Georgia bombs South Ossetia / Ataques georgianos a Osetia del Sur

Today's article is from BBC Turkish. For some reason I thought that the Russian economic sanctions against Georgia were still going, but the article says that they were removed.

Ah, they removed them in March:

Medvedev's interview appeared the same day that Moscow allowed the resumption of flights and some sea transit between Russia and Georgia. Those flights had been banned as part of a series of economic sanctions imposed by Moscow on Tbilisi in October 2006 as relations between the two former Soviet states deteriorated.

Moscow suspended the flights and imposed a ban on most Georgian imports ostensibly as punishment for Tbilisi's arrest and deportation of military officers for alleged espionage. But most analysts say the conflict has deeper roots, and is related to Georgia's efforts to join Western institutions and leave Russia's sphere of influence.

So by resuming the flights, is Russia suddenly extending an olive branch, or just adding a curve to its usual hardball? Archil Gegeshidze of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies says Moscow is using a traditional mix of threats and enticements to ensure its influence over the tiny Caucasus state remains in force.

"Such an approach -- strictness on the one hand, and softening of the economic sanctions regime on the other hand -- is deploying the well-known carrot-and-stick policy," Gegeshidze says. "Through this, Russia is trying to maintain and prolong its influence on Georgia, and through such policies it keeps, or increases, Georgia's dependence on Russia."

Okay, now to the article from BBC Turkish:

Gürcistan Osetya'yı bombaladı

Georgia bombs Ossetia

Gürcistan güçlerinin ayrılıkçı Güney Osetya bölgesini topçu ateşine tutması sonucu üç kişinin öldüğü bildirildi.

Three people are dead as a result of artillery from Georgian forces in the separatist South Ossetia region.

	Rusya'nın Güney Osetya'da bin kadar askeri bulunuyor There are a thousand Russian soldiers in South Ossetia

Güney Osetya yönetiminin sözcüsü, bombardımanın ardından tüm güçlerini teyakkuza geçirdiklerini açıkladı.

A spokesman for South Ossetia said that they put all forces on full alert after the bombing.

Gürcistan Hükümeti ise çatışmaların Güney Osetya güçlerinin bir kontrol noktasına saldırmasından sonra başladığını belirtti.

The Georgian administration says that the clashes began after South Ossetia forces attacked a control point.

Güney Osetya, Abhazya gibi, Rusya'ya yakın ayrılıkçı güçlerin denetiminde.

South Ossetia, like Abkhazia, is under the control of separatist forces close to Russia.

Güney Osetya yetkilileri, Gürcistan birliklerinin bölgenin yönetim merkezi Tsinvali ve civar köyleri bombalayarak ateşkesi ihlal ettiğini söylüyor.

Authorities in South Ossetia say that Georgian units violated a ceasefire agreement in its bombing of Tskhinvali, an administrative centre in the region, and surrounding villages.

Yetkililer, bombardımanda 11 kişinin de yaralandığını belirttiler.

The authorities say that 11 people were also wounded in the bombardment.

Güney Osetya ve Abhazya'da yeniden denetimi ele almak isteyen Gürcistan, Rusya'nın bu bölgelerde ayrılıkçılığı özendirdiğini savunuyor.

Georgia, which wants to re-establish control in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, maintains that Russia encourages separatism in this region.

Gürcistan'dan ayrılmalarından sonra çıkan savaşların ardından Rusya bu bölgelere barış gücü göndermişti.

Russia sent in peacekeeping forces into the regions after the conflict after their breakaway from Georgia.

Rusya'nın Abhazya'da 2 bin, Güney Osetya'da da bin kadar askeri bulunuyor.

Two thousand Russian soldiers are located in Abkhazia, and another thousand in South Ossetia

Rusya'nın Gürcistan'a ticari yaptırımları kaldırmasına rağmen, iki ülke ilişkilerinde gerginlik son dönemde yeniden artmış durumda.

In spite of the lifting of Russian trade sanctions against Georgie, the tensions in the relations between the two countries have recently begun to increase once again.