News

Actions of Russia to recognize independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are aimed towards one target - to help the people who live there, President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev said in Sochi in his interview to the Al-Jazeera TV Channel.

The countries of the world start to express their attitude to recognition by Russia of the state sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Georgian armed formations have invaded Mosabruni village, which belongs to South Ossetia, as Boris Chochiev, Minister for Special Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia, has declared.

Despite repressions, the sit-in strike held in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, will surely go on. Karen Karapetyan, leader of the youth wing of the Armenian National Movement, made the statement.

Residents of South and North Ossetia congratulate each other on the occasion of recognition by Russia of the independence of the Republic of South Ossetia.

The NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has called Russia's to recognize Abkhazia's and South Ossetia's independence to be a direct violation of several resolutions of the UN Security Council on territorial integrity of Georgia, the resolutions approved by Russia itself. Meanwhile, in the opinion of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Russia's decision to recognize South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence is completely matching the international law.

Spokespersons of the countries of the West have made their acted with the statements condemning Russia for recognizing the South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence by means of decrees signed today by RF's President Dmitri Medvedev.

Today, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan has denied the cassation complaint lodged by Ganimat Zakhid, editor-in-chief of the "Azadlyg" (Freedom) oppositional newspaper, who was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment.

Georgian relations with Russia "are stopped for long if not forever." This was stated today by Alexander (Kakha) Lomaya, Secretary of the Council of National Security of Georgia, in his comments to the decision of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on unilateral recognition of self-proclaimed Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

President of the Russian Federation (RF) Dmitri Medvedev has signed decrees on RF's recognition of South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence. It his today's address to citizens of Russia he has called other states to follow Russia's lead.

On Monday, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of Russian Armed Forces, told journalists that tomorrow, on August 26, the Joint Staff of Russian Armed Forces will make public the intelligence data about Georgia's warfare plans in Abkhazia.

Today, at about 11 a.m. local time, 50 policemen and about 100 persons in civilian clothes, who unexpectedly appeared in the Northern Avenue of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, attacked and destroyed all the posters and stands exhibited by the participants of the sit-in strike.

A battery (6 units) of D-30 howitzers that belonged to the Armed Forces of Georgia was found in the upper section of the Kodori Gorge by Abkhazian militaries, General-Major Harry Kupalba, Deputy Defence Minister of Abkhazia, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

A total of 438 objects, 346 completely and 92 partially, were destroyed in Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, and its vicinities. It became clear from satellite filming made by the UNOSAT International Scientific Institute.

Presidents of South Ossetia and Abkhazia Eduard Kokoity and Sergey Bagapsh called today's appeal of both Chambers of Russian Parliament to Dmitri Medvedev, urging him to recognize the independence of their republics, a historical date for their nations.

In the evening on August 24, in Karaleti village, 5 km off to the north of Gori, Georgian and South-Ossetian parties exchanged their prisoners of war, as reported by the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia.

President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili has assessed the damage caused by Russia during military operations and accused Moscow of unleashing the conflict in South Ossetia. The British Financial Times gives an interview with the Georgian leader.

Russian State Duma has called the international community and President Dmitri Medvedev to recognize the sovereign status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Earlier today, an appeal to Russian President urging him to recognize independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was adopted by the Federation Council.

France and Great Britain have supported the US viewpoint about incomplete withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.

The Parliament of North Ossetia demands demilitarization of Georgia or reduction of its armed forces and asserts that Georgia should compensate the material damage from the war in South Ossetia. This is stated in the Parliament's appeal to Russian authorities.