High

Russo-Georgian War

Short war over South Ossetia and Abkhazia that hardened post-Soviet territorial disputes in the Caucasus.

Timeline
2008
Duration
1 year
Region
Caucasus
Record
Static archive

Historical overview

Overview adapted from a Wikipedia summary and stored locally on May 11, 2026.

The August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia, was a war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation and the Russian-backed separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The fighting took place in the strategically important South Caucasus region. It is regarded as the first European war of the 21st century.

Theater countries

GeorgiaRussia

Actors

GeorgiaRussiaSouth Ossetian forcesAbkhaz forces

Tags

interstate-warseparatismcaucasus

Border context

2000-2008historical border era

Post-9/11 intervention era

Counterterror wars, state-building campaigns and unresolved post-Soviet disputes dominate the early twenty-first-century map.

Afghanistan and Iraq become the central intervention theaters. Congo, Darfur and the Caucasus remain active conflict zones.

Navigation