Another stage of Russian-Georgian war approaches — Ukrainian military

Ivan Tymochko, head of the Ground Forces Reserves Council of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated this on Espreso TV.

“We are very, very, very close to another stage of the Russo-Georgian war. The thing is, the Russians didn’t achieve their goals back then. Now they are trying, through complex - and not so complex - political maneuvers to install a pro-Russian government in Georgia. Putin, having suffered defeat in Ukraine, needs a small victorious war, as Georgia is currently weakened both politically and, most likely, militarily.”

“This could allow Putin to significantly strengthen his position, intimidate other countries, and show that he is capable of fighting on two fronts,” Tymochko believes.

According to the head of the Reserve Council of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, historical trends show that Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union never abandoned aggression if they failed to achieve their goals the first time. Ukraine is a vivid example of this.

"During the ATO, they failed to achieve their goal, so they took a pause and tried to expand their agent network and establish control in Ukraine. We can see the current state of Ossetia - it’s ruins after those battles. Nothing has been rebuilt or repaired there. The only thing is that some Ossetians ended up fighting in the war against Ukraine," Tymochko noted.

He added that Georgia is currently seen by Russia as a country for rapid occupation.

"Let's not forget that back then it was Ukraine that helped Georgia - both volunteers and state agencies. Remember who evacuated their refugees and provided helicopters, while the rest of the world only expressed concern and worries."

But that situation also showed something else: if a country is ready to resist, if its army is prepared to fight the Russian invasion, then Russia fails to achieve the final and decisive result it envisions strategically. Russia does not know how to fight effectively in modern conditions with modern tactics and strategies. It always tries to rely on mass and numbers,” Tymochko emphasized.

• The Georgian Foreign Affairs Ministry, on August 8, marking the 17th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war, called on Russia to reverse its illegal recognition of the occupied regions’ so-called independence and withdraw its troops.