Russian-Georgian conflict explained (Abkhazia & South Ossetia)

The 2008 Russo-Georgian war was an incredibly important event that shaped the geopolitics of the Caucasus region and Europe. The war began as a regional escalation in Georgia’s separatist region of South Ossetia, but quickly evolved into a full-blown war with Russia and Abkhazia, Georgia’s other separatist region. In the aftermath, Russia temporarily occupied parts of Georgia while Moscow also recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Today, only four other UN member states do the same. The story behind the Russian Georgian conflict is very complicated and has only become more relevant as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. Georgians, Abkhazians, Ossetians and Russians have a deeply intertwined, complex and often tragic history - from the early Middle Ages to the chaos of the 1990s. In this video, we explore the origins of this conflict and try to answer three questions: Who are the actors involved? Why did they fight? And how does the geopolitical confl