Following up on the report that children were being shipped out of South Ossetia into Russia ahead of possible violence, the BBC reports some new developments.
Most notably, the Russian government has indicated that it will intervene if there is a conflict in South Ossetia, with the public motivation of protecting Russian nationals living in the area:
"If events develop according to the worst-case violence scenario, Russia will not allow itself to remain indifferent, considering that Russian citizens live in South Ossetia, particularly in the conflict zone," Interfax quotes [special ambassador] Yuri Popov as saying.
Meanwhile, as the de facto government of South Ossetia claims that the Georgian government is attempting to spark violence, the Georgian government is pinning the blame for recent exchanges and deaths on the Ossetians as well as claiming that Ossetian children are not being sent away in fear of violence, but instead are doing their normal yearly trips to summer camp.
It would be helpful, if possibly very dangerous, to have some non-Caucasian (in the geographical sense) reporters on the scene.