art, Saint-Petersburg, Russia - yours is one of the most helpful comments coming out of Russia I've read so far. It's a shame that Russia hasn't so far given its' current leaders the same repudiation assigned to the likes of Tony Blair.

Al, Glasgow, U.K.

S. ossetia was presented for Georgia by Stalin, who was georgian. There was endless bloody war before Georgia an Ossetia before Stalin did it.
Ossetians do not want to live with georgians because of fear of Georgia's genocide. That is why they preferred to take Russian passports - the want live.

Andrew, Ekaterinburg, Rus

Georgia is a democatic state that wishes to join NATO and EU. Putin who want to restore a soviet empire resists this. He used a flimsy excuse of protecting its "citizens" in South Ossetia to launch military aggression against the rest of Georgia, just like Hitler attempted in WWII. Russia will fail.

P J Murray, London, UK

Amazing the amount of coverage and analysis this 7 day conflict has got in the times, but for some reason Iraq does not feature quite so much on the news or in the papers, nor is anyone so concerned how long the 'peace-keeping' goes on there.

Sara, London, UK

Abkhazians and South Ossetians are 'Georgian' in their citizenship but not racially, nor are they racially Slavs / Russian; Putin simply handed Russian passports to citizens of another country , deliberately creating a casus belli; Putin could hand passports to the Welsh and send in 'piecekeepers'.

Dr Andris Lielmanis, Brampton, Canada.

Does seem like the Russians are just putting 'MC' stickers on their tanks and re-branding them 'Peace-keepers'.

How can you have Russian 'Peace-keepers' in that area?

Bry Barnes, Somerset, UK

Curiously John neither the South Ossetians nor the Abkhazians think of themselves as Georgian. And whatever happened to the right of self-determination? I would have thought that was something the Irish would support in preference to territorial integrity, given their own history.

Steven, Glasgow, Uk

You are right, Ken.
Or goverment hav never been concerned abot it's people more than their own wealfare and power.
It's good russian tradition.
But this conflict is not the Russia's attempt to get more land. It is protection of Russian prestige, strategic position and lifes of our citizens.

art, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

The delusional Saakashvili reminds me of Monty Python's legless and armless Black Knight. Saak thinks he can dictate to the Russkies, albeit from behind a rather toothless Nato.

Thrasycon, Vancouver, Canada

As a neutral observer from a neutral country, I think Russia should GO HOME. Ossetia and Akhasia are GEORGIAN, either get used to it or negoitiate a real (political) resolution. No tanks.

John, Sheeauns, Ireland

what a sad world we live i thought all this cold war was behind us ,all these so called politicians from east and west are just as bad as one another has russia not got enough land they are sat on as much oil and gas than you could shake a stick at they could vastly improve the life of there people

ken, wolverhampton, england