MOSCOW -- A senior Russian peacekeeping officer was among 7 soldiers killed on Friday in an explosion in South Ossetia, Russian media reported on Saturday.
MOSCOW -- A senior Russian peacekeeping officer was among 7 soldiers killed on Friday in an explosion in South Ossetia, Russian media reported on Saturday.
Source: Reuters
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RIA Novosti on Saturday quoted a representative of Russia's Ground Force as saying Colonel Ivan Petrik, the Russian peacekeepers' chief of staff, was killed in that blast. He was in his office when the explosion went off near the building.
"Petrik was severely wounded by the blast wave and died at the explosion site," RIA quoted the official as saying.
South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity on Friday blamed Georgian security services for the blast. The Georgian Interior Ministry denied the charges.
Months of skirmishes between separatists and Georgian troops erupted into war in August when Georgia sent troops and tanks to retake the pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, which threw off Georgian rule in the early 1990s.
Russian forces subsequently drove Georgian government troops out of South Ossetia. Moscow's troops then pushed further into Georgia, saying they needed to prevent further Georgian attacks.
The West has condemned Russia for a "disproportionate response" to Georgia's actions and demanded that Moscow pull back its troops from Georgian territory outside the conflict zones.
Under a plan mediated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, EU monitors have now entered a Russian-controlled buffer zone around South Ossetia to begin a peacekeeping operation.
On Friday, Russia's Defense Ministry said it viewed the explosion as "a deliberately planned terrorist act aimed at preventing the sides from carrying out the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan," but did not specify who exactly was behind the blast.
EU ceasefire monitors were continuing operations despite security concerns after the blast.
A spokesman for the mission said unarmed monitors had been patrolling as normal on Saturday, including within the Russian-controlled buffer zone adjacent to South Ossetia.
1) If you are here to bash Russia, I am pretty immune to that, I do the same. The difference is, some have more reason to do, some less. But it is a good idea to remember Cyrano and also a famous saying: "Quod Licet Jovi..." ;-)
2) You will do yourself a service to visit Russia and Serbia. It looks like you are on some kind of crusade against both. Why not face your so-called "enemies"? Maybe you fear, you would lose the "enemy-picture"?
The only your statement from what you say is correct: indeed, I speak both Hungarian and Russian at "mother-tongue level", without any accent and grammar issues. But I have a family and given name which sounds rather Irish-American, than Russian or Hungarian. But I am not Irish. Otherwise - FYI - the nick "Ataman" is a hint to what I am doing for living, not to political or ethnic preferences. Sorry to disappoint you. Besides, this topic is not about my person.
As you once admitted your mother tongue is Russian and you are basically Russian. So it it understandable that you are so sensitive to any bad news or criticism about Russia. But be prepared. Because of its behavior your dear Russia will encounter more of this type of losses and will not have a large group of friends except the type of countries like Venezuela et Nigaragua.
(Joe, 4 October 2008 19:55)
1) "What a desaster for the Russian occupation"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
There are no Russians in Iraq, sorry.
2) "Moscow is loosing more and more ground in the world"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Moscow? How come, Moscow is a small city in New Hampshire. The capital of the country is Washington, DC
3) "Even the closest friends don't recognize those puppet states"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Totally agree, Israel, the closest friend did not recognize "Republic of Kosovo" or whatever the name of that puppet is.
4) "Cannot secure even its own backyard"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Indeed, the "green zone" in Baghdad was never really secure and speaking really about it's own backyard... some (in)famous cases look like insider job, totally bogus from engineering point of view.
OOOOOPS! SORRY! I just noticed, you are speaking about Russia, not USA. In that case I still do agree with you, with one exception: there are no "occupation forces" in South Ossetia, just UN-mandated "peacekeepers", who "by a mere coincidence" happen to be Russian forces. You know, like UN-mandated KFOR at Camp Bondsteel, who by a mere coincidence are Americans.
Welcome to the "new reality" of 21st Century: you either find a big enough butt to kiss - or invest big enough in Plutonium research.
(Ataman, 4 October 2008 17:21)
What a desaster for the Russian occupation. Moscow is loosing more and more ground in the world and in the Caucasus. Even the closest friends don't recognize those puppet states, whereas support for Georgia is raising. This attack on the occupation forces just proofed that Russia cannot secure even its own backyard.
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
1) "What a desaster for the Russian occupation"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
There are no Russians in Iraq, sorry.
2) "Moscow is loosing more and more ground in the world"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Moscow? How come, Moscow is a small city in New Hampshire. The capital of the country is Washington, DC
3) "Even the closest friends don't recognize those puppet states"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Totally agree, Israel, the closest friend did not recognize "Republic of Kosovo" or whatever the name of that puppet is.
4) "Cannot secure even its own backyard"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Indeed, the "green zone" in Baghdad was never really secure and speaking really about it's own backyard... some (in)famous cases look like insider job, totally bogus from engineering point of view.
OOOOOPS! SORRY! I just noticed, you are speaking about Russia, not USA. In that case I still do agree with you, with one exception: there are no "occupation forces" in South Ossetia, just UN-mandated "peacekeepers", who "by a mere coincidence" happen to be Russian forces. You know, like UN-mandated KFOR at Camp Bondsteel, who by a mere coincidence are Americans.
Welcome to the "new reality" of 21st Century: you either find a big enough butt to kiss - or invest big enough in Plutonium research.
(Ataman, 4 October 2008 17:21)
What a desaster for the Russian occupation. Moscow is loosing more and more ground in the world and in the Caucasus. Even the closest friends don't recognize those puppet states, whereas support for Georgia is raising. This attack on the occupation forces just proofed that Russia cannot secure even its own backyard.
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
1) If you are here to bash Russia, I am pretty immune to that, I do the same. The difference is, some have more reason to do, some less. But it is a good idea to remember Cyrano and also a famous saying: "Quod Licet Jovi..." ;-)
2) You will do yourself a service to visit Russia and Serbia. It looks like you are on some kind of crusade against both. Why not face your so-called "enemies"? Maybe you fear, you would lose the "enemy-picture"?
The only your statement from what you say is correct: indeed, I speak both Hungarian and Russian at "mother-tongue level", without any accent and grammar issues. But I have a family and given name which sounds rather Irish-American, than Russian or Hungarian. But I am not Irish. Otherwise - FYI - the nick "Ataman" is a hint to what I am doing for living, not to political or ethnic preferences. Sorry to disappoint you. Besides, this topic is not about my person.
As you once admitted your mother tongue is Russian and you are basically Russian. So it it understandable that you are so sensitive to any bad news or criticism about Russia. But be prepared. Because of its behavior your dear Russia will encounter more of this type of losses and will not have a large group of friends except the type of countries like Venezuela et Nigaragua.
(Joe, 4 October 2008 19:55)
As you once admitted your mother tongue is Russian and you are basically Russian. So it it understandable that you are so sensitive to any bad news or criticism about Russia. But be prepared. Because of its behavior your dear Russia will encounter more of this type of losses and will not have a large group of friends except the type of countries like Venezuela et Nigaragua.
(Joe, 4 October 2008 19:55)
1) If you are here to bash Russia, I am pretty immune to that, I do the same. The difference is, some have more reason to do, some less. But it is a good idea to remember Cyrano and also a famous saying: "Quod Licet Jovi..." ;-)
2) You will do yourself a service to visit Russia and Serbia. It looks like you are on some kind of crusade against both. Why not face your so-called "enemies"? Maybe you fear, you would lose the "enemy-picture"?
The only your statement from what you say is correct: indeed, I speak both Hungarian and Russian at "mother-tongue level", without any accent and grammar issues. But I have a family and given name which sounds rather Irish-American, than Russian or Hungarian. But I am not Irish. Otherwise - FYI - the nick "Ataman" is a hint to what I am doing for living, not to political or ethnic preferences. Sorry to disappoint you. Besides, this topic is not about my person.
What a desaster for the Russian occupation. Moscow is loosing more and more ground in the world and in the Caucasus. Even the closest friends don't recognize those puppet states, whereas support for Georgia is raising. This attack on the occupation forces just proofed that Russia cannot secure even its own backyard.
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
1) "What a desaster for the Russian occupation"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
There are no Russians in Iraq, sorry.
2) "Moscow is loosing more and more ground in the world"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Moscow? How come, Moscow is a small city in New Hampshire. The capital of the country is Washington, DC
3) "Even the closest friends don't recognize those puppet states"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Totally agree, Israel, the closest friend did not recognize "Republic of Kosovo" or whatever the name of that puppet is.
4) "Cannot secure even its own backyard"
(Berkeley, 4 October 2008 14:48)
Indeed, the "green zone" in Baghdad was never really secure and speaking really about it's own backyard... some (in)famous cases look like insider job, totally bogus from engineering point of view.
OOOOOPS! SORRY! I just noticed, you are speaking about Russia, not USA. In that case I still do agree with you, with one exception: there are no "occupation forces" in South Ossetia, just UN-mandated "peacekeepers", who "by a mere coincidence" happen to be Russian forces. You know, like UN-mandated KFOR at Camp Bondsteel, who by a mere coincidence are Americans.
Welcome to the "new reality" of 21st Century: you either find a big enough butt to kiss - or invest big enough in Plutonium research.
(Ataman, 4 October 2008 17:21)