventually ran out of ammunition and abandoned the area expecting a Russian counter-attack. At 5 a.m. on 9 August, according to a Russia Today timeline, a Russian unit broke through to the camp of the besieged peacekeepers and started evacuating the wounded.[79][80]

Turning point and Georgian withdrawal

By the morning of 10 August, the Georgians had captured almost the whole of Tskhinvali, forcing the Ossetian forces and Russian peacekeeping battalion to retreat to the northern reaches of the city. A small tank battle took place, during which two Russian tanks (one T-62 and one T-72B) and a Georgian T-72Sim1 tank were destroyed. The Georgians also targeted Russian forces with artillery and airstrikes. However, as the Russian intervention advanced and Russia's forces gained superiority on the ground, signs of moral collapse appeared among the Georgian troops in the afternoon, as Russian air sorties continued. Moscow Defense Brief writes: ... on this very day the accumulation of Russian forces in the region finally bore fruit and the fighting in South Ossetia reached a turning point. Toward the evening of 10 August, Tskhinvali was completely cleared of Georgian forces, which retreated to the south of the city. Georgian forces were also repelled from the key Prisi heights. The bulk of Georgia’s artillery was defeated. Meanwhile, Ossetian forces, with the support of Russian divisions, took Achabeti, Kekhvi, Kurta and Tamarasheni on the approach to Tskhinvali from the north. Georgian forces in several of Georgian enclaves were pushed out.[23] During the withdrawal, the Georgian 4th Brigade was bombarded by Russian aircraft and the unit suffered heavy casualties.[24] The bulk of Georgian artillery was defeated. Meanwhile, Ossetian forces supported by Russian divisions captured the villages of Tamarasheni, Kekhvi, Kurta, and Achabeti on the approach to Tskhinvali from the north, and pushed Georgian forces out of several enclaves. However, Georgian units in the area around the village of Zemo-Nikosi carried out a successful ambush against Russian forces, killing a number of soldiers and destroying several tanks. The village was captured shortly afterward by Chechen paramilitaries of the Vostok Battalion. Nevertheless, Georgian units and artillery continued to shell Tskhinvali from a number of high points.[81] By the end of 11 August South Ossetia was completely cleared of Georgian forces, and Russian units moved into Georgia proper by the next morning.[23] A Russian Su-24 was shot down by Georgian air defenses, and a Georgian Su-25 was also shot down, but the pilot survived. According to Russian sources, Georgian artillery resumed shelling Tskhinvali, and a South Ossetian government representative claimed that Georgian troops opened the irrigation canal to flood basements and prevent civilians from seeking shelter. That information was never confirmed. Throughout the day, intense ground combat continued, and by the end of the day, Georgian forces had been completely pushed out of South Ossetia.[23]

According to a CAST claims, the Georgian troops maintained the tactical initiative on the outskirts of Tskhinvali throughout 9 August and even during 10 August. "What thwarted the Georgian operation in the end was not the Russian Air Force, but the resistance offered by peacekeepers and lightly armed, poorly organized South Ossetian units that stayed behind to defend the capital... Essentially, the Georgian troops failed to take Tskhinvali because they were not prepared psychologically for severe urban fighting."[30]

The Georgian Defence Minister later acknowledged, that the Georgian military tried to push into Tskhinvali three times in all. During the last attempt, they got a very heavy Russian-led counterattack with massive air support which Georgian officials described as "something like hell."[1] In total, the fighting in the Tskhinvali area lasted for three days and nights.[74]

Russian forces advanced into Georgia proper by the next morning. Having retreated from South Ossetia, the Georgian forces regrouped at Gori.[23] During its retreat out of South Ossetia into Gori, the Georgian forces were repeatedly hit by Russian air and artillery strikes which inflicted massive casualties upon mostly lightly armored vehicles and Infantry units in tight column formations. Hundreds were wounded and dozens killed. The attacks decisively dropped the fighting morale of the Georgian troops. The general withdrawal became chaotic in some areas and many Georgian soldiers used civilian vehicles to escape the bombing.

A skirmish occurred on 11 August, when a Georgian logistics column was hit hard by a Russian VDV detachment which' vehicles, a BMD-1 stood broken near a road to the town of Gori. The unit instantly opened heavy fire after having visual on the column killing a dozen Georgians. The soldiers in the Land Rover vehicles had little chance but a few still managed to escape the scene. Corpses gathered from the roads, were driven out with civilian vans and pickups. More than 70 dead were registered besides the 90 KIA in Tskhinvali and other parts of South Ossetia, what brought the total number of Georgian military casualties to 170 dead and hundreds of wounded.

Aftermath

Casualties

See also: Humanitarian impact of the 2008 South Ossetia war
A damaged apartment building in Tskhinvali

The BBC reported that Georgia may have committed war crimes during its attack on Tskhinvali, including possible deliberate targeting of civilians.[82] Human Rights Watch found some evidence of firing being directed into basements, locations which civilians frequently choose as a place of shelter.[83]

Tskhinvali Hospital's chief surgeon, interviewed by Human Rights Watch, spoke of 273 wounded, both military and civilians, and 44 dead bodies being brought to the hospital, supposedly the majority of people killed in the city. The hospital itself was damaged by a rocket and patients had to be moved into the basement during the fighting.[84] Due to hot weather and the ongoing fighting many Tskhinvali civilians were buried by relatives or neighbours in the backyards of houses. Therefore, the total number of civilian casualties is hard to identify.[citation needed]

Several journalists were reported to be among the casualties,[3] including the two, who were embedded with the ambushed Russian armoured column, in which General Khrulyov was wounded.[4]

References

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  11. ^ a b IIFFMCG Vol III, p.371
  12. ^ a b IIFFMCG Vol. III, p. 530
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