Russia and Georgia are ratcheting up the tension in the ceasefire zone as the first anniversary of the South Ossetia conflict approaches.

By Sarah Hartley

On 7 August 2008, Georgia attempted to regain control of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, triggering a rapid military response from Russia. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands displaced in the conflict. Russia has since maintained a military presence in South Ossetia and the second breakaway region of Abkhazia, formally recognizing both as independent states.
 
High alert
As the anniversary of the war approaches, the situation on the South Ossetian border is becoming increasingly tense. Russia has put its troops in the area on high alert, claiming that Georgia is "aggressively rearming" with the help of the United States.
 
Georgia denied this, countering that Russia was agressively seeking to shift the South Ossetian boundary in an attempt to grab more land. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called on the United States and EU to send "a clear message" to Moscow in order to prevent a re-run of the conflict.
 
The EU monitoring mission is the only force left patrolling the borders of the two disputed regions. Its job is to ensure the ceasefire agreements are observed and to help the region return to normality. But that mission faces many difficulties.
 

Listen to a report by Tom Esslemont on tensions between Georgia and Russia: