74 Russian army men killed in Georgia fighting

by Sanjay Jha | August 13, 2008 at 09:45 pm

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For the first time in the current Georgia-Russia conflict Russian army has confirmed 74 of its soldiers had died. War became intense after Russian troops moved into the nation of Georgia on August 8 capturing the city of Tskhavli and conducting precision strikes that crippled the Georgian military. The bloody conflict was triggerd off after Georgia started re-capturing of its renegede province on August 6th. The exact no of casualty from Georgian side is not known.

Russia today said at least 74 army men were killed and 171 injured in five days of fierce fighting triggered by Georgia's attempt to regain control over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia. At least 19 servicemen were also reported missing, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Col-Gen Anatoly Nogovitsyn said and added that Russia has asked the Georgian military to exchange lists of POWs and persons missing in action.

However, he was unable to give exact number of Georgian soldiers killed in action. Gen Nogovitsyn hinted that several black Americans and other foreigners were among the Georgian troops killed in the Russian operation.

Russian army stopped active military operations in Georgia on August 12 but were told not to leave the positions where they received this order. "Some units are protecting transportation facilities, primarily the Zari road, through which humanitarian aid is being delivered and an independent medical battalion started working in Tskhinvali," he said.

Meanwhile, the United States has cancelled upcoming joint military exercises with Russia, its first concrete response to the armed conflict in Georgia, as officials consider broader reprisals following Moscow aggression. A senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity yesterday said, the August 15-23 exercises involving Russian, French, British and US warships in the Sea of Japan "have been scrapped.

" The exercises were to involve an onshore component in the Russian port of Vladivostok.