Russo-géorgienne Crisis of 2006

The relations between Tbilissi and Moscow, already faded for several years, have strongly worsened following the arrest the September 27th on the ground géorgien of four Russian officers shown espionage. This arrest intervenes a few days after the adoption of a plan of co-operation between NATO and Georgia. The tension reaches its paroxysm one week after the events. October 5th, the Russian president contradicts the rumors making state of a possible armed conflict.

Three last years history

November 23rd 2003, the Revolution of the Pinks force to the resignation the Georgian president Edouard Chevardnadze.
January 4th 2004, Mikheil Saakachvili, pro-Westerner and nonmiserly of criticisms towards Moscow, is elected with the géorgienne presidency.
September 18th 2006, opening of the negotiations between Georgia and NATO with a view to an adhesion of Georgia with NATO.

Bonds between the two countries

Nearly a million géorgiens resident in Russia as foreign workers.
According to the official body of census of Russia of 2002,197 934 géorgiens has the Russian citizenship
According to the Russian services of migrations, the transfers of currencies of Russia towards Georgia would constitute 20% of the GDP géorgien, that is to say nearly 1 billion dollar.
Russia is one of the most important business partners of Georgia, it only accounts for with it 15% of the foreign trade géorgien.
regional Conflicts of Abkhazie & Ossétie of the South. The authorities géorgiennes show Moscow to support the separatists and to want to annex the territories.
Presence of two Russian military bases in territory géorgien in front of being evacuated in 2008.

Wire of the events

Wednesday September 27th 2006:

Tbilissi, a hundred police officers géorgiens encircles the general headquarter of the Russian armed forces for the Transcaucasie. Chota Khizanichvili, one of the persons in charge of the ministry géorgien of the Interior confirms the operation but refuses with any comment: " It is too important, I am not entitled to make statements, the minister will make an official declaration with 19:00 ".
Tbilissi, press conference of the Georgian minister for the Interior Vano Merabichvili which announces the arrest by the services of against-espionage of its ministry, four officers belonging to the Russian forces for the Transcaucasia and of ten citizens géorgiens. Vano Merabichvili declares " Inter alia, four officers of the principal Direction of the Russian information (GRU) and the people who collaborated with them were stopped. They were devoted to acts of espionage on the territory of Georgia (.) We had information according to which this group prepared a serious provocation. Another Russian agent currently hides at the local general headquarter of the Russian troops, which was buckled by the police". The challenged people are shown to have collected information on the bonds between Tbilissi and NATO, the energy resources of the country, the infrastructures harbor and railway, the opposition parties and the army. They are also suspected of being implied in the organization of the attack of Gori of February 2005 which had resulted in the death of three police officers géorgiens and fact 23 wounded. Among the four officers appear the colonel Alexandre Sava and the lieutenant colonel Dmitri Kazantsev, both decrees with Tbilissi; the two other officers were stopped with Batoumi.
Moscow, the ambassador géorgien is convened with the Russian ministry of the Foreign affairs.
Embassy of Russia with Tbilissi, the Russian ambassador, Viatcheslav Kovalenko, addresses a diplomatic note of protest to the ministry géorgien of the foreign affairs. In this note " is written; The embassy regards the step of Georgia as an exceptionally unfriendly and heavy measurement of the most negative consequences for the bilateral reports/ratios. Georgia will assume whole the responsabilité" of it;.
Tbilissi, the Georgian minister for Defense Irakli Okrouachvili announces that the surrounding of the seat of the Russian forces will be poursuivera as much as the fifth sought officer, the lieutenant-colonel Konstantin Pitchouguine, will not have been given to the authorities géorgiennes.

Thursday September 28th 2006:

Ioujno-Sakhalinsk, during a discussion with the journalists, the Russian Minister for the Foreign affairs Sergueï Lavrov announces its will to carry the business in front of the Safety advice of the United Nations. He declares: " We require the immediate liberation of our nationals and will obtain we it by all the means of which we lay out (...) Whole that can be regarded only as the last example in date of an anti-russe" policy;.
Tbilissi, the spokesperson of the ministry géorgien of the interior announces that on the whole five officers and a military driver Russian were challenged and that they will be accused the following day.
military Airport of Tchkalovskï, the Russian Minister for Defense Sergueï Ivanov shows the government géorgien to want " to carry confrontation at the point critique". He adds: " The actions of the authorities géorgiennes exceed the understanding completely (...) the counts of indictment are weak and completely invented (...) the atmosphere in Georgia recalls the year 1937". Expressly asking for the release of the five Russian officers, Mr. Ivanov ensures that the answer of Moscow will be " adapted and responsable".
Embassy of Russia with Tbilissi, Mikhaïl Svirine, spokesperson of the Russian embassy, indicates that the Russian embassy will not deliver any more any visa with the citizens géorgiens.
Tbilissi, the Georgian minister for the Interior Vano Merabichvili states to have put at the dipostion of the press the recordings audios and vidéos testifying to the activities of espionage to which would have delivered themselves the Russian officers.
Moscow, the Minister for Defense Sergueï Ivanov shows the authorities géorgiennes to have passed to tobacco six soldiers and a challenged Russian subaltern with Batoumi the night before, adding that the soldiers were slackened around three hours of the morning. The ministry géorgien of Defense confirms the arrests but demented person any beating up.
Moscow, the Russian ministry of the Foreign affairs recalls for consultation the Russian ambassador and announces the evacuation partial of the diplomatic personnel present in Georgia. A Russian diplomat confirms that part of the personnel and families of diplomats will be evacuated by plane as of the following day.
Russia seizes the Safety advice of the United Nations. The Russian ambassador with UNO Vitaly Tchourkine qualifies the arrests of " provocations" " unacceptable and dangereuses" and asks the nations " to invite the authorities géorgiennes to show retenue".

Friday September 29th 2006:

Tbilissi, the Georgian minister for the Interior announces the release of a Russian soldier introduced like the fifth officer challenged the day before. Later, Vano Merabichvili will indicate that the slackened person, Rouslan Skrylnikov, are not a Russian officer but a citizen géorgien engaged under contract as driver with the Russian military base of Batoumi. The two Russian officers and the ten géorgiens écroués in Tbilissi are respectively marked of military espionage and crime of high treason. The court of Tbilissi orders their detention pending trial for two months. The two other Russian officers and seven géorgiens held in Batoumi are accused of the same counts of indictment.
Moscow, the first vice-president of the Douma, Lioubov Sliska, evokes the possibility that is voted a resolution imposing of the economic sanctions and financial against Georgia.
Tbilissi, two cargo aircrafts Illiouchine with on their board, the Russian ambassador, of the nationals and the Russian members of the consulate take off of the ground géorgien bound for Moscow.
Tbilissi, the Georgian president Mikheil Saakachvili qualifies this evacuation d'" hystérie" and adds: " The Russian personnel and their families are confronted with no threat ici".
Portoroz, Slovenia, council NATO - Russia. Sergueï Ivanov, Minister Russian for Defense, shows certain countries of Eastern Europe members of Alliance to illegally provide to Georgia of the weapons and the ammunition dating from the Soviet era. It reproaches Georgia for wanting to drive out the Russian soldiers of its territory to implement a " solution militaire" in the regional conflicts of Abkhazie and Ossétie of the South. The general secretary of NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer lance " with the two parts a call with moderation and the désescalade" and precise: " NATO does not play a direct part in this business (...) it acts of a bilatérale" question;.
Vitaly Tchourkine, ambassador Russian with UNO, asks for the vote of a resolution condemning " serious provocations launched lately by the authorities géorgiennes". The the United States, via their ambassador John Bolton, are opposed to the Russian proposal informant to have " many difficulties with the texte". After one day of discussion and important modifications made to the text, the American ambassador proposes a new resolution refused by Russia. Vitaly Tchourkine declares at the end of the meeting: " the American proposals and amendments denatured the text (...) and returned the acceptance of a presidential declaration impossible".

Saturday September 30th 2006:

Tbilissi, the adviser of the embassy of Russia, Ivan Volynkine, announces the evacuation in the day of all the Russian diplomats present on the ground géorgien, except two.
the Russian general Alexandre Baranov, ordering military region of Ciscaucasie, suspends until new order the retirement scheme, started in May 2006 and in front of being completed in 2008, of the Russian forces present in Georgia.

October 1st, the Russian president Vladimir Poutine qualifies the arrests of " terrorism of State with catch of otages" and denounces the influence of the " sponsors étrangers" direction géorgienne, thus showing with covered words NATO and the the United States.

Monday October 2nd, Russia imposes a total Embargo on the rail links, maritime, air and postal with respect to Georgia. The same day, the Georgian president Mikheil Saakachvili releases the four officers and gives them to the President-in-Office of SOEC. October 3rd, the Russian Minister for the Foreign affairs, Sergueï Lavrov, states to exclude very raised embargo. October 6th, 150 géorgiens in irregular situation are expelled of the Russian territory. October 11th the Russian federal service of immigration announces the expulsion of 119 others géorgiens.

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