“A unique experience”: how the Russian peacekeeping operation in South Ossetia helped stop the bloodshed

On July 14, 1992, Russian peacekeeping forces entered South Ossetia.

Thanks to their effective actions in the republic, it was possible to stop the bloody war between Ossetians and Georgians that had lasted for more than a year.

As noted in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, this was the first peacekeeping operation in the history of the Russian Federation.

According to experts, the experience gained in 1992 by Russian peacekeepers was later used in the course of settling other conflicts in the post-Soviet space.

At an event on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the peacekeeping operation to resolve the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called the Russian peacekeeping mission in this republic "a unique experience."

“This is a unique experience <...> In a few days, a commission was created, which included representatives of all law enforcement agencies.

I mean the future of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, then the state committee, the deputy minister of defense, the first deputy minister of the interior, the first deputy of the FSB, all this was put together, ”Shoigu said.

• Georgian Defense Minister Tengiz Kitovani and head of the State Emergency Committee Sergei Shoigu in South Ossetia

• © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The minister added that in South Ossetia in 1992, "great, important, necessary work for our country at that moment" was done.

“I won’t lie, it was difficult.

But the result was worth it - Russia did not allow the people of South Ossetia to be exterminated.

I really want all these events to really be history and never happen again, ”said the head of the defense department.

In turn, the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexander Kurenkov, noted that during the peacekeeping operation, the principles of the work of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were laid.

“Today we carry out state tasks on the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and Ukraine.

However, regardless of geography, the priorities of the Russian Emergencies Ministry remain simple things that you laid down in the distant 1992 - efficiency, dedication and comprehensive assistance to people, ”the minister said, referring to Sergei Shoigu.

"aggressive nationalism"

Recall that in the late 1980s and early 1990s, against the background of centrifugal tendencies in the USSR, the situation in South Ossetia, which at that time was part of Georgia as an autonomous region, escalated.

Tbilisi then took a course towards secession from the USSR, while Tskhinval wanted to remain in the Union.

Against this background, South Ossetia came up with an initiative to upgrade its status to an autonomous republic.

However, Georgia rejected such a proposal, and then completely tried to challenge the autonomy of the region, canceling all legal acts adopted after the establishment of Soviet power in the republic in 1921.

• Residents of South Ossetia under the control of Georgian troops leave the country in April 1991

• RIA News

• © Sergey Titov

In the fall of 1990, the South Ossetian Regional Council decided to transform South Ossetia into an independent republic.

The Georgian side did not recognize the document and, as a response, on December 11, 1990 adopted the law “On the abolition of the South Ossetian Autonomous Region”.

It was decided to divide its territory between the prefectures of the regions bordering it.

In addition, Tbilisi declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew.

In January 1991, the Georgian leadership sent armed formations to Tskhinvali.

But the local militia and police officers resisted them.

Thus began a bloody armed conflict.

“The reason for this clash should be sought in the aggressive nationalism of the Georgian ruling elite, which tried to subjugate South Ossetia by force, eliminate its autonomy and expel the population from there.

An important factor was the instability in Georgia itself, which was experiencing an internal political crisis and a civil war, ”said Andrey Areshev, an expert on the South Caucasus, in an interview with RT.

"Tskhinval was actually surrounded"

The fighting in South Ossetia led to numerous casualties and destruction.

According to various estimates, between two and four thousand people died during the conflict.

A flood of refugees poured into neighboring North Ossetia.

By the summer of 1992, according to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, there were about 70 thousand refugees on its territory.

They were supported by the Russian State Committee for Emergency Situations (GKChS).

In North Ossetia, field medical stations were deployed to help the wounded and tent camps.

Humanitarian aid was sent there from other regions of Russia, including food, medicines and camp tents.

• Ossetian village destroyed by Georgian militants.

  1991

• RIA News

• © Sergey Titov

For the speedy stabilization of the situation in the region in Russia, the State Commission for the Study of the Situation in North and South Ossetia was created, headed by Sergei Shoigu, who then held the post of chairman of the State Committee for Emergency Situations.

In parallel with this, the Russian authorities acted as an intermediary in the negotiations between the representatives of South Ossetia and Georgia.

The result of these efforts was the signing on June 24, 1992 in Sochi by Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Chairman of the State Council of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze, as well as the leaders of North and South Ossetia "Agreement on the principles of peaceful settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict."

The document provided for a ceasefire from June 28, 1992 and the withdrawal from South Ossetia from June 29, 1992 of illegal armed groups.

In addition, it was decided to send a peacekeeping contingent to the region.

The organization of work aimed at implementing the agreement was entrusted to the State Commission.

• "Effective operation": how the Russian peacekeeping mission in South Ossetia helped stop the bloodshed

In accordance with the agreements, on July 14, 1992, mixed peacekeeping forces from the Russian, Georgian and Ossetian sides, consisting of three battalions, were introduced into the conflict zone.

As Sergei Shoigu, who holds the post of Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation today, recalls those events, Tskhinvali was under blockade at that time.

“The city of Tskhinval was actually surrounded, thousands of refugees from the interior of Georgia - in North Ossetia, a huge number of wounded, for whom a hospital was deployed, constant, almost round-the-clock shelling of the city.

<...> For the first time, perhaps, in the entire history, we are faced with a complete blockade of Tskhinval.

In February 1991, electricity was cut off, the supply of electricity from Georgia was blocked, all roads were blocked, the supply of food was stopped, ”Shoigu said in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.

The peacekeepers managed to achieve the establishment of a security corridor along the border of South Ossetia and Georgia, which made it possible to stop the bloodshed.

Thousands of refugees were able to return home.

The restoration of the vital activity of Tskhinval, all law enforcement functions, gas supply, water supply, telephone communication and electricity supply has begun.

As noted on the website of the Ministry of Defense, the Russian mission in South Ossetia became "the first peacekeeping operation in history in which the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation took part."

“The result of the introduction of mixed peacekeeping forces was the fulfillment of one of the main conditions of the Sochi agreement - the disengagement of the warring parties and a ceasefire.

The process of restoring peaceful life in South Ossetia has begun,” the department noted.

The peacekeeping mission of the Russian Federation in South Ossetia operated successfully until the Georgian aggression in 2008.

After that, the independence of South Ossetia was recognized by the Russian Federation, and the need for a peacekeeping contingent disappeared.

“This date is remembered very well”

According to analysts, Russia in 1992 was able to conduct an effective peacekeeping operation, despite the lack of relevant experience.

“We managed to stop the bloodshed.

This was certainly an effective operation, given that the Russian Federation, which, in fact, was a young state itself, had no experience in peacekeeping.

Yes, Russian officers participated in UN missions, but the tasks there are somewhat different.

Here, specific goals were achieved with the help of Russian peacekeeping forces, ”military expert Ivan Konovalov said in an interview with RT.

• Eduard Shevardnadze and Boris Yeltsin

• RIA News

• © Dmitry Donskoy

According to Andrei Areshev, for South Ossetia, the entry of Russian peacekeepers has become one of the most important events in its history.

“July 14, 1992 is an important and milestone date for South Ossetia.

Russian peacekeepers entered its territory, covered by hostilities, which made it possible to stop the bloody hostilities unleashed by the Georgians, accompanied by great destruction and human casualties.

Russian peacekeepers managed to stabilize the situation, bring peace to the republic, which lasted with some interruptions until 2008, when, as we know, the regime of Mikhail Saakashvili unleashed a bloody adventure, including against Russian peacekeepers,” says Areshev.

He calls those events "one of the most successful examples of Russian peacekeeping in the post-Soviet space along with Abkhazia."

“Of course, this date is remembered very well in South Ossetia,” Areshev is sure.

From his point of view, subsequently South Ossetia and Georgia had a chance for a final peaceful settlement, but Tbilisi's position did not allow it to be realized.

“There was communication between Ossetians, Georgians and Russians in the format of a mixed control commission.

The market and economic interaction worked.

Russian peacekeeping created the prerequisites for resolving the conflict on a compromise basis.

But the acute unwillingness of the Georgian side to go further in this matter, its dependence on Western partners, who were interested in aggravating the situation as much as possible and ousting Russia from the Caucasus, did not allow peace to be finally established then.

This was done only in 2008,” Areshev believes.

Analysts note that in 1992, Russian peacekeepers gained useful experience, which was then applied in other conflicts.

“Undoubtedly, Russian peacekeepers played a positive role both in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Without them, no efforts of international organizations would be crowned with even partial success.

That is, Russian peacekeeping is the main factor in ending those bloody ethno-political and ethno-religious conflicts that have engulfed the post-Soviet space after 1991,” Areshev argues.

Ivan Konovalov adheres to a similar opinion.

“After the collapse of the USSR, Russian peacekeepers solved a lot of tasks.

For example, the operation in Transnistria has been going on for several decades.

And not a single shot is heard there - this is the merit of Russia.

Its peacekeeping forces have been constantly reformed and their approaches improved.

The system became more flexible - they went through a huge evolution.

If you look at how many operations they carried out, how many tasks they solved, then I think that no other country can boast of such success, ”the expert concluded.