Java is the second largest urban settlement in South Ossetia, after Tskhinvali. It is located outside the officially recognized and OSCE-monitored boundaries of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone – an area within a 15-km radius of Tskhinvali. Georgia accuses the Russian military of building a large military base there. These concerns were brought by the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, to the attention of the U.N. General Assembly on September 26, 2007.1
According to the International Crisis Group, "Java is a particular irritant to Tbilisi [capital of Georgia], making the nearby northern enclave of Georgian-administered villages in the zone of conflict vulnerable in any confrontation. The observers say the tanks are often old but up to 80 tanks or armoured vehicles are reported. A military reservation/training ground is apparently under construction in Java as well."2
