How Putin’s War on Georgia Foreshadowed His Invasion of Ukraine

4 months ago 16

Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008 was a wake up call that the West slept right through

Georgian soldiers sit on an APC as they leave the town of Gori on August 11, 2008. (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Posted: August 12th, 2024

By Ia Meurmishvili

Ia Meurmishvili is Chief International Correspondent at The Cipher Brief. She is a former Managing Editor at Voice of America's Georgian Service, where she hosted the weekly news magazine, "View from Washington." She is a frequent commentator and moderator in international discussions about U.S. foreign and national security policy, particularly with respect to the Caucasus and Eurasia region.

SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — It was a brief war with long-lasting consequences. Sixteen years ago this month, Russian forces invaded Georgia, in what some experts described as the first attempt to change internationally recognized state borders by force in Europe since 1945.

Today many analysts believe the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 was also the first example of Vladimir Putin’s policy aimed at restoring Moscow’s influence over the former republics of the Soviet Union, a policy that has been on full display in Ukraine.

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