13 years after Russia invaded Georgia, we still struggle to see the significance clearly.

Part 1 of a new series of interviews with some of the Georgians that ensured the Kremlin didn’t get everything it wanted from the war

via @RenewGreatPower /1

greatpower.us/p/the-august-w…
Usually absent from accounts of the August War is how heartbreaking it was.

Also absent is often how prepared, deliberate, cruel, & devastating the Russian military campaign against Georgia really was. Fires, propaganda, violence.

So here are Georgians to tell the story /2
“Russia had a well-developed strategic intention at the time [of the war]. The strategy was not only with Georgia, but with Russia’s vision of its place in ‘the neighborhood of Russia,’ & in the projection of its power elsewhere,” says @tkesho3. “Georgia was a testing ground.” /3
“We failed to convince our partners that there was a strategic threat coming from Putin’s actions to Georgia’s sovereignty, and that Putin’s goal was challenging Euro-Atlantic security. That he was actually capable of taking this kind of risk,” says @BokeriaGiga /4
“I remember going to Tskhinvali on 8/4,” says @TemuriYakobashv. “It was like a western movie, you see the deserted town… Everybody is evacuated. But there are a bunch of Russian journalists who arrived in to report about the war several days before the war started.” /5
“In one village that was getting bombed, we sent a bus to evacuate people. I was on the phone with a resident to get updates. Throughout the call, I could hear how they were losing people on the way… some made it out of the village, but others did not,” remembers @Helenkhosh /6
“The most unforgettable thing was the phone calls,” says Shota Utiashvili. “The people whose towns were occupied wanted to report what was happening. Seeing their neighbors killed, their houses robbed and burned, and they thought the same thing would happen to them.” /7
Read more of their important stories, more about the allies who arrived to help block the Russian bombing, and stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow, on misperceptions of the war

Via @RenewGreatPower /8

greatpower.us/p/the-august-w…
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More from @MollyMcKew

9 Aug
13 years after Russia invaded Georgia, do we understand *why* it happened?

Part 2 of a series of interviews with Georgians on the frontlines of the war looks at misperceptions & untruths about the war vs choices on the ground

Via @RenewGreatPower /1

greatpower.us/p/the-august-w…
In 2011, Medvedev admitted the invasion of Georgia had been to keep Georgia and Ukraine out of NATO. This is *why* the war happened.

But everyday is a new day for Russia to try to blame the *how* of the war on the Georgians. /2
Russia ‘provoked’ Georgia into a ‘trap.’ ‘Things got out of hand.’

“That’s such a big lie,” says @TemuriYakobashv. /3
Read 11 tweets
11 Jul
Don’t RT the garbage you don’t want amplified! It’s not your first day here!
Read 5 tweets
5 Jul
In May 2014, in the first year of Georgian Dream’s government, an angry mob of thousands tried to rip several dozen anti-homophobia protesters to shreds in Tbilisi. No one was convicted for any of the violence.

Seven years on, the environment of impunity continues, worsens. /1
Still gathering details on today’s far-right attacks on TbilisiPride organizers, but this time, the ruling part isn’t even pretending to make the right noises against violence.

Dozens of journalists are reported injured for trying to cover today’s attacks. /2
Dugin was promoting the counter-Pride actions in Georgia, and in general the Kremlin has a huge lever to use in Georgia, exploiting anti-gay hate
Read 5 tweets
29 Jun
Earlier, online Russian chatter was that USS Ross would attempt to repeat passage of HMS Defender thru Ukraine territorial waters that Russia claims. Last wk, someone also falsified positioning data to show Defender at Sevastopol

Repeat spoof of Ross points to Russia as perp /1
Ross can be seen on webcams in Odesa, as Defender was during spoof

looks like another effort to set narrative— lone British political statement or will other allies repeat, Americans “running away” etc.

Catch up on narrative warfare games, more soon /2

greatpower.us/p/hms-defender…
Read 10 tweets
25 Jun
Happy Friday! A whiskey sour-ish summer slushee which we have named the “innocent passage” 🇬🇧 🇺🇦
Make your own sour mix, this is 3 tangerines, 4 juicy 🍋, 4 sad limes, plus about 1/3-1/2 the juice volume in raw sugar. Heat gently, add aromatics — I added 2 fresh lavender sprigs, handful fresh golden oregano (like lemony mint), pinch coriander pods, small wodge peeled ginger
Do what you like.

Boil a bit to dissolve/thicken. Cool. Strain out chunky bits. Store in fridge.

Fill blender halfway with ice, squeeze a lime over ice, add 2/3 cup @jameson_us, same volume sour mix, 5 maraschino cherries, blend. Add ice as needed for right consistency.
Read 5 tweets
23 Jun
The voyage of @HMSDefender past Crimea made Russia rattle the spears. “Warning shots fired” they claimed.

This was not a display of Russian military might.

It was a demonstration of the primacy of narrative warfare for Russia. /1

On @RenewGreatPower

greatpower.us/p/hms-defender…
The voyage of Defender was a pre-planned display of support for Ukraine — and a chance remind that Russia’s annexation of Crimea was illegal

Russia wanted to alter the ship’s course. It did not.

So instead, they sold a story about an act of aggression /2
RUSSIA FIRES WARNING SHOTS AT NATO VESSEL IN BLACK SEA the Russian MoD claims. This is immediately the headline everywhere.

But it didn’t. It made noise near and around Defender, tho, to make the story seem plausible.

Defender sailed on through. /3
Read 14 tweets

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