Russia Waged Covert War on Georgia Starting in '04; WikiLeaks Revealed U.S. Embassy Cable

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Byline: Eli Lake, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Russia waged a covert war against Georgia that included missile attacks, arms shipments to anti-government rebels and car bombings since 2004, a newly disclosed U.S. Embassy cable says.

Among the secret war operations were a 2007 helicopter gunship attack on the headquarters of a pro-government group in the Georgian province of Abkhazia, and the killings of Georgian police officers in the town of Gori. Known inside the Russian security services as active measures, the tactics employed against Georgia included political disinformation campaigns, industrial sabotage and assassinations.

The variety and extent of the active measures suggests the deeper goal is turning Georgia from its Euroatlantic orientation back into …