Five years ago, late on August 7, 2008, Georgian troops rolled into the breakaway region of South Ossetia in an attempt to reclaim the territory from what Tbilisi said was growing Russian militarization. The conflict erupted into a brief war between Russia and Georgia that left hundreds dead, drove thousands from their homes, and destroyed villages and towns.
Images Of The 2008 Georgia-Russia War
1
A Georgian man cries as he holds the body of a loved one after a Russian bombardment on August 9 in Gori, Georgia, near the border of the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
2
One month earlier, on July 8, members of an OSCE task force, including Eduard Kokoity, the president of South Ossetia, walked inside a tunnel during a visit to the Georgian-Russian border. Separatists in South Ossetia had released four Georgian soldiers the same day.
3
Georgian soldiers take up positions near the village of Ergneti in South Ossetia on August 5 amid the buildup to the war.
4
Russia's ambassador to Georgia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko (left), meets Mamuka Kurashvili, the commander of Georgian peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia, at the region's border on August 6.
5
Georgian forces fire rockets at separatist South Ossetian troops close to the region's capital, Tskhinvali, on August 8. Georgian officials said the country was taking measures to prevent Russian "mercenaries" from infiltrating the country.
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South Ossetian fighters take up positions near Tskhinvali on August 8.
7
Ethnic Georgians from the villages surrounding Tskhinvali flee the conflict zone on August 8.
8
Police officers help a Georgian soldier who was wounded in fighting with South Ossetian separatists in the town of Gori.
9
An apartment building burns after it was struck with a Russian bomb in Gori on August 9.
10
A street in Gori is littered with rubble after a Russian air strike.
11
Georgian reservists gather in the central square in Gori on August 9.
12
Russian soldiers take a break as they approach Tskhinvali on August 9.
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South Ossetians run for shelter in the village of Dzhava as the conflict intensified on August 9.
14
A destroyed Georgian tank sits among the ruins of Tskhinvali on August 14. Russian and Georgian officials reached a cease-fire plan on August 12, which would be signed by the South Ossetian and Abkhaz leaders two days later.
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Women embrace amid ruins in Tskhinvali, which was largely destroyed in the fighting.
16
A Russian tank near Gori moves toward South Ossetia on August 22 as Russian combat forces began a slow withdrawal from Georgia.
17
A woman hangs out a carpet as she returns to her destroyed home in Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, on August 23, a week after the end of the fighting.