the russia issue
I have a good friend in Yelets, Russia who wrote to me about this conflict the other day. She wrote:
"As for the conflict in Georgia – I think that neither we nor you will know all the truth. But here it is what I know.
This is the chronology and you are to make conclusion yourself.
At the beginning of August Georgia, Soutn Osetia and Russia decided not to use force.
In Osetia there were only Russian peace keepers (not from other countries)
At night of August,7 (Mark: before the Olimpic Games) Georgia fired the capital of Osetia Tshinvali from all possible guns, mortars and other weapons WITHOUT any notifying and bombed the town all the night.
During only this night about 2000 civil people were killed and the city was practically destroyed.
Russia did not do any military actions. On August, 7 on Russian initiative they called UN Security Council, but it could not decide any thing. And during this time Georgia damaged 10 ossets villages.
In the afternoon Ossetia and Russia asked Georgia to allow humanitarian corridor for civil people but Georgia refused. Russia still did not do any military actions.
By the end of the day about 35,000 refugees left Ossetia under bombing and firing. Humanitarian corridor was not opened by Georgia.
In the evening August, 7 Russia announced that it will compel Georgian to peace with its military troops. Only at this moment Russian military troops began to enter Ossetia (by the way, not more than it was written in the treaty between Georgia and Russia about the number of Russian peace keepers). And they began to fight with Georgian troops.
It was all the night, but losses of Georgian civil people are close to none because the Russians attacked only military objects.
On August, 8 Security Council was summoned on Georgian initiative and again in didn't decide anything.
On the August, 9 it called the third time and decided to send observers to the zone of conflict. Only after that Georgia opened humanitarian corridor.
Many volunteers from Abkhazia, Chechnya and Russia want to go and help the Ossets. Besides Chechnya already sent its military troops to help the Ossets.
During 10-11 of August Georgian military troops were forced out from Tshinvali and villages.
On August, 11 Saakashvili had to sign stopping of firing, but the Georgian still fired till August, 12.Oficcial information says that Ossetia lost more than 2000 civil people, and Georgia's losses are minimal (by the way even BBC World does not give the number of Georgian civil people lost).
Today French President came to Russia and proposed a variant of adjustment, Russia signed it and tomorrow Sarkazi will take it to Georgia.
And now something from history of these peoples when they were in Russian Empire. In the 19 century the Georgians all the time tried to assimilate the Ossets and even Russian tsar had to confirm Ossetic national identification and forbade Georgian to do it.
I saw on TV the conference of the UNO. Almost all the members, how their countries, accuse Russia of attack of Georgia, all say as if to our government came into the head intervene in the territory of Georgia having for the object effect for Georgia. All the world community says that and seems that the West doesn't know that Russia isn't the initiator or doesn't want to. It was about two days ago. But now the situation hasn't changed much, I think.
The thing is that America accuses Russia of intervention in Georgia but all the conflict looks as if America is on Georgian side, strictly speaking Georgia on American side and under American influence and Saakashvili never would have done all this without US' backing him.
This is what I can say of this conflict. As you see it's not simple.
I think in the USA it looks the wrong side out. Tell me please how it is.
.... One thing more: today on TV they said that in Tshinvali, the capital of the South Ossetia, which was attacked Georgian forces destroyed many important historical monuments of the Bizantine epoch and it results with that now it isn't possible to restore."
