REFLECTIONS

Looking Back on the Russian-Georgian War, 10 Years Later

Eugene Chausovsky

Senior Eurasia Analyst, Stratfor

Aug 7, 2018 | 20:06 GMT

A Russian convoy heads into South Ossetia on Aug. 8, 2008, to respond to fighting there between Georgian and separatist forces

(DMITRY KOSTYUKOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

Russia's invasion of Georgia in August 2008 gave it a new geopolitical foothold after decades of weakness in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse.
The war paved the way for Russia to increase its influence throughout Eurasia, although the collapse of global oil prices and the Euromaidan uprising in Ukraine later demonstrated the limits of Moscow's reach.
In the years since, Russia has maintained its clout on the world stage and revived its rivalry with the West, which, in turn, has redoubled its support for Georgia and other countries in the region.

It's been a decade since Russia made its dramatic return to the world stage with the invasion of Georgia. Russian troops crossed into the disputed territory of South Ossetia in August 2008 -- their first major deployment since the Soviet Union's demise -- destroying much of Georgia's infrastructure and military over the course of just five days. But if the war itself was short-lived, its effects have been far more enduring....

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