Angry residents in S Ossetian capital

[LSK]

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.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7558619.stm

[dkf]

1. South Ossetian "volunteers" following Russian Army into Georgia, looting murdering and raping.

For the terrified residents of Gori and surrounding villages, it didn't seem like help. Yesterday morning, as the Russian tanks advanced from their base in South Ossetia they passed through Georgian controlled-villages, telling residents to hang out white flags or be shot.

Behind them, according to people fleeing those villages, came a militia army of Chechen and Ossetian volunteers who had joined up with the regular Russian army. The volunteers embarked on an orgy of looting, burning, murdering and rape, witnesses claimed, adding that the irregulars had carried off young girls and men.

"They killed my neighbour's 15-year-old son. Everyone was fleeing in panic," Larisa Lazarashvili, 45, said. "The Russian tanks arrived at our village at 11.20am. We ran away. We left everything - our cattle, our house, and our possessions."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/14/georgia.russia

[MH1]

3. But by reading DU you will learn that what was done was "justified",

that the Georgians "had it coming" and we should be cheering the Russians.

:puke:

[dkf]

5. Both sides are reckless and wrong. No winners here.

[Javaman]

6. exactly. nothing more than the war of the morons. nt

[hedgehog]

2. How many people here are aware that the Ossetians speak a different language than either the

Russians or the Georgians? All told, we're talking less than 100,000 people here, Ossetian and Georgian. If the Ossetians want to go with Russia, I say let them!

[ensho]

4. kick

nt