The city was shelled from 122-mm howitzers. 152-mm gun-howitzers, heavy mortars and primarily from 40-barrel multiple launch rocket systems BM-21 Grad (each rocket of 122-mm caliber with a 10-15 kg of explosive charge, which is enough to smash a single-storey house).
Aerial bombs were falling as the rain on residential houses, schools and kindergartens. Men, women, old men and children were seeking shelter in basements where they were buried alive by Georgian gunmen. Then, Georgian tanks and infantry entered the city as their predecessors, Nazi troops, used to do it. Survivor peaceful residents were shot dead just at the doors of the houses. Ruthlessly. All of them. Peaceful people rushed about amid flames and Georgian tanks trying to escape from the city, but the murders attacked them from different directions, and the people faced the death everywhere.
Poorly armed Ossetian self-defense units and volunteers bravely defended every foot of land, and like their grandfathers in World War II sacrificed themselves jumping under the fascist tanks with grenades and Molotov cocktails. Outposts and HQ of the Russian peacekeeping battalion became "refuges" for the peaceful people, all shelters were overcrowded.
And at that moment the Georgian troops turned their guns against the peacekeepers, against the people who provided for quiet life of Georgian peasants in adjacent villages for many years. The peacekeepers once again defended the peaceful people. 12 peacekeepers were killed and 150 wounded.
The Georgian soldiers finished wounded peacekeepers at outposts by pot shots and knives. 2000 peaceful people or about 3 per cent of the South Ossetia population were killed during 12 hours of the bloody massacre! 30,000 men, women, old men in sleepers on their bare feet and night robes embracing their small almost nude children rushed to the Russian border by vehicles and by feet. Many of them were killed on the way by Georgian troops who kept an only escape road to Russia under fire. The people of South Ossetia begged: Russia, help!
And Russia during nine hours tried to evoke a response from the heart and mind of the world community. But in vain. And then somewhere about 3 p.m. Russian military aircraft appeared in the sky over Tzhinval, and the first Russian tanks of the 58th Army passed through the Roksky tunnel. These steps immediately made Georgians to shorten sails, so when the next morning on August 9 the Russian tanks entered Tzhnival, everything became clear to everybody. "The party will not go on".
On the same day, Saturday August 9, the President of the Russian Federation claimed that Russia started a peace enforcement operation to coerce Georgia into peace, and pursuant to the international peacekeeping mandate and its own Constitution came to defend the attacked Russian peacekeepers and peaceful Russian citizens residing in South Ossetia. The troops were assigned to return the Georgian aggressor to the position as of early August 2008 and put an end to annihilation of the peaceful people. Already on Saturday, President Medvedev gave an order to the Russian Military Prosecutor to commence investigation of the act of genocide in South Ossetia.
All bla-bla-bla about the war of Russia against Georgia is nonsense and delirium of partisan media and Saakashvili whose behavior and mimics clearly demonstrate the symptoms of mental disorder, and who was absolutely precisely called “a younglish hawk” by Eduard Kokoity.
I would like to ask clear-headed Georgians and Western common people: Do you really believe it? If Russia really had unleashed war against Georgia, already today fifty per cent of the Georgian economy and infrastructure would have been in ruins after the strikes of the Russian strategic aviation and cruise-missiles, already today Russian tank columns would have entered the outskirts of Tbilisi, already today all military aerodromes of Georgia would have been under control of our paratroopers, and our mariners would have received prisoners on the beaches of Poti and Batumi after capitulation of local garrisons. Or are you really so much brain-washed by “war blockbusters” and militant rhetoric of Saakashvili et al that you cannot understand that the power of the Russian army is not comparable with the Georgian army, likewise the power of the Georgian army was not comparable with the South Ossetia self-defense forces? Therefore what war of Russia against Georgia is it possible to speak about?!
For several hundred years from the time of the Georgian Treaty Georgia was a lovely petted child of Russia. Both in the time of the Empire and in the time of Communists Russia fed and defended Georgia. Russia always looked at Georgia with a smile of the Olympic Teddy Bear. But today the politicians betraying the Georgian national interests aggravated the Russian-Georgian relationship so much that Georgians instead of the Teddy Bear’s smile of Olympic Games-80 saw bared teeth of an angry Russian brown bear. And now, unfortunately, for long. But we will speak about it later…
Today, it is already possible to speak about certain results of the Georgian military adventure and certain conclusions, which Russia and not only Russia may come to.
So, the results.
The first. Today, we have to unambiguously say that the Saakashvili’s policy has resulted in irrevocable loss by Georgia of a major part of its best and strategically important territory. Now no reconciliation in the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgia-South Ossetian conflicts is possible at all. A peaceful option, which was so much spoken about by Russia, may be discussed now by fanatic fantasts only. Abkhazia and South Ossetia can be a part of Georgia neither after hundred years nor after two hundred years. When this prospect was recently discussed by E. Shevardnadze on TV Channel Rustavi-2, he probably did not take into account inadequate behavior of his successor. Forceful resolution of these conflicts by Georgia today also looks impossible that was clearly confirmed by the tanks of the 58th Army.
All prospects of any compromises between the Georgians, Abkhazians and Ossetians have vanished due to the efforts of Saakashvili et al.
It is Saakashvili and his retinue that are liable for the deterioration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia. In the short-term prospect, with such head of state it will be possible to speak already about the loss of statehood by Georgia.
The second. A very painful for all sides but objective result. Whatever politicians would speak from big nostrums but at the everyday level the attitude to Georgians in the Russian society is changing and has already changed. And it is natural, after all of us saw on TV and after Russian soldiers saw in particular in South Ossetia, after they packed the bodies of their killed comrades-peacekeepers; Georgians for them, for their mothers, fathers, wives, widows, relatives and friends became “the dusmans”, as our soldiers used to call enemies since the time of the Afghan war.
King Georgy Saakadze, Prince Bagration, Georgian old man of the “Soldier’s Father” movie or attractive Mimino in the hearts of ordinary Russians today have nothing in common with today’s Georgians. Whatever our human right defender Vladimir Lukin would speak about the danger of such sentiments, whatever praise he would give to the Georgian expat community in Russia, the people will think differently and treat them differently. And if they as good as V. Lukin says, let them, rather rich people, collect 50-100 million Dollars to help funding the restoration of Tzhinval, destroyed by their compatriots, and medical treatment of Russian soldiers and Russian peaceful people mutilated by their compatriots.
Such good-will gesture would actually show what the Georgian expat community in Russia is. What do you think about it, Mr. Zurab Tsereteli? Otherwise it looks like it was only Saakashvili and his sidekicks military and civilian Mamukas who came and killed 3 per cent of the South Ossetian nation within a few hours while a majority of Georgians didn’t rejoice at every bullet killing the Russian soldier but stood at rallies protesting against the Saakashvili’s adventure. I am flatly against any ethnic strife, but I would like that various people both in Russia and Georgia think about this problem seriously because it is really a big trouble that may come to any mixed married family, to the home of any Georgian or Russian living either in Tbilisi or in Moscow.
Let the Georgian people just ask themselves why Russians looked at Georgians with a smile of the Olympic Teddy Bear for several hundred years and now are looking with the eyes of the enraged brown bear.
Above, we spoke about impossible compromises, now let us speak about possible ones.
What is Georgia for the United States? Is it a homeland of Queen Tamara, David the Builder, St. Nina , ancient Orthodox Christian culture of the proud mountainous nation? Deuce a bit! A majority of Americans even does not know where this “Georgia” is situated and absolutely indifferent to the national Georgian cuisine famous in Russia. All American puffing about the stronghold of democracy in the Caucasus, about Euro-Atlantic values cultivated in remote
Georgian villages, about the defense of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a far and mysterious land - Georgia is just “talks for simpletons” as my father-in-law used to say.
For the United States Georgia is a territory of hydrocarbon transit via pipeline Baku-Ceyhan, in which American corporations invested huge money and from which they expect good income from the investments. There is also another interest, but we will discuss it later. The United States has a tough and pragmatic approach to Georgia. And if in this situation the Georgian leadership and majority of Georgia’s population admire Americans, it means that they accept this pragmatic approach. In this case why should Russia carry the torch of the one-way love? We may accept this pragmatic even rather cynical US-Georgian approach (designed not by us) and play according to these rules. In the situation when Georgia without Abkhazia and South Ossetia is perceived only also as “an American hydrocarbon transit territory populated by Georgians”, Russia may have a broad field for maneuvers.
So, both Russia and the Urinated States may come to a conclusion that in this situation we do not have antagonist contradictions but just competitive disagreements in the region. It means that we may talk about it of course on the bilateral basis because “the hydrocarbon transit territory” cannot play any role in these deals. Such talks would be the most efficient if they were conducted not with biased politicians but with real heads of the American and transnational corporations interested in their stable business in the Caucasus.
The corporations are interested in safety of their investments and Project Baku-Ceyhan in general. It sounds good, so we have a subject to discuss. The United States should understand that withdrawal of the Georgian troops to their initial positions and even farer is more beneficial to America than to anybody else. The soul of each killed Russian soldier and militiaman in this just war only consolidates the Russian society and Russian statehood. Because for us, Russians, “The God is in the truth”. On the other side, each killed Georgian soldier undermines the Saakashvili’s ruling regime anticipating its ruin. The more the casualties of the Georgian army, the closer the collapse. And you will have no doubts about the number of these casualties, if you see the eye of Ossetian militiamen and listen to the commanders of the Russian troops. Therefore the sooner the hostilities end, the higher are the chances of the United States to preserve the Saakashvili’s regime.
Moreover, if Americans think well and clear, they will understand that the national self-determination of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is advantageous to them; moreover even powerful Russian military presence in these new republics is in their interests too. Firstly, it enables them to draw Georgia in NATO and legitimize the presence of American “pipe-protection” troops in this country; secondly, the powerful Russian military contingent in Abkhazia and South Ossetia is a real guarantor of safe functioning of this “pipe” and receipt of regular income by the American corporations simultaneously saving money on the reduced strength of their own troops.
So, we have certain subjects to discuss and bargain, if Georgia’s irresponsive actions made us to do it. As for the fact that after admission to NATO “the hydrocarbon transit territory” will be put of the edge of economic collapse, it has nothing to do with us, with the United States and with our possible arrangements. After all it is true that in the conditions when Georgia lacks its own successfully functioning economy (the Georgian economy even in the time of the USSR was extremely lossmaking), plus has a huge national debt and lacks any financial and economic relations with Russia (what else may Georgia expect?) Georgians will have to have their breakfast and lunch only with own grapes, and dinner –with tea. But who of them will care? Instead they will be in NATO at last! Besides, to be frank, as far as I know the sentimental heart of Americans, they will definitely distribute to Georgians free hamburgers on Sundays.
So, Russia and the USA may duly find a compromise, make the respective arrangements and determine the terms of the deal. And Russia and the US need not to be so tragic about it - all agreements and arrangements always have their time parameters and finally depend on a strategic or regional balance of forces. As for “the hydrocarbon transit territory populated by Georgians”, it is an architect of its own fortunes.
Now the aforementioned second interest. For the United States Georgia is also a bridgehead for the future use of the Karabakh factor as an anti-Russian ram to expand its access to the resources of the Caspian Sea. But this problem is rather ambiguous and sensitive. It would be not wise either of us or of the United States to emphasize this problem just today in the conditions of the war in South Ossetia. The United States has its trump cards there but our capabilities and prospects in triangle Azerbaijan-Russia-Armenia are very good and favorable. The result of the game there depends more on Russia than on the United States.
The main conclusion – the today’s developments create in the Caucasus and in the Transcaucasia in particular new political conditions, in which the prospects of certain compromises completely vanish while the prospects of other compromises become more feasible yet without participation of Georgia.
