FOI published, on September 15, a report titled “The Caucasian Litmus Test” on the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia. The report, in Swedish, can be downloaded at: "The Caucasian Litmus Test". The report includes a short abstract in English.

International Internet sources, blogs and newspapers have quoted parts of the report and news media have also interviewed the authors. Unfortunately, some of these articles are riddled with incorrect claims, mistakes and possibly deliberate disinformation. FOI has compiled a list of these faulty allegations in order to avoid any further misunderstandings.

Allegation: “1000 Israeli servicemen participated in the five-day military operations in South Ossetia, says the study.” [Source: http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=89125, published on 23 September 2008]

Fact: The report does not say that 1000 Israeli servicemen participated in the fighting, but rather that:

• The exact number of Israeli advisors remains unclear, but reportedly several hundred, possibly up to one thousand Israeli advisors have been active in Georgia (with reference to the web site DEBKAfile, "Israel backs Georgia in Caspian Oil Pipeline Battle with Russia ", published on 8 August 2008, address: http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1358).
• The Israeli advisors were both military and civilian and they have been training Georgian troops as well as intelligence and security organisations within the Georgian state body. Hence, only some of the Israeli advisors were occupied with military issues.
• The report does not rule out the possibility of some of these advisors having participated in the fighting, but states that “it remains very doubtful that a possible participation by Israeli advisors has had any tangible impact on the course of the war”. (Excerpts from page 29 of the report)

Allegation: “The Swedish Defence Research Agency says that General Gal Hirsh prepared technical points of Georgia’s operation in Tskhinvali.” [Sources: http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=89125, published on 23 September and [Paul Goble, http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8042&Itemid=65, published on 27 September 2008. ]

Fact: The study does not mention General Hirsh at all. This can easily be established by searching the PDF file for his name. The PDF version of the report is available at: "The Caucasian Litmus Test".

Allegation: “Swedish experts link high-level relations between Tel Aviv and Georgia to Israel’s preparing attack to Iran and its intention to use Georgia as place of arms.” [Source: http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=89125, published on 23 September 2008]

Fact: The study neither discuss the relations between Georgia and Israel, nor does it mentions anything about preparations for attacks against Iran.

Allegation: “The study notes that another interest of Tel Aviv in Georgia is connected with oil transit line.Israel buys 20 percent of the oil produced in Azerbaijan’s oil fields.” [Source: http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=89125, published on 23 September 2008]

Fact: The issue of oil and hydrocarbon energy transit lines is not discussed in the study, mainly since these issues have not significantly contributed to the emergence of or the outcome of the war in Georgia.

Allegation: Researchers at the Swedish Defence Research Agency say that the United States warned Tbilisi against sending forces into South Ossetia and did not support [Saakashvili’s] actions when he did so. [Source: Paul Goble, http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8042&Itemid=65, published on 27 September 2008.]

Fact: The study puts forward the well-known fact that US Government on several occasions urged the Georgian government to use restraint when handling the crisis, stating that the US statements to the Georgian government were made by using official statements and non-public telephone conversations. No statements referring to the US support to president Saakashvili, or lack thereof, during the war are made in the report.

Allegation: “[Researchers at the Swedish Defence Research Agency] say that Israel by its provision of advisors and equipment bore a significant share of responsibility for Mikhail Saakashvili's decision to start the conflict.” [Source: Paul Goble, http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8042&Itemid=65, published on 27 September 2008.]

Fact: The study does not state that Israel bears any share of responsibility in the emergence of the conflict, and its content does not support such an assumption.

Allegation: The study contradicts accusations made by Western, and in particular Swedish, diplomats that Russia used a disproportional amount of force in Georgia. [Source: Novye Izvestiya, http://www.newizv.ru/news/2008-09-23/98491, published 23 September 2008]

Fact: The study maintains that the Russian use of military force was restrained in so far that massive bombing and shelling was avoided (in comparison to the Russian military conduct in the two wars in Chechnya). However, this does not in any way excuse the blatant transgressions of internationally recognized borders and the international standards for peace-keeping operations. Furthermore, the restraint showed during the war has to a not negligible extent been negated by the extensive looting and destruction of Georgian public and private property after the fighting had abated.