Russia's Medvedev praises 2008 operation in South Ossetia

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stood his ground on August 8 during a visit to Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, saying that he made the decision to deploy troops “quickly enough,” RIA Novosti reports.

“I was forced to make a difficult decision which restored the balance and brought peace,” he said.

Former top-ranking generals in the Russian army have recently alleged Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s indecision while he was president during the 2008 war with Georgia resulted in unnecessary loss of life.

The allegations appear in a 47-minute documentary, “The Lost Day,” which focuses on the events between August 7, when Russian forces reportedly became aware of Georgia’s plan to attack South Ossetia, and August 8, when Georgia attacked and Russia actually sent its forces into South Ossetia and Georgia. The former soldiers say Medvedev’s reluctance to issue the order a day earlier cost the lives of both Russian peacekeepers and local civilians.

“In my opinion, it was necessary for Supreme Commander President Medvedev to say: ‘Act in accordance to the plan I have approved,’” then-Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army Yury Baluyevsky said in the film. “The most important thing is the initial command. But that initial command was given, unfortunately, far too late.”