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Article: Russia's backyard.(Russian borders)
- Article from:
- The American Conservative
- Article date:
- June 2, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 The American Conservative LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IN LATE MAY, tensions between Russia and Georgia increased after Moscow accused its Caucasian neighbor of spying and aiding rebels in Chechnya and Dagestan. Russian authorities accused Ramzan Turkoshvili, an ethnic Chechen born in Georgia, of funneling aid to rebels in southern Russia, effectively labeling Georgia a state sponsor of terrorism.
The flap comes after Russia reinforced its "peacekeeping" units and elevated its diplomatic representation in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These moves appear to have paved the way for formal recognition of the two Russian-backed statelets inside Georgia, and they seem likely to lead to renewed ...