Putin Takes a Small Second Helping of Georgian Territory

According to Tblisi, yesterday Russian troops moved a border in South Ossetia, a chunk of Georgia that Moscow seized control of in a brief 2008 war, including a section of international pipeline. ABC has more:

Georgia says the de facto border was pushed nearly a kilometer (a half mile) deeper into its territory, leaving a section of the BP-operated Baku-Supsa pipeline in Russian-controlled territory.

The new border also is only about 500 meters (yards) from the main highway running from the Georgian capital to the Black Sea.

It may be more a calibration than an annexation, but in case there was any doubt about whether Putin had somehow learned to respect borders since his tanks started rolling into Donbas, here’s a reminder that he hasn’t. Leaders in places like Tallinn and Warsaw—not to mention Kiev—will be taking note.