As the EU’s Friday deadline approaches for Russia to withdraw from the buffer zones around Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, there is a broad feeling that Moscow’s military push back is nothing but a political show-off.

Europe may boast of a diplomatic success in securing Russia’s withdrawal from captured Georgian outposts, yet the bottomline is Moscow has achieved the military success it craved for in Georgia. Going by the trusted news sources of the BBC, CNN, the Guardian, etc, Russians are packing off to head back into homely territories but is it a foolproof honor of the ceasefire deal by the Kremlin?
The European Union knows better than anybody that making Moscow withdraw from buffer zones is the maximum it can do given Russia’s energy politics across the continent. Europe is extremely dependent on Russia’s vast reserve of natural gas and oil and the Kremlin knows western Europe is divided when it comes to dealing with Russia with an iron fist. Moscow’s energy diplomacy or if I may call energy blackmailing has taken Europe to ransom.

Russia may be withdrawing from Georgian posts but has promised to keep an 8000-strong military contingent in Abkhazia and South Ossetia which is a ploy to keep a close eye on Georgian and EU moves following the arrival of EU monitors in the region. Old Soviet habits, one feels, have returned to cloud the geo-political skies of the Caucasus. Moscow says the troops are there to guard the newly-acquired Sovereignties of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Well, what sovereignty when the two integral Georgian provinces are recognized only by Russia itself and Guatemala? The Russian military will be present in the two disputed regions to keep a close eye on Tbilisi’s political and military movements from elevated positions and it is understood Russian secret service agents are already on the prowl to look for opportunities to oust Georgia’s pro-western leader President Mikhail Saakashvili from the country.

Europe be warned of Russian intentions!

Image and News Link: Guardian