The Georgian Foreign Ministry has accused Russia of preparing fresh aggression against Georgia. These claims are based on Russian media statements about reinforcements of Russia's military alignment in South Ossetia with ‘Tochka-U’ tactical missiles. The Georgian FM declared that deployment of offensive weapons only 35 km from Tbilisi indicates the hostile intentions of Moscow. Irakliy Aladashvili, chief editor of the independent analytical ‘Arsenali’ magazine, shared his opinion on the issue with VK correspondent.
- Is this information new to you?
- I should remind you that during the war of 2008 the Russian army used 25 tactic missiles, 23 of which were ‘Tochka-U’ and the others ‘Iskander’. They were launched from the North Caucasus for the most part, and this is known for a fact: the launches are recorded. There is also information that Russia secretly deployed tactical missiles in Abkhazia back in 2007, 10 months before the war. And during the war the missiles struck the Georgian port-city of Poti. ‘Tochka-U’ missiles, on the other hand, struck the mountain region of Racha. I don’t know whether the missiles were old or the aiming systems faulty, but Racha has no strategic value whatsoever. One of the ‘Iskander’ missiles, on the other hand, exploded in the very center of the city of Gori, killing 10 civilians , one of whom was a Dutch journalist.
As for ‘Tochka-U’ deployment in South Ossetia – this could be expected. First of all, the Russian military deployed ‘Smerch’ salvo launching systems with a 70-90 km range. Modified ‘Tochka-U’ could reach 120 km, and ‘Iskander’ even further.
- Do you agree with the Foreign Ministry’s opinion about a possible invasion?
- Russia states that these systems were deployed to defend South Ossetia. But all those systems are more offensive than defensive, and they can change the balance of power in the whole region. And not only Georgia, but Turkey should also feel threatened. It’s just like Kaliningrad – neighbouring countries are very concerned about the possibility of ‘Iskander’ deployment there. ‘Tochka-U’ have already been there since Soviet times.
- But if it threatens other countries, why don’t they protest? And does this deployment violate the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe?
- Russia has suspended its participation in the treaty. And why there is no reaction to these actions apart from Georgia is hard to tell. There are ‘Iskander’ missiles in the Caucasus, and their range is 500 km. And if other missiles of this kind are to be deployed in South Ossetia, the range will increase. And we should bear in mind that there are different types of warheads for these missiles, even nuclear.
- The deployment of ‘Tochka-U’ is, first of all, a political demarche. What did Moscow mean by it?
- To make a long story short, Moscow is showing that it can strike Tbilisi itself. A ‘Tochka-U’ launched from South Ossetia is capable of that. In theory, it is also possible to bomb Tbilisi from the North Caucasus, so missile deployment in South Ossetia is a psychological weapon – but let’s not forget its real strategic potential.
Interview by Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi, exclusively to VK.
