International Desk: Moscow has threatened to annex two regions of Georgia, another European country, to the territory of Russia amid the Ukraine war. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy secretary of the Kremlin’s powerful Security Council, threatened to annex South Ossetia and Abkhazia into Russia. Such threats have been made by Russia over Georgia’s bid to become a member of the Western military alliance NATO. The Moscow-based weekly Agumenti i Fakti published an article written by Medvedev on Wednesday. In it, Medvedev, who served as the former president and prime minister of Russia, accused the West of trying to destabilize the region by threatening to annex South Ossetia and Abkhazia into Russia, as well as trying to negotiate Georgia’s entry into NATO.
Medvedev, known to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, wrote in the article that the idea of annexing the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions to Russia is still popular. If there is a logical reason, this idea can become a reality. After the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, Georgia lost control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Georgia engaged in a military conflict with Russia in 2008 in an attempt to regain control.
The campaign was short but bloody. Since then, Moscow considers these two regions of Georgia as ‘independent territories’. Medvedev wrote the newspaper article on the 15th anniversary of that brief, bloody military campaign in 2008 and the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as “independent” regions. Meanwhile, Georgia wants to join NATO due to security concerns. In this situation, Medvedev warned, “If our fears about Georgia’s accession to NATO come close to reality, then we will not wait to take countermeasures.” According to Georgia, the country is committed to joining NATO, the Western military alliance.
Because it is the most effective strategy to maintain the geographical integrity of the country. “Georgia is one of the closest partners of the NATO alliance,” according to the website of the military alliance NATO. It is also said that Georgia wants to become a member of NATO. Over time, a close and friendly relationship has developed between NATO and Georgia. This relationship supports Georgia’s reform efforts and the idea of Euro-Atlantic integration. Medvedev’s threats against Georgia are being treated much like those against Ukraine. Russia was unhappy with Kiev’s efforts to join NATO.
As a result, Moscow started an all-out war in Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian artist Daria Markenko has created a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin using shell casings used on the battlefield. The protester named the artwork ‘War Face’. Earlier in 2014, Russia occupied the Crimean region of Ukraine by carrying out a military operation. And after the start of the ongoing war, Moscow has completed the process of officially incorporating four regions of Ukraine into the Russian Federation. The four regions are Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson.
