Since independence, as Georgia attempted to become closer to western Europe and the Atlantic community, its relations with Russia have deteriorated. The Five Days War in August 2008 comes as a result of the mounting tensions between Russia and Georgia, after the Rose Revolution. Successive Russian provocations show clearly that Moscow was preparing for a showdown. However, Moscow may have made a mistake when it decided to recognize the unilateral declarations of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.