It is hard to estimate Georgia's loss of equipment. According to various estimates, around 50 machines were destroyed in combat, including 20 tanks, and about 100 vehicles, including 65 tanks, were seized by Russian forces after the Georgian army retreated.

The Russian force was not significantly superior to Georgia's; the former Soviet republic of Georgia even had the advantage of fighting on its own familiar grounds.

This leads us to a conclusion that Russia has won a decisive victory, defeating the forces of strongly pro-American, U.S.-supported Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, and destroying or seizing a great amount of military equipment. The victory guarantees the Russian-supported secessionist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia within Georgia against further attempts at forceful annexation by Saakashvili's government in Tbilisi for a substantial period of time, unless the Georgian leadership rushes into another senseless adventure and risks another military confrontation with Russia.

The main political outcome of the war, apart from the recognition on Aug. 26 of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent countries, was a split in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in which the United States, Britain and Eastern Europe became opposed to the major nations of Western Europe.

The former group insisted on all-out support of Georgia, while the latter voiced understanding of Russia's position in this conflict and dismissed the idea of imposing sanctions as counterproductive.

The Russian media is clearly dominated by pro-Russian sentiments, which also meet with some understanding and support in the West, despite the landslide of anti-Russian and even Russo-phobic articles in the foreign press.

Incidentally, as time passes, Western assessments of the five-day war, which is now history, grow more weighted and objective. A unified anti-Russian bloc never formed here, except perhaps Poland and the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, with their strong dislike of Russia, and Ukraine, whose bid to join the NATO club has U.S. support.

The outcome of the war can be expressed in a few short words: The world is changing rapidly. Russia's self-assertion as one of the key players in the international arena, combined with a snowballing global financial crisis and a revision of many liberal values we inherited from the 1990s, suggests that we are witnessing a turn in history with global consequences. We are being swept by the winds of change.

(Ilya Kramnik is a military commentator for RIA Novosti. This article is reprinted by permission of RIA Novosti. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.)

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)

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