Russian leave booby traps behind in unoccupied Georgia positions

Washington Post:

A large explosion Sunday morning destroyed a train carrying oil through this town in central Georgia, engulfing mangled cars in a tower of flames. Georgian officials said they suspected Russian forces had mined the track or an adjacent military base.

Earlier in the day, separate blasts in the area killed a woman near a military installation and critically injured a man.

The explosions came as Georgians returned en masse for the first time to parts of the country briefly occupied and then abandoned Friday by Russian forces. During fighting this month, Russian forces used cluster munitions, many of which remain unexploded, and blew up several military facilities and a key railroad bridge.

"I am sure the Russians have left other surprises for us," said Shota Utiashvili, a spokesman for Georgia's Interior Ministry. "They want to disrupt our life and our economy as much as possible."

...

The Russians want to provoke a response from the Georgians which could be used an an excuse for overthrowing the government. They are continuing to make war against Georgia. Their bad faith in honoring the ceasefire is palpable.

I think there is another motive to this madness. Beyond their attempts to provoke Georgia, they want to raise the cost of supporting it to the US and its allies. They want to make it as expensive as possible to support Georgia. What that is likely to lead to is more US forces in the area to train the Georgians in dealing with the Russian clandestine war.

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