WikiLeaks materials show US awareness of start of 2008 Five-Day War

The website of WikiLeaks has posted documents, which indicate that the USA knew about the events in August 2008, when the Georgian-South-Ossetian conflict escalated into the "Five-Day War" between Georgia and Russia, but concealed facts from the world community.

In particular, authors of the magazine "Russian Reporter" claim that they possess some of the WikiLeaks material, saying about the US' involvement in the August 2008 military conflict in South Ossetia.

"On August 7, on the eve of the active phase of the war, the US ambassador to Georgia John Tefft reported to Washington that Georgian troops, including those armed with the 'Grad' volley fire installations, were moving in direction of Ossetia," the magazine writes.

"After the war Ambassador Tefft wrote to the State Department about the need to draft some coordinated position on how to reply to those who doubt the Georgia's absolute innocence," says the "Russian Reporter".

Meanwhile, also according to materials the US Embassy in Georgia, the decision to open fire in 2008 "was not the decision of Georgian authorities." "According to the US Embassy in Georgia, by that time all the Georgian officials, who could be responsible for the attack on South Ossetia, were on vacations. It was also noted that real mobilization started only on August 7," says the message of the Georgian organization "Club of Experts" with reference to the document of the US Embassy.

"Only when South Ossetia opened artillery fire on Georgian villages, an offensive with the aim to capture Tskhinvali was launched," runs the document of the US Embassy. According to the Embassy, on August 7 at 4:00 p.m. the then Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze gathered ambassadors and said that South Ossetia was attacking Georgian villages, killing Georgian peacemakers.

Let us remind you that the broad-scale warfare between Georgian and South-Ossetian military units began at night on August 8. Soon Russia interfered into the conflict.