South Ossetia: "without the Russians we’d all be dead"

12/08/2008 / GEORGIA - RUSSIA

South Ossetia: "without the Russians we’d all be dead"

Russia has ordered an end to its military operation in South Ossetia, although a date has yet to be set for the withdrawal of Russian troops, which invaded the Georgian breakaway province on Friday. Our Observers in North Ossetia, South Ossetia and Georgia comment on the situation.

Contributors

Napoleon Tabouev

Liza Valieva

Oleg Panfilov O...

"Without the Russians we’d all be dead"

Napoleon Tabouev, 53, is a chauffeur in Tskhinvali, South Ossetia.

I've been hiding in the cellar of my building with my neighbours since the start of all this. There are about 150 of us. You can't even escape through a side building, because people are still shooting outside. The town has been completely ruined: there's rubble everywhere. Luckily there's a bread factory not far away. We go there to eat and charge our phones because the electricity's still turned on. We haven't got access to television or news of any kind.

The Georgians act like animals. They crushed people with their tanks [not verified]. Without the Russians we'd all be dead."

Napoleon Tabouev

"After what’s happened, I want North and South Ossetia (…) to become part of the Russian Federation"

Liza Valieva, 28, lives in North Ossetia. She's the editor of the site www.ossetia.ru and writes the blog Valieva.com.

I might have been unsure about South Ossetia's future before, but I'm not now. After what's happened, I want North and South Ossetia to be reunited and become part of the Russian Federation. Of course, everyone dreams of independence, but economically, taking into account our landlocked circumstances, it's never going to happen.

Before the first conflict in 1991, the South Ossetians were closer to the Georgians than to the North Ossetians. This was largely because there was a natural frontier between the north and south - the mountains. There were many mixed marriages [between South Ossetians and Georgians] and young people went to study in Tbilisi rather than Vladikavkaz [North Ossetia]. The South Ossetians had more or less the same customs as the Georgian people. They lived together, side by side. Before this war, they kept up good relations. It's really this conflict that's changed all that.

South Ossetian refugees sheltered in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia.

Photos: Liza Valieva.

Liza Valieva

"It’s the Russians who incited South Ossetia into provoking Georgia"

Oleg Panfilov, a Tajikistan national, is the director of the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations, which criticises the lack of press freedom in Russia. Oleg was in Tbilisi when the conflict broke out.

It's the Russians who incited South Ossetia into provoking Georgia, because they were worried about losing a diplomatic game. It was easy, because the Ossetian leaders are all former members of the Soviet or Russian secret services. So Georgia was in fact intervening to neutralise military groups that posed a threat to them. Russia took the opportunity to try to seize part of Georgia's territory [South Ossetia and Abkhazia]. They're trying to recreate the Soviet Union. I hope that the US and the EU will realise what a major threat this dictator, Putin, poses, and save Georgia, which is a beacon of democracy in the region."

Oleg Panfilov O...

Français

Comments

2008 ELECTION CROWNS PUTIN AS CHESS MASTER

Submitted by TRIATHLON (not verified) on Sat, 06/09/2008 - 00:49.

2008 ELECTIONS CROWNS PUTIN AS THE CHESS MASTER

The timing of the former Soviet Russian Republic of Georgia’s attack upon (UN) United Nations “Blue Helmeted” Peacekeeping forces, forced the (DIPN) Democratic Imperial Presidential Nominee choice of Senate Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Joe Biden after the fool who is the (DIPN) Grand Chess Master, was checkmated by the true Grand Master Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

We are the (US/MIC) United States Military Industrial Complex, our foreign policy is the Zbigniew Brzezinski The Grand Chessboard (FSD) Full-Spectrum-Domination, politics theory, the (US/MIC) to (CIA& MOSAD) to Halliburton to (Blackwater & KBR) to the (I.V.P.) Imperial Vice President to The Office of the Imperial Presidency, Georgia, Poland, and the end of the (20th) Century Pox America loss of empire.

CHECK AND MATE!

Blog review

Submitted by Ostap Karmodi on Wed, 13/08/2008 - 12:23.

Hi,
I've made a blog review on the issue. I translated posts from Russian and Georgian bloggers. Here it is :
http://observers.france24.com/fr/content/20080812-ostap-blog-review-ossetia...
Ostap, Observer for Russia

Excellent blog Ostap, very

Submitted by Sam Vander (not verified) on Thu, 14/08/2008 - 03:53.

Excellent blog Ostap, very helpful

As a Russian in the UK, I

Submitted by Alex (not verified) on Wed, 13/08/2008 - 09:55.

As a Russian in the UK, I was shocked by our local UK coverage of the whole affair from the very beginning - it is biased, shallow, very US oriented and absolutely inhumane.

Cold War cliches and guessing who will profit from this.
The fact that innocent people got killed en mass, under cover of the night, after having been told by Saakhashvili that there wouldn't be any hostilities - is completely ignored.

Used to be a fan of CNN - not any more.

Actually my wife (she is English) and I do watch France24 very often (on
Firebird) and find it more refreshing and balanced than CNN and BBC.

Saakhashvili is trying to drag in the whole world in the mess he started - "the world and I".
His favorite words is "democratic values" - suggesting that Russia is not a democracy: looks like he uses it TOO often, thus devaluing the slogan.
The funny thing - I find that Russia is more free now than our UK.

I don't think it was a deliberate attempt by Russia to invade Georgia - the invasion was badly implemented..
South Ossetia would be an economic burden for Russia as it require lots of money, resources and political efforts to keep that country stable.
But it is unavoidable: Russia bear responsibility for the well-being of the people of South Ossetia.

I'm grieving for the people killed - irrespective of nationalities.

sorry

Submitted by maia weed (not verified) on Thu, 11/09/2008 - 00:02.

I am Georgian and I feel sorry for you and many Russians in Russia and abroad.
I honestly believe Russian people deserve freedom, democracy and correct information and right to elect the president. You are deprived all...... I am sorry..... hope for a brighter future in UK.
M.