CLAIMS OF RUSSIAN INCURSION BEFORE START OF WAR:
"TheMission is not in a position to consider as sufficiently substantiatedthe Georgian claim concerning a large-scale Russian military incursioninto South Ossetia before 8 August 2008. However, there are a number ofreports and publications, including of Russian origin, indicating theprovision by the Russian side of training and military equipment toSouth Ossetian and Abkhaz forces prior to the August 2008 conflict.
ROLEOF SOUTH OSSETIAN FORCES: "Any operations of South Ossetian forcesoutside of the purpose of repelling the Georgian armed attack, inparticular acts perpetrated against ethnic Georgians inside and outsideSouth Ossetia, must be considered as having violated InternationalHumanitarian Law and in many cases also Human Rights Law."