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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Angry residents in S Ossetian capital |
| 2008-08-13 |
| In the centre of the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, many buildings have been completely destroyed in the fighting. There are apartment buildings all around with smashed windows, with bullet and shrapnel damage and gaping holes where there used to be windows. People in Tskhinvali - the few that remain after many fled the fighting - told me they can see no future for South Ossetia in Georgia now, if they ever did. They very clearly blame Georgia for the fighting and are extremely angry with President Mikhail Saakashvili, comparing him to Adolf Hitler. Russian troops have been greeted in Tskhinvali as lifesavers. People in the streets have been saying "thank you Russia, thank you Russia". Most people in South Ossetia hold Russian passports and people feel a great affinity with Russia, and with North Ossetia over the border. Posters in the street say "a united Ossetia is our future". Georgians and South Ossetians used to live side by side but it looks like this will not be possible in the future. I have seen the wreck of two Georgian tanks on a square near what was the main base of Russian peacekeepers. The Russian military, which we are travelling with, said Georgian tanks fired on the peacekeepers and that was one of the key moments in this conflict. Georgia says it only acted in response to attacks by separatist and Russian forces. I have been speaking to residents who are out trying to clear the wreck of their houses. They have told me they have no water and no electricity here and they showed me the tiny basements where they sat out the fighting with their children. One woman showed me where she hid with her daughter for two days with only a small lamp and a can of condensed milk. The streets are quiet now but we did pass villages where houses were on fire. A Russian military spokesman says the city of Tskhinvali itself is under Russian control now and there are no reports of any serious fighting. But as to when the Russian troops will withdraw, he said there had been no official order for that. I was told by the Russian army that it will respond with force if the region is attacked again. On the way to Tskhinvali I saw about 12 armoured personnel carriers carrying tired-looking Russian soldiers heading away from South Ossetia. But I have also seen military movement in the other direction, army trucks carrying personnel moving towards South Ossetia. Those who have fled, however, seem in no hurry to return. I have seen no convoy of refugees gladly returning to their capital - indeed those I spoke to yesterday in North Ossetia, said they were not ready to go back to their homes. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #1 They very clearly blame Georgia for the fighting and are extremely angry with President Mikhail Saakashvili, comparing him to Adolf Hitler. That's pretty good hyperbole, comparing a guy who shelled an enemy-held city with someone who killed 12m civilians under his control. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-08-13 14:50 |