September 2008

In the beginning of September 2008, a $1 billion aid for Georgia was reported by the White House. Georgia would receive about half of aid during the remaining term of office of George Bush.^[1]

On 10 September 2008, a Georgian policeman was killed allegedly by Russian soldiers in a village north of Gori, Georgia.^[2] The shooting happened several hundred meters from a Russian checkpoint in Karaleti, 12 miles (19 km) from South Ossetia. Russian officials denied responsibility, saying that it may have been perpetrated by South Ossetians.^[3]

On 13 September 2008, a Georgian policeman was killed in Ganmukhuri on the administrative border between Abkhazia and Georgia.^[2]

On 21 September 2008, Georgian authorities stated a Georgian policeman was killed and three wounded after shots were fired "from the direction of the [nearby] Russian army checkpoint" on the administrative border between Abkhazia and Georgia, with the ensuing trade of fire between Georgian police and Abkhaz-controlled territory continuing for several minutes.^[2]

On 22 September 2008, a mine wounded two Georgian policemen on the administrative border between Abkhazia and Georgia.^[4]

On 24 September 2008, a Russian military truck was arrested near the village of Odzisi in the Mtskheta Municipality. The truck contained ammunitions and explosives. The Russian driver said he had lost his way.^[5] He was handed over to OSCE observers.^[6]

Bombing claimed the life of a 13-year-old South Ossetian resident in the outskirts of Tskhinvali.^[7]

October 2008

On 3 October 2008, seven Russian soldiers were killed and another seven wounded by a car bomb that exploded near the Russian military base.^[8] Among them was Colonel Ivan Petrik, the peacekeeper's Chief of Staff.^[9] The Russians accused the Georgians of orchestrating the "terrorist attack", claiming that just before the blast, the Russians had seized two cars with four Georgians and munitions, which were taken to Tskhinvali. Interfax was told by a military spokesman, "During the search of one of the cars, an explosive device equivalent to some 20kg of TNT went off."^[10] The South Ossetian leader accused Georgia of "state terrorism", adding, " We have no doubt that these terrorist acts are the work of Georgia special forces."^[11] The Georgian government blamed Russia for the incident, with the Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili describing it as a provocation aimed to prolong Russian military presence in Georgia.^[11] Georgian official also said only Ossetians could enter the area controlled by Russia and suggested that only "geniuses" could arrange the stealing and transportation by the Ossetians.^[9] The attack was denounced by the French Presidency of the European Union.^[12]

On 6 October 2008, Abkhaz border guard was shot near the administrative border between Abkhazia and Georgia.^[13]

On 18 October 2008, Georgian media reported that a bridge in the Adzva village in Gori Municipality was partially blown up allegedly by Ossetians.^[14]

On 18 October 2008, according to South Ossetia, a police post was fired upon from an ethnic Georgian village, with no casualties. The acting Interior Minister Mikhail Mindzayev called the gunfire a series of provocations by Georgians. South Ossetian police were given orders to return fire should they be on the receiving end of a firing from the Georgian side.^[15]

On 21 October 2008, the police car was blown up by a mine near the village of Avnevi and one policeman was injured.^[16]

On 25 October 2008, a bomb exploded in the Georgian village near the administrative border with Abkhazia killing the governor of Georgia's Tsalenjikha Municipality, Giorgi Mebonia.^[17] On 21 October 2008, the police car was blown up by a mine near the village of Avnevi and one policeman was injured.^[16]

November 2008

On 10 November 2008, in the morning two Georgian policemen were killed and three injured after the police car was exploded by a mine near the village of Dvani.^[18]

January 2009

On 19 January 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev banned arms trade and military co-operation with Georgia until December 2011. According to RIA Novosti, "countries or individuals found to be in breach of these regulations will face economic and financial sanctions."^[19]

On 19 and 21 January, Russia demanded that Georgian military installations to be checked by Russian experts per a 1999 Vienna OSCE resolution on confidence and security-building measures; however, these calls were turned down by Georgia.^[20]

On 23 January 2009, Russia expressed concern over "Georgia's expanding military presence on the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had claimed earlier that the EU monitors had confirmed the Georgian build-up.^[20]

On 26 January 2009, Russian junior sergeant Alexander Glukhov appeared in Tbilisi. He gave press interviews at McDonald's in the presence of Georgian Interior Ministry officials. The 21-year-old claimed that bad living conditions and problems with his superior forced him to desert. According to Georgian interior ministry, the right to stay in Georgia was requested by the soldier.^[21] The soldier declared that he applied for political asylum in Georgia. Russia requested Glukhov's release, claiming that he might be tortured.^[22]

February 2009

On 2 February 2009, at a meeting with the EU representatives, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko raised concerns over alleged Georgian buildup near South Ossetia.^[23]

On 6 February 2009, Georgia submitted the application against Russia to the European Court of Human Rights, continuing the process that began on 11 August 2008.^[24]

In late February 2009, Pavel Felgenhauer, a military analyst, said that Russia intended to provoke the death of the Russian soldier and invade Georgia from South Ossetia in order to topple the Saakashvili government.^[25]

April 2009

On 22 April 2009, automatic firearms fire was reported on the administrative border between Georgia and South Ossetia. Both sides accused each other for the incident.^[26][27]

May 2009

On 6 May 2009, former U.S. Ambassadors to Georgia William Harrison Courtney and Kenneth Spencer Yalowitz, and the former European Commission ambassador to Georgia, Denis Corboy, said that Russian military buildup and Moscow's anger over the "unfinished business" of the August 2008 war could cause a "new tragedy" in Georgia and called on the United States to work to avoid a new conflict.^[28][29]

August 2009

On 1 August 2009, Russian Defense Ministry said that in the prior days, Georgia had fired on the South Ossetian territory.^[30] The EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) said its monitors in the area did not see any evidence of the Georgian attack. Earlier, the EUMM had said that four blasts occurred inside South Ossetia due to unknown reasons.^[31] The EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia also said that its monitors could not make "more complete assessment of the situation on the ground" since they were barred from South Ossetia.^[32]

On 1 August 2009, The Telegraph reported that at least 28 Georgian policemen observing the boundary near South Ossetia had become casualties since the end of hostilities in August 2008.^[33]

On 3 August 2009, Georgian TV reported that Georgian and Russian checkpoints were attacked by South Ossetians with grenades.^[34] Georgian interior ministry reported that the vicinity of Plavismani was attacked at 21:30. South Ossetia accused Georgia of shelling South Ossetian territory from Plavismani at 22:05.^[35]

RIA Novosti published an interview with South Ossetian president Eduard Kokoity. Kokoity said that he rejected the possibility of a new "Georgian aggression". He said he would demand ceding of the Truso Gorge (part of the Georgian administrative unit of Mtskheta-Mtianeti) to South Ossetia. He also talked about Georgian president Saakashvili: "As for that lover of wars and bellicose slogans, that international criminal, I would advise him to be careful. Considering his behavior, Georgia has a shortage of mental hospitals."^[36]

It was reported that a situation was escalating before the war's first anniversary. The European Union called on "all sides to refrain from any statement or action that may lead to increased tensions at this particularly sensitive time."^[37] On 4 August 2009, the Georgian Foreign Ministry deplored Russian "deliberate attempts" to raise tensions.^[38] Mikheil Saakashvili asked the US and EU to defuse the tensions.^[39]

Yulia Latynina stated that as soon U.S. Vice President Joe Biden declared that the United States would not supply arms to Georgia, the past year's scenario began repeating. Latynina criticized Kokoity's allegation that Tskhinvali had come under fire from the Georgian village of Nikozi, because Nikozi had already been wiped off the map by South Ossetia. Latynina ruled out the repetition of last year's Gleiwitz scenario because the world's attention was now focused on South Ossetia unlike in 2008. Latynina concluded that if the conflict was renewed, nobody would believe that Kokoity was responsible and instead the blame would fall on Putin.^[40]

Close to the one year anniversary of the start of the war, internet attacks occurred that targeted one Georgian user. The Twitter account of a Georgian blogger, Cyxymu came under attack, leading to a several-hour-long downtime of the entire service.^[41]

On 14 August 2009, Shota Utiashvili, Georgia's Interior Ministry representative, said that the South Ossetian side had confessed to shelling of the Georgian villages.^[42]

September 2009

In late September 2009, the blast took place with no casualties near the village of Ergneti, south of Tskhinvali, 40 minutes before talks between the Georgian, South Ossetian, and Russian representatives.^[43]