Rapid Russian deployment shocks US

Война в Южной Осетии

(War in South Ossetia)

Tue, 12 Aug 2008

The US military has been taken aback by the speed the Russian military managed to dispatch forces to South Ossetia, official says. According to US defense sources, Russia has deployed 8,000 to 10,000 soldiers in South Ossetia. The Russian military has also flown SU-25, SU-24, SU-27 and TU-22 fighters and bombers during the campaign. "We were tracking it earlier in that week and we knew that things were escalating," AFP quoted a military official speaking on condition of anonymity on Monday. "I can tell you it moved quicker than we anticipated that first day," the unnamed official added. He said the US military had not detected any obvious buildup of Russian forces along the border before the conflict suggesting Moscow had no prior intention to attack. "Once it did happen they were able to get the forces quickly and it was just a matter of taking the roads in. So it's not as though they were building up forces on the border, waiting," the official said. The conflict began after Georgian military forces attacked the independence-seeking province of South Osettia on Thursday Evening. Russia, in response, deployed its military forces to the region where most of the population has Russian citizenship. Moscow, however, announced ceasefire on Tuesday in a bid to encourage Tbilisi to enter peace talks. (Source)