Russia’s complaints

(What are Russians hearing about this from their media?) Russians sources are saying is that Russians troops have entered Georgia proper for the first time today, but they’re not confirming their proximity to South Ossetia. (Russia is calling their troops peacekeepers, but is it believed that Georgia is the aggressor here?) Absolutely, and they say that the Georgian President overstepped his mark when he used force in South Ossetia, inflicting civilian casualties inside South Ossetia. Most people in South Ossetia do hold Russian passports and would prefer autonomy or Russian citizenship to Georgian citizenship. (How do Georgians see people in South Ossetia?) They’re not ethnic Russians, but there is support for them at the moment. South Ossetians have spent days hiding in their basements and there is a huge humanitarian disaster there, and those images are creating huge support in Russia for the Russian effort in Georgia and South Ossetia. (What is the coverage of Russian activity in South Ossetia?) There’s not much, the line is that the President of Georgia is a puppet of the West and Russia is engaging in its own interests. (How are Putin’s actions being portrayed?) Putin is taking the charge in these movements and so the media is approving this, saying he’s a man of action. So what you have now is both leaders on Russian television presenting the situation and saying that Russian citizens in South Ossetia must be protected.