Russia Blamed For Georgia Mutiny

Tank Battalion Uprising At Military Base Follows Report Of Alleged Russian Plot To Overthrow Government

(AP)  A tank battalion mutinied Tuesday at a Georgian military base near the capital and the base has been sealed off, the defense minister said.

The mutiny followed an announcement by the Interior Ministry that it had uncovered a Russia-supported plot to overthrow the government and had arrested the suspected organizer.

Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili has been the target of more than three weeks of street protests by opposition demonstrators demanding he resign.

Saakashvili said later Tuesday that the mutiny was an isolated event and the situation was under control.

The coup plotters, backed by Russian troops, were planning to disrupt NATO military exercises set to begin Wednesday in Georgia, Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said.

Russia's NATO envoy Dmitri Rogozin was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying the allegations were "crazy."

The tank battalion's commander, Mamuka Gorgishvili, said his soldiers would take no aggressive actions to interfere in the political situation in the country and would remain in the barracks, the Georgian news agency Kavkaz Press reported.

The Interior Ministry's Utiashvili said the suspected coup plot was organized by a former special forces commander, Georgy Gvaladze. Gvaladze and an army officer on active duty have been arrested, the spokesman said.

The Interior Ministry has a video of Gvaladze talking to his supporters about the planned coup, the spokesman said. In the video, Gvaladze is shown saying that 5,000 Russian troops will come to support the coup, which was planned for Thursday, Utiashvili said.

Defense Minister David Sikharulidze said he had been blocked from entering the military base in Mukhrovani, about 20 miles from Tbilisi, the capital. The base's tank battalion of about 500 army personnel had announced that they would refuse to follow orders, he said.

Among the mutineers were civilians who had no relation to the battalion, he said.

Opposition leader and former Saakashvili ally Georgy Khaindrava said the reports of the planned coup were made up.

"It's nothing but a tall tale, and we've heard so many of them already," Khaindrava said. "Saakashvili could not make up anything smarter."

[intheshade-2009]

Pure and simple, the mutiny in Georgia is because Saakashvili ordered them to attack Georgian civilians. This article is obviously some kind of propaganda plant to redirect attention and blame at Russia. The West wants to establish a base in Georgia to control oil and natural resources coming from the Caucasus Region. Saakashvili, a former used car salesman from New Jersey, is only acting as their stooge, and a very ruthless one at that. Too bad we don't have honest, objective reporting.

[6591Hou]

Russia is coming back folks, make no mistake about that. Military exercises in the Carib with Venezuela and Cuba. Flying at Canada's border with strategic bomber when Obama pays a visit just to set off the alarms. Shutting off oil pipelines to European neighbors to flex muscles. Expanding military and modernizing equipment. Our focus was on Al Queda, their's was on different priorities and we can't react.

[jgunther7]

The rebellion in the Georgian army was because they were ordered by Saakashvili to attack their own people. They were patriots pure and simple, nothing to do with Russia. They were ordered to open up roadblocks set up by the opposition political parties and put down the rallies being organised by the opposition. Saakashvili, who is from the same ethnic group as Georgian Joseph Stalin, has used the military to crush his own people before and he was doing it again.

[cbsantispin]

Posted by Turbidite at 3:02 PM : May 5, 2009

If Georgia wants to be free and become friends with the United States then it's Georgia's decision, not Russia's! A nation should not be invaded, attacked or crushed because it wants to be friends with the West. These are not medieval times where nations are conquered and their people enslaved. If Russia occupies or captures Georgia it will not be a mutual relationship, the Georgia people will instantly become hostages as Russia seeks to recreate the Soviet Union. If Georgia falls to Moscow, Ukraine will be next and then who is next in line after that? Nations should be free to chart their own course and select their own friends and not be intimidated by the Russians.

[Turbidite]

Better luck next time guys - the situation on the ground in Georgia ain't good. Most people in Georgia are unhappy with their hastily elected government because of massive corruption. The USA continues to support this government and is using it as a foil against Russia. It is a bad choice. No better than the one that was made insupporting the Taliban in Afghanistan years ago....also as a foil against the USSR. Let's pay attention tho the issues that matter to us, namely the economy and relations with our border neighbors.

[cbsantispin]

Posted by prometheus11 at 10:40 AM : May 5, 2009

Those who were born free, grew up free and enjoy freedom no longer appear to be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to maintain and support that freedom. Without maintenance and defense, freedom will disappear. What price freedom? Priceless!

[cbsantispin]

NEW WORLD ORDER.
Posted by sam_frederic at 7:59 AM : May 5, 2009

NEW WORLD ORDER = Every Nation for itself, no one cares anymore, Dog-Eat-Dog! The World better hope the U.S. does not adopt this "don't care" attitude! The World better deal with these out of control issues and problems while it still has the power to do so. From the U.S. point of view, you can pay us now, or you can pay us later, but it will be more expensive for the United States to clean up this mess later, think about that! Who else will clean up the mess? Russia? China? LOL

[sam_frederic]

Look, you american people, I love you, but come on earth quickly before it would be late. America must recognize that the world today is not the same world at the end of WW2. We call it NEW WORLD ORDER. The war in Georgia showed that US is afraid of Russia. Obama is trying to suck Iran a*s because without he knows that US can not success in Afghanistan without Iran help, or only if Iran moudjahidins stay neutral. Same thing in Irak where Moktadar Sadr, shiite leader, is an iranian affiliated. China right now is building military might, china always tells " if taiwan proclaims independancy, china will consider that as a war anouncement". Any free analyst knows US can not protect Taiwan against China, US can just give some weapons. That's why China has begun making military exercise with Russia, China knows that Russia heavy weapons will be welcome at time. The funny thing is there is no US budget without china money (US debt.). One thing I want to tell to american people, stop being arrogant if you understood my few lines above(Obama and his foreign policy analysts already know that), because the world where US dominates is OVER. If you continue being arrogant, the other people in the world will laugh at you, and people of the world were laughing when Bush&Rice were screaming as little girls while russia troops were advancing into georgia territory: It shows to the people the US weakness was REAL, so the world has changed.

[cbsantispin]

The United States must pick its battles carefully, the U.S. is not resourced or configured to fight them all alone. NATO is surprisingly weak and even when NATO gets involved, members want to avoid combat situations as much as possible to the enemies delight. All nations should be just as concerned about containing nuclear proliferation, piracy, the spread of bio weapons, terror, unchecked Chinese military buildup, Islamic extremism, and new Russian military adventurism with trigger happy and pot stirrer Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, but only the U.S. seems to be actively engaged and concerned while others give lip service but stay on the sidelines hoping the U.S. fails in its efforts and become even weaker so those weaknesses can be exploited. Those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it. This passage from WWII still applies today.

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me ?
and by that time no one was left to speak up.