Russian President Halts Military Action In Georgia

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev

From Yahoo News/AP:

MOSCOW - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ordered a halt to military action in Georgia Tuesday, saying it had punished Georgia and brought security for civilians and Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway South Ossetia region.

"The security of our peacekeepers and civilians has been restored," Medvedev said in a nationally televised statement. "The aggressor has been punished and suffered very significant losses. Its military has been disorganized."

At the same time, Medvedev ordered the military to quell any signs of Georgian resistance.

"If there are any emerging hotbeds of resistance or any aggressive actions, you should take steps to destroy them," he told his defense minister at a Kremlin meeting.

Russia's foreign minister, meanwhile, said that Georgia's president must leave office and Georgian troops should stay out of the pro-Russian South Ossetia region for good.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow won't talk to President Mikhail Saakashvili and Saakashvili "better go."

Read more ....

More News On The Russian Ceasefire

Russia orders end to operation against Georgia -- Yahoo News/AFP
Russia orders halt to war in Georgia -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Russia Halts Attack on Georgia -- Wall Street Journal
Russia Says It Has Halted Military Action in Georgia -- New York Times
Russia 'ends Georgia operation' -- BBC News
Russian president calls halt to Georgian war -- CNN
French President Sarkozy off to Moscow, Tbilisi to discuss Georgia crisis -- Yahoo News/AFP

My Comment: The guns of August are quiet now. This puts Russian President Dmitri Medvedev into the international spotlight as the ruler of Russia. The Russian Army was ready to storm the Georgian capital city .... but the tanks stopped. For the next few weeks the discussion will not be that they stopped .... but why did they stopped. Also .... the discussion will be on Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and not Prime minister Vladimir Putin.

Personally, I am glad/relieved that a ceasefire has been called. Russia has made its point, and the Georgian Government and people were spared from destruction. There would have been no winners if this conflict went to its logical conclusion .... the complete destruction of Georgia.