Occupied territories of Georgia
In 2012 the European Commission considered that Georgia's "continued application of the law on Occupied Territories" was a concern for the effectiveness of the "engagement strategy" with the breakaway territories, and in 2013 noted that there had been no change to the "restrictive aspects of the law" but that it hoped for a "more relaxed implementation of the Law" from the new government in Georgia.Russia claims, that "Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not occupied territories, but independent States."
The Russian Federation also holds that it "... does not at present, nor will it in the future, exercise effective control over South Ossetia or Abkhazia;" and "it was not an occupying power." It also noted that "despite having crossed into the territory of Georgia in the course of the conflict, Russia was not an occupying power in terms of IHL." According to Russia, "the number of Russian troops stationed in South Ossetia and Abkhazia [...] does not allow Russia in practice to establish effective control over these territories which total 12 500 sq. kilometers in size."
Timeline of the Russo-Georgian War
Alexander Lomaya, Secretary of National Security Council of Georgia, had said conflict began because Russia aimed to "thwart its neighbors’ movement toward Western society and Western values", adding "If the world is not able to stop Russia here, then Russian tanks and Russian paratroopers can appear in every European capital." Georgian officials admitted that Russian reaction surprised them. "The New York Times" stated that Russia "appeared determined to occupy both South Ossetia and Abkhazia." "The New York Times" reported that Georgian President Saakashvili had said that Georgia was in a state of war and Russia planned to occupy strategic economic infrastructure and to depose his government. However, when Anatoly Nogovitsyn, colonel general in the Russian Ministry of Defense, was asked whether Russia was in a state of war, he replied that was not the case. Georgian health minister had said that Georgian casualties were more than 80, 40 of which were civilians killed in the bombing of Gori. Georgian officials had said the conflict would end if the United States intervened, however they were counting on the Western diplomatic outcry to impact Russia.