Russia calls the shots with Sarkozy

Russia is back. Simplifying a little, that was the line that President Medvedev conveyed as he lectured us in the Kremlin about the new situation in the Caucasus after Russia’s lightning war with Georgia.

It felt like old times for someone who lived in Moscow in the days of the old Soviet bear. As the headline of this post, I almost wrote "Back in the USSR"

We had hung around for five hours under the splendid white and blue dome of the Catherine Hall of as President Nicolas Sarkozy of France huddled with Medvedev and, more importantly, Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister. The outcome was a cease-fire that restacks the Caucasian cards in Russian favour (story here) after Georgia’s ill-advised attack on South Ossetia. Putin, who remains the boss despite leaving the presidency, disappeared after the talks, leaving Medvedev to savour in public the fruit of what amounts to a short, sharp military lesson by Russia towards one of its upstart former Republics – which happens to be a protégé of the USA. “When crazy people scent blood, you have to use surgery halt them,” Medvedev said of Mikhail Saakashvili, Georgia’s young, US-educated president.

Breaking off his holidays on the Riviera, Sarko had come with Bernard Kouchner, his Foreign Minister, to mediate as current chairman of the European Union. (We had to pile onto the French Air Force Airbus at 4.30 am yesterday).

Usually the French president loves to grab the limelight as trouble-shooter, but he was on the defensive and a little sheepish when he emerged.

The price of the ceasefire is recognition that the disputed, mainly Russian-populated, territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not necessarily going to stay part of Georgia – despite Georgia’s  sovereignty over them. Everything is up for negotiation.

Kouchner, the humanitarian Mr Fix-it, was also in a bad mood. “We’re going to get yelled at by everyone,” he said as he left the meeting. He’s off today trying to convince the rest of the EU’s foreign ministers that the peace deal, under which Russian troops stay in the disputed area in their “peace-keeping” role, was the best arrangement possible.

Sarko also had to deny under questioning that he had conceded too much for the sake of peace. That is not the opinion of Poland and the other former Soviet bloc members of the Union whom he represented in Moscow. There they are mumbling about appeasement and a Caucasian “Munich”. They are also unhappy with the mateyness that Sarko is displaying with the Kremlin. Throughout their session, Sarkozy and the young Russian president used the familiar “tu and ti” with one-another. At the start they bantered about the nuisance of having to curtail their holidays.

Russia is angry and wounded over the bloodshed that it says has cost the lives of up to 2,000 civilians in breakaway South Ossetia. Listening to the Russian media this morning, it is impossible to hear any nuance – no word of Russian bombing of Georgia and the deaths of many there. Russian “peace keeping forces” have nobly carried out their duty to protect Russians against a regime accused of ethnic cleansing, the television and radio are saying. It is the old language of Russian patriotic propaganda, used over Chechnya and, before that, Afghanistan.

I don’t want to over-do the comparisons, Russia has changed immensely. Looking out the window from the apartment complex that I knew from the old days, the Moscow skyline is near unrecognisable – except for the sinister baroque skyscrapers bequeathed by Josef Stalin, the USSR's Georgian dictator. In the sun below lies a prosperous, chaotic modern city. Gone is the grey old uniformity. The Cold War ended 20 years ago. But chatting to friends I hear the same old grumbling about Russia. The country has an elected government and a sort of democracy, but Russian life is still split into two, said one old acquaintance. There is the vlast – the power – as personified now by Putin and Medvedev – and there is the narod – the long-suffering people. There is little apparent dissent with the feeling that, over Georgia, Russia has stood up for itself in the face of an arrogant west after years of humiliating treatment.   

I'm in Moscow for a short period, filling in for my colleague who is enduring the rigours of the Caucasus. So the Paris blog is moving eastwards, at least for a few days.

Comments

[Francois D]

Thank you, dear CB, for this so fast
message after a so long day..

All is said in the first sentence: "Russia is back" and important for the future is the last one:

"There is little apparent dissent with the feeling that, over Georgia, Russia has stood up for itself in the face of an arrogant west after years of humiliating treatment. "

I am often critical with Sarko but there, he does his job. I hope he is well advised ... (I saw Lewitt back BK).

Situation is serious. It is the story (as said an excellent article in the Times) of a tiger with a mouse.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4509624.ece

It is surprising for me (but diplomats should know that since several years or months) to discover how Kosovo issue is poorly digested by Russians (..forgetting tchechnia conflict).
Membership of some neighbouring countries to NATO is also unacceptable fot them.

Consider also the irrresponsables declarations by some officials (I think to C Rice in Georgia, last June) who have excited Georgians, raising false hopes.

http://video.google.fr/videosearch?q=rice+condoleeza+georgia&hl=fr&sitesearch=&aq=f#

Georgia (and Ukraine) accession to NATO are they indispensable for their population happiness?

Occident must not say or let imagine the Georgians that they will support them until the end and take risks of a continental war. This language announce a second "Munich" (with Chamberlain and Daladier). That Russians know it.

I hope that this case will at least have the advantage for Sarko policy to more differentiate it from Bush'one (like Angela Merkel do).

[Judith]

Charles
I think your presence in Moscow as witness to visit of the French President has already been of enormous value to the blog.

I look forward to further reports from there during this crisis and await the commentary with interst.

This is a really big story for all our futures.

[John]

Why US supports Georgia??? WTF??

[john]

Do remember one thing, russia might be a little weak but honestly you cannot underestimate them. The swift war with georgia in my opinion was correct. Human casualties however are always sad.
Russia will emerge as a great superpower ones again with the help and support from china, north korea, and iran.
We need a balance of power in the world or the entire human population will be at risk. High inflation and suffering is slowly but surely taking its toll on the human population of the world.
Until balance of power can be restored no human will live free again.

[Doremi ( still not Dot)]

Obviously as the president of the EU he had to go, since Nicolas does not handle vodka very well, was he the best guy to negociate?

[Rodney G James]

Only an ostrich can now have any doubt about the true natureof this KGB dominated Russian government.It is a direct descendant of Stalin through Kruschev and onto Andropov.
The EU has compromised itself because of the massive deal Schoder did on energy with Russia, so emasculating his own country.And whose pay is he in now?

[mario meduri]

"Russia is angry and wounded over the bloodshed that it says has cost the lives of up to 2,000 people – mainly ethnic Russians. Listening to the Russian media this morning, it is impossible to hear any nuance – no word of Russian bombing of Georgia and the deaths of many there."
It's the first times it's mentioned, on this pages, the bloodshed made by Georgians in S. Ossetia.
2 days befone the Russian ministry of defense cleared the details (requirements and telephone contacts)to let the West reporters to go and watch what happened there.
But still now all the West reporters prefer to remain in Moscow
eating caviar, drinking vodka and telling nonsenses about Russia.
Only yesterday BBC sent someone in N. Ossetia (S. Ossetia probably next months?).
Great example of West press freedom!

[alan morgan]

I saw the clip on TV last night of Sarkozy with Medvedev and his body language conveyed that of a man unhappy with himself. Defensive and sheepish maybe. But also that of a man completely out of his depth. Check mated perhaps is a better description.

[dot king]

Charles: I was still half-asleep when I heard the "Carla en boucle dans l'avion présidentiel" story - maybe it was the one headed for Moscow, not Beijing?

Russia and Putin at work behind the scenes? I have a feeling they must be laughing up their sleeves at Sarko and the EU - this is all very frightening IMO.

[derw]

Ah, I swore I saw you on the TV news make a sharp exit at the end of the Sarkozy-Medvedev press conference but had convinced myself I must have been seeing things!

I hope you get the chance to continue blogging from Moscow - your observations on the Russian media are interesting, if not at all surprising, especially after talking to a Russian expat friend here in Paris.

Isn't it always the way that a terrible war like this blows up during a holiday period - I'm not sure we have heard everything from it yet, not least as even on French TV the story has been fallen down to the news agenda to AFTER the Olympic Games! (And France's conspicuous failure thus far to win any gold medals, but enough of that...)

[Konstantin]

Hi, I don't remember posting comments to The Times from this place (IP address)? It was to the Independent ... ?

[Beduin]

Firstly: the division between the power and people exists not only in Russia. Many of Georgians don't support the politics of the country's creazy president (I know it from the first hands - just back from Georgia). And according to blogs many Americans and Brits don't support their governments' flirting with Saaki.
Secondly: the population of SO are not "ethnic Russians". They are Ossetians - folk related to Persians, descendants of Scythians. It's a small people and sudden night bombing and following attack of the best troops of the Georgian army made them even smaller.

[Rick]

One hopes that events in Georgia are making French America-bashers sit up and pay attention. This is how real ‘bad guys’ (crude behaviour, crude language) carry on, folks. Would it be too much to hope for a little solidarity this time?

[wendy]

The action in Georgia was as well orchestrated [by Putin] as the siezure of Yukos assets. The prior distribution of Russian passports in S Ossetia was a masterstroke. Putin must be taking lessons from Goebels, Himmler etc - how much did those lessons cost I wonder?

[Sensi]

At the end of the day the french-drafted ceasefire was accepted by both parties, and soft-power helped once again to limit the bloodshed engineered by the well-known usual suspects.

@ DOREMI

Firstly Sarkozy don't drink (no need to come back with the G8 video and allegation).
Secondly the two parties, Georgian and Russian, agreed to the terms of this ceasefire by signing it. To see Poland and the usual partisan and extremist folks whining about it should be a surprise for no one. Be sure that Saakashvili -who destroyed his country all by himself, buried deep any NATO membership, etc- was more than happy to see it signed by the Russians.

[christopher muir]

Saakashvili has miscalculated on such an enormous scale that his future as president must be in doubt. Whatever physical support he expected from the west was absent. All this dreadful carnage for what gain? I came across Russia Today TV's English service. The sarcasm expressed by the presenters is quite disturbing. They replayed endlessly a scene showing Saakashvili running to a car after sighting an overhead Russian aircraft. Georgia has set itself back many years with its recklessness. And it certainly looks like the Cold War is starting again. A tragedy.

[Dude]

Stop .... on Stalin, Khrushev, KGB etc. All you know 'bout Russia is propaganda of scribblers in rating-depended newspapers. There 2000 civilian people died and thousands are suffering while you're practise in verbiage. Invite you not to Moscow, but South Osetia, come and see everithing by your own eyes.

[Kat]

I understand that a lot are on stake with this conflict, but the main fault here lies on Saakashvili shoulders. He started a war with Russia thinking that the West would come running. How stupid is that? He literally destroyed his country. Georgian people should ask themselves if they are in good hands with him as president.

[John Gregory Flinn]

"... but he was on the defensive and a little sheepish when he emerged."

Yes, on the clip I saw he seemed very thoughtful as well, and only smiled when he had the chance to tell off that female journalist from 'Liberation'.
His aide-de-camp Kouchner was probably thinking about 'what goes around comes around' - or 'what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander'...And wondering how to explain the fact that the Russians have copied his doctrine verbatim! (Ref., an earlier thread and the right to interfere in other nations' affairs etc.)

The parallels between the NATO interference in Serbia and this action by Russia are uncanny in their similarity.
Russia seems determined to do exactly the same with the contentious South Ossetia (and maybe Abkhazia) as NATO/EU did with Kosovo.
Excise it from its erstwhile owner!

I wonder if the EU action with Kosovo was a kind of precedent; and where might it happen next?!

I also heard talk of war crimes charges by Russia against Georgia.
Surely the EU will point out that the Georgian premier is a nice gentleman and not at all like that bounder from Belgrade!

Or maybe we will not hear much comparison of the two events....!

This political EU has to be dissolved before it causes another
World War!

[dot king]

"I'm not sure we have heard everything from it yet, not least as even on French TV the story has been fallen down to the news agenda to AFTER the Olympic Games!"
DERW
But it was on "C dans l'air" on Monday at 17.45 - 19h.

[Doremi ( still not Dot)]

Sensi

The signing a ceasefire means diddley squat. The Russians will crush the "lunatic Saakashvili "just to show who is the boss. Innocents will pay for the folie of their leader . And la girouette will regret leaving la villa du Cap Negre.

[sasi]

people, don't waist your time with politics. Russia is the same beast like the USA. USA is turning lately more like the USSR, and Russia is emerging as newer kind superpower.USA is totalitarian country which freedom is a dream and money is not real. Don't fool your self and stop taking any positions. the real truth is today's world is driven not from us but from them. Mass People are absolutely unable to do anything. Better live your life, and don't stick your nose in somebody';s game. Iraq and Kosovo, now Georgia....what's new, all the same stories.

[Jan avn Meer]

American witness Mr Joe Mestas tells on video what he saw in S.Ossetia on 1 day of conflict:
here's the link:
www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28788/video

[John Gregory Flinn]

BTW I'm taking as holiday reading John le Carré's 'OurGame, which I understand is based in this region of the Caucasus.

[John]

Charles Bremner wrote: "the disputed, mainly Russian-populated, territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia"
and later: "the bloodshed that it says has cost the lives of up to 2,000 people – mainly ethnic Russians"

Mr. Bremner, I'm extremely surprised that a guy like you who lived in Russia for several years seems so totally unaware of the ethnic reality in the Caucasus. People in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not ethnic Russians at all. In fact there live very few ethnic Russians in these two separatist territories.

Abkhazia was a territory inhabited by a majority of ethnic Georgians and a minority of ethnic Abkhaz. At the last census before the fall of the USSR, the ethnic Georgians made up 46% of the population in Abkhazia while the Abkhaz made up 18% of the population. The Abkhaz then started a civil war after Georgia's independence, with the help of the Russia, and ethnically cleansed Abkhazia of its majority ethnically Georgian population. Almost all the ethnic Georgians were thrown out of Abkhazia, in what was probably the most successful ethnic cleansing since WW2, something Milosevic could only have dreamed of in Kosovo. Today the Abkhaz are the majority in Abkhazia thanks to this massive ethnic cleansing, but the population of Abkhazia is only one-third what it was prior to that massive ethnic cleansing (from 525,000 in 1989 to about 180,000 today). The ethnic Georgian refugees have lived for the past 15 years in appalling conditions in the neighboring provinces of Georgia. Later the Russian authorities granted Russian citizenship to the ethnic Abkhaz living in Abkhazia, but that doesn't make them "ethnic Russians".

As for South Ossetia, it was always a mixed territory inhabited by ethnic Ossetians and ethnic Georgians. At the last census before the fall of the USSR, the ethnic Ossetians made up 66% of the population of South Ossetia, while the ethnic Georgians made up 29% of the population. Here there was no ethnic cleansing of the ethnic Georgian population, but as in Abkhazia the Russian authorities granted Russian citizenships to the ethnic Ossetians, but again that hasn't turned them into "ethnic Russians".

Frankly, one would expect the now correspondent of the Times in Moscow to know a bit more the situation in the Caucasus. I don't know if you have also written in your articles for the newspaper that these territories are inhabited by "ethnic Russians", but that's greatly misinforming the Times readers if you did.

PS: I am not the "John" who posted the previous messages above. I'm the John who normally posts about Paris and France. ;)

[Jan avn Meer]

American witness Mr Joe Mestas tells on video what he saw in S.Ossetia on 1 day of conflict:
here's the link:
www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28788/video

[dot king]

The Georgian ambassador was invited on to the 7-10 on Inter this morning. I felt he was treated with a certain lack of respect.
Firstly he was late, by only a few minutes, Radio France having moved house (as 'twere) and his driver didn't know (I should think the ambassador probably hadn't expected to be asked to broadcast on French radio, so hadn't kept up with the déménagement). His late arrival was mentioned several times both before and during, the presenter of the Revue de la Presse was asked if he "en voulait à" the Ambassador for the delay; the new address of the radio station was given in weighted words as if only a fool wouldn't know; and they asked at one point him if he thought his President had made a mistake in going into Ossetti.
I mean, he's the ambassador, he has only one way to answer that question in his official capacity and on a foreign radio programme, and he was then made to sound cowardly, vaguely ridiculous.
I didn't stick around for the end of the interview, with the phone-in. Was there a mise à mort, I wonder?
Disappointing and unprofessional journalism this morning.

[Daniel]

Why do people belive in CNN, or BBC, all such kind of agencies? why do they forget about the start of the war? where did it start? most importantly WHO DID first? Georgia started to move armed forces, secondly, who started information bombing campaign, who blocked the Russian TV in Georgia as well, if Georgian government thinks they are right, why they did blocked the TV? do they have a fear? werent they confident about their activities and words? USA? what the hell is doing there? why not for instance, italy or UK claimed Russia to be agressor, but US in the first list? everything goes to White House, not the Russia, they defended...Georgia started to attack...they could do their job with diplomacy, but they didnot choose to do it so... You see, how government elected after the revolution creates chaos in the country, starts to exploit childish actions...

The article is a BLACK PR action against Russia. From the very beginnig till the very ending it lies and misinterprets facts.

"Simplifying a little, that was the line that President Medvedev conveyed as he lectured us in the Kremlin about the new situation in the Caucasus after Russia’s lightning war with Georgia."
Everyone may think what it is much honestly to quote Medvedev instead of telling your opinion.

"mainly Russian-populated, territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia"
This is lie that makes laughing. Osetians and Abkhazians are the population of these regions.

"I don’t want to over-do the comparisons, Russia has changed immensely."
You didn't do any comparision. You lie.

"Looking out the window from the apartment complex that I knew from the old days, the Moscow skyline is near unrecognisable – except for the sinister baroque skyscrapers bequeathed by Josef Stalin, the USSR's Georgian dictator."
Do not connect Stalin and the skyscrapers you seen. Why are they sinister? I think everything you see and heard there was sinister for you.

"But chatting to friends I hear the same old grumbling about Russia."
Not a fact, not a your opinion.

"The country has an elected government and a sort of democracy, but Russian life is still split into two, said one old acquaintance. There is the vlast – the power – as personified now by Putin and Medvedev – and there is the narod – the long-suffering people."
This is a foolish lie.

[Daisy]

It's funny that only the Times seems to think Sarko's ceasefire is holding. Someone should tell that to Putin.

If you're the leader of a powerless state, why would you pick a turf war with the local superpower? What was Saakashvili thinking? I know it's popular to dump on Putin and I'm not a fan of the guy, but let's be honest here, western arrogance had a part to play in this mess. The US has been pushing NATO expansion and the defence shield issues probably thinking the Russians would just roll over and play dead. When Bush looked into Putin's soul, I wonder if he realised that it was just a black space. Putin doesn't do surrender. He is a tough little b*st*rd and this 'war' is not over by a long shot. The Russians want Abkhazia and N. Ossetia and they'll get them.

Putin signed the 'ceasefire' after he pulverised Georgia. He doesn't want to be dealing with with a french politican. Sarko can run around the global stage all he wants giving the impression of having clout, but France is not a major power. Complain all you want but that is just fact. This is a proxy war between Russia and the US and Putin wants the Americans to come grovelling. Sarko should have stayed on his holidays.

[Vano]

Saakashivili and most of EU and USE press-agency receive liar from Geogia side.

Realt truth: 8th aug about 2000 ppl killed in Osetian by georgian forces and only after that russian start to prevent henocide.

[Bruce]

The US and UK have been benifited for many years missleading people by telling them bad about Russia, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and China. Infact, they are not animals or alians but people. They have been angered and pushed to corner using various strategies. The world has suffered much more from the US and UK leadership than any others. See yourself what happened recently with Kosovo, Cyprus, Iraq, Panama, the Phillipinies and the Middle Eest. What they have done with humans at the Guantanamo Bay. They are constantly hunting for weaker nations to grab their resources and using negative campain against Russia so that nobody can stand against their crime.
New Russia is being changed but the US and UK are continuing criticizing Russia purposefully as to keep the focus out of the US and UK and extending US neo-colonialism. US is about to install new war equipments aginst the will of people in Poland and Checkoslavia. Surely this is an eval purpose. I always admired US in the past as I was brainwashed but now I think I was naïve.
The world will be a peaceful place when the media and journalist are not longer bias and could see the positive big picture in their role.

[Bruce]

The US and UK have been benifited for many years missleading people by telling them bad about Russia, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and China. Infact, they are not animals or alians but people. They have been angered and pushed to corner using various strategies. The world has suffered much more from the US and UK leadership than any others. See yourself what happened recently with Kosovo, Cyprus, Iraq, Panama, the Phillipinies and the Middle Eest. What they have done with humans at the Guantanamo Bay. They are constantly hunting for weaker nations to grab their resources and using negative campain against Russia so that nobody can stand against their crime.
New Russia is being changed but the US and UK are continuing criticizing Russia purposefully as to keep the focus out of the US and UK and extending US neo-colonialism. US is about to install new war equipments aginst the will of people in Poland and Checkoslavia. Surely this is an eval purpose. I always admired US in the past as I was brainwashed but now I think I was naïve.
The world will be a peaceful place when the media and journalist are not longer bias and could see the positive big picture in their role.

[Rick]

DANIEL people believe in the BBC and CNN because both have earned enviable reputations over many years. No brownie points for stating a truism, which remains true for all that.

[Oleg]

Georgia uses black PR. British people and the rest of the world do not see and/or know the truth about this war.

[Rick]

The judiciously expressed comments by a nameless blogger are expressive indeed: ‘The article is a BLACK PR action against Russia. From the very beginnig till the very ending it lies and misinterprets facts’. There’s a kind of Medvedevian restraint to the contribution that makes it quite moving and most revealing.

[Rick]

The judiciously expressed comments by a nameless blogger are expressive indeed: ‘The article is a BLACK PR action against Russia. From the very beginnig till the very ending it lies and misinterprets facts’. There’s a kind of Medvedevian restraint to the contribution that makes it quite moving and most revealing.

[Maiu]

I am an Estonian and our personal life experience says NEVER belive Russian news! THEY CREATE conflict and later make others quilty.

[azloon]

[Russia will emerge as a great superpower ones again with the help and support from china, north korea, and iran..........Until balance of power can be restored no human will live free again.] John

china...korea....iran...live free??

oh, pleeez !!

btw, sarko's jocularity with powerful politicians is a bit unnerving. that's not someone who is dealing from a position of power, rather someone who wants in on the action at any cost. sarko sometimes appears as a school kid who's been assigned the job of classroom monitor and is playing it for all it's worth.

you gotta hand it to him, tho. he's got some sack. and he's not going to less us forget he's around.

[vaja]

i1m from Georgia, and i live in Georgia. and hepl us, here is very bad situation... help

[oldasiahand]

Good to see a nice slap in the face for the pompous, jumped-up EU president.

[Mikhail]

What a self inflated article. You speak asthough the russian populace are naive and stupid about the events in Georgia. How wrong you are. Georgia attacked,Russia countered. South Ossetia will never be returned to the Georgian ethnic cleansers, never. As a Ossetian I shall lay down my life to independant of Georgia.

[I understand your emotion, Mikhai. It was a blog post == not a neutral news article. I didn't say that about the Russian people. I pointed out that there is almost no alternative version from the media. CB]

[rocket]

Chill out a bit posted by and tell us what makes you such an expert on Russia.

[Daisy]

Now Bush wants to send US troops in on an "aid" mission into Georgia. Yeah, that's going to make Russia retreat! Don't these idiots learn anything?

[Fed Up]

Daisy: of course they dont, they want a crisis so the nutter McShame can become the new neocon President.

[Daisy]

Fed Up: The alternative of Saviour Obama isn't much more appealing either.

[azloon]

Daisy/Fed Up

Russia is a slightly toned-down version of the soviet union, with the mafia thrown in for good measure.

georgia is a more democratically-inclined government with pro-american leanings.

russia's nouveau oil riches don't make it any more effective in projecting power in georgia than it was in chechnya.

the u.s. will defend its interests and its allies. it's not that complicated.

europe/sarko talks, the u.s acts.

la plus ca change....

whether it likes it or not, the world needs the u.s., as hard as that is for some to swallow. this is a case in point.

[Michel Jutharat]

Sarkozy has done its best to stop bloodshed. Keep cool. EU won't go at war because crazy georgian president sent rockets at night on sleeping citizens in South Ossetia, awaking the bear. Saakashvili is an idiot, and a criminal, added to a coward (see his picture when he heard russian helicopter) EU should build a strong European Army by itself, if EU want to feel safer and independent from the other "superpowers".

[Laura]

I am a russian and absolutly agree with the estonian: our personal life experience says NEVER belive Russian news! THEY CREATE conflict and later make others quilty.

[dada]

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=i2jrUv2wi7g