In the Kremlin

Why Medvedev Tskhinvili

July 14, 2009 Julia Latynina

A week after the meeting with President Obama, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev lightning speed and briefly landed in Tskhinvali. “We,” said Medvedev, for some reason speaking about himself in the plural, like Louis XIV, “for the first time in the new state, which was created almost a year ago. This happened after completely boorish aggression, which was unleashed by the Georgian regime. ”

President Saakashvili, who at that moment signed an agreement for Europe on the Nabukko gas pipeline in Ankara, did not remain in debt. “When the leader of little Georgia, together with the leaders of other states, in full view of the whole world, resolves global issues, the president of huge Russia secretly sneaks and is allegedly found for negotiations with a unwashed, corrupt murderer-criminal,” said Mikhail Saakashvili. “I don’t know, it was a response to the Subucco summit or Obama’s visit to Russia.”

I think that President Saakashvili is not quite right. Medvedev’s visit to South Ossetia is, first of all, a consequence of Russian domestic political squabbles. It’s not that a cat ran between Putin and Medvedev, but it was noticed that at any opportunity, the prime minister shows President Medvedev in his place. And if President Medvedev stood at a press conference next to Obama, and Putin was not there at that moment, then there was no doubt that Medvedev would remind, who he was, and would look his face on the floor.

It is no secret that even in the power of the Russian elite the attitude to the South Ossetian regime is ambiguous. Nobody really wants to be associated with the territory where Georgian citizens and Russian money are stealing. Even Prime Minister Putin said that it was not worth giving South Ossetia money until it became clear where they are spent. This was heard from the republic at all amazing: “Want a new war? You will receive it. ”

This does not mean that the Kremlin will ever refuse to support the President of Kokoita-the Kremlin cannot be found the best splinter in the buttocks of Saakashvili. From this it only follows that a visit to South Ossetia is, first of all, a public political humiliation for Dmitry Medvedev.

For the past two months, the question will be or not a new Russian-Georgian war, hung in the air.

There were a lot of signs of this: additional troops were introduced to South Ossetia and Abkhazia; In the Elbrus, on the border with Georgia, the mode of climbing camps were introduced, who were not touched even during two Chechen wars. The maneuvers of the Caucasus 2009 began, exactly the same as last year, after which the war began, and the same General Makarov commanded them as the August war. General Makarov said that “Georgia rattles with weapons” and is about to attack, but it was Russia who insisted on the removal of international observers from the UN and OSCE from Georgia. Why is Russia to remove observers who record that Georgia attacked?

This is not just blackmail and a demonstration of power. This is already mobilization, and mobilization is almost a war. At the same time, it was obvious that the Kremlin would not start the war until he was sure of his impunity.

Apparently, this question was the main thing at the meeting of President Obama and Prime Minister Putin. At breakfast, which Prime Minister Putin had with President Obama, breakfast with black caviar and a very symbolic Russian boot was the time to look into the eyes of an American and determine whether A) in this August, to hang Saakashvili for eggs b) prove that Saakashvili hung himself for the eggs himself.

However, on the eve of the meeting with Putin, Obama discussed this issue with President Medvedev. At a joint press conference of President Obama, said: “We Had a Frank Discussion on Russia-on Georgia ... We Do not No one Has an Intersterest in Renewed Military Conflict” (“We openly discussed the issue of Russia and Georgia. We agreed that no one was interested In the resumption of military conflict "). In the official Russian translation, meanwhile, it was: “We discussed the issue of Georgia. None of us are interested in military conflict. ”

As it is easy to notice, President Obama was edited. From the translation, the key word “renewal” and no less key “we agreed” disappeared. That is, we discussed. With President Medvedev.

President Obama discussed the issue of Georgia with President Medvedev and stated at a press conference that there would be no war.

I'm afraid that after this statement it is no longer a hand to fight. The Russian boot peacefully remained on the table - to inflate the samovar. And instead of tanks, President Medvedev had to send to Georgia as a dual -purpose weapon - on the one hand, to finely offend the presidents Obama and Saakashvili, on the other, to remind President Medvedev, who he is.

Photo by RIA Novosti