Refugees from South Ossetia sheltering in an abandoned school building in Tbilisi.Photo am 18. August 2008 von s.o.s.georgia
Fotostream von s.o.s.georgia
35A Tsereteli St. , Refugee shelter, 13. August 2008
Mamisashvili Venera, 51, resident of Eredvi (village in S. Ossetia)
I left on 11th of August. At first they told us there would be terrible bombardments. That's why we left…we were hiding on the valleys at first, but they did not allow us to stay there either. So I decided to go back to the village, because, you know, my heart was pushing me there, I did not want to leave my house. They were urging me to leave, saying "go auntie (Georgian way of calling an unknown woman), go, leave", but I was insisting on entering my house. Finally, they forcefully took me out of the house. Bombs were being dropped in every corner, it was getting blurry, you would not be able to see anything in a few minutes… bombs destroyed everything, people were dying. Even though military base is far from the village, civilians were involved in the fight as well. They were tackling the civilians. Village is 5-6 kilometers away from the base. However, bombs were dropped right in the heart of it. One of the bombs was dropped on a bus getting civilians out of the gorge. Houses were burnt down along with the people in them. I got out; I am sitting here and crying now. We walked all the way here; I don't even remember how we got to this place.
We have not seen the troops. We were frightened because of the bombs. All the glasses in our houses shattered. If they got into the house, they would have broken everything, they would harm our cattle. It's true that the house is still there, but it is burnt down. I am here and I don't know exactly in what conditions it is, but people say the villages have been burnt down and destroyed.
At first there were a few gun shots, I don't know if Russians or Ossetians were shooting, but I guess they were Russian, because they were holding Russia's flags. Troops were definitely from Russia. They were shooting from what we call Russian spots.
We were not afraid of the shots, because we could hide in a lot of places, but bombs scared us to death. That's why everybody left the village. Airplanes and fighters were
bombing us. Houses were destroyed, cattle were killed, and people were dead.
Our relatives are still there. I have a sister in Vanati. Can you imagine? She is walking through the village during those bombardments, when everyone is shooting. She is hiding in the bushes sometimes. We need help to get people like my sister out of the village, they need help… How can we get them out of the village?
That's the trouble we are in. See how our country has been destroyed? My heart is aching…
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IDP story
We barely managed to get out; we left by Kamaz (truck). Two days ago we took our kids to Gori. Then when the situation in Gori was escalating they went back to the villages. And when situation in Gori was getting worse they met us with Kamaz truck on the road and we took it to Gori, where we transferred to doctors' bus and left by it.
While we were in the village it was constantly bombed. Since then, as we are here we hear rumors that they are going around and robbing houses, they even set houses on fire after they're done robbing.
I don't know what the situation is; I don't know anything so far. We have no contacts with the village. My relatives are probably devastated, but weather they are dead or wounded, I don't know. Before the army came, we witnessed bombing and my neighbors' house, I don't know weather it was a bomb or what, but six people was killed. This is what we witnessed.
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IDP stories
- I left when the first explosions happened, practically I fled.
I left by bus. We left during chaos and panic.
I don't know what happened to my house. My husband's parents are still in the village, the elderly, and I don't know what the situation is. We left them alone without any supervision.
- I am from Nokozi.
We left Nikozi, the shootings were intense. We came to Gori and then we went to my sister's and then we came here. There were non-stop shootings. Planes were bombing. My house is completely destroyed. I don't know if my relatives are dead or alive so far.
- I am from Achabeti. When the shooting already began they told us to take children and leave the village immediately. There was no transport and we walked. Sometimes we walked through woods and sometimes we walked and walked alongside the road, and finally, we barely made it to here. They were shooting in our village too, but I don't know now if it's destroyed. We have no contact, they are saying that Ossetians came in, but I don't know.
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IDP Story
- It was on TV, I saw it
– he said: Chechen fighters were coming through sewerage system. They know that survivors and wounded people are hiding in basements and wherever they meet them they shot them to death. It's impossible to transport dead bodies out of there. I was there for so long and they didn't let the ambulance in. And now can you imagine when they go in with tanks and everything, they probably drove all over everything. Now they are sending Chechens in sewerage pipes to see if someone is hiding there. To my mind, I am speaking from my own experience, what happened in Chechnya, I know a little. Now the whole city is occupied, where would one hide?! Even if you are healthy
– you can't get out, can you?! You go hide in basements when you see it. When they start to clean up basements you go to hide in ruins. Chechens even manage to find hidden people there. Well the last thing that the enemy will think to look is sewerage system. Well, you go to sewerage pipe to hide. Even there they lifted up the leads and sent in Chechens. That's what's happening as I think. God save those guys who get caught in their hands. They are in a terrible position. The first thing that should have been done is the corridor to let people out.
Photo 18. August 2008 von gstop@ymail.com Fotostream von gstop@ymail.com
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IDP, Lower Nikozi (Tskhinvali Region)
- We are from lower Nikozi. We left amidst cross-fire. During the shooting as we got very scared the village started to get deserted and people were leaving; every time it got a little bit quieter – we used to go back. Finally explosions became so violent that now children were in panic and we decided to leave. The next day the road was blocked. We left, reservists were taken and they were followed by bus, which we took.
I have no idea about the condition of my house. My in-laws (father-in-law and mother-in-law) stayed there and I don't even know how they are. We were able to contact them briefly only once and they said nothing is happening so far. There are lots of robberies. There are burglaries of houses. They are saying if the hose is descent (looks good from outside), they're going in and robbing it, but as for destroying, I think…well, I don't know. I was speaking on a cell phone, and the connection was bad. The only thing we ask "What is the situation, how are you?"- like that. They are saying they go out in a yard at night and staying at home during the day. When it's little bit quiet, we are coming – they said – because usually shootings used to occur at night, but I don't know now.
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Makvala Archvadze
I am scared of them... My husband is very sick, an invalid of the 1st class and we could not get him out, he remained there. I hope they did not kill him ... Sister and niece came from Tbilisi to take care of him and they also remained there, they are Georgians and have not heard anything from them yet. I am very worried about them too. Two of my brothers, niece and husband are all there, have no idea whether they are dead or still alive.
We used to Live in Tskhinvali. First, when we lost Tkhinvali we were forced to move and find a temporary shelter, my husband's family had a house in the village so we decided to settle there, renovated a house and started farming to support the family. Now we were forced to leave the village house too, we lost 2 homes, have neither village nor town house. I am here now at my sister's, she herself is in Tskhinvali and I am here with her husband... I am here sweltering with tears of whearabouts of my sister... It has been three days now since I lef the village, before I used to be with my husband all the time. My husband has a brain blood clot and he cannot move.
We left Tskhinvali many years ago when there were first signs of political unrest and moved to Eredvi village, where we used to have the family house. Our village was the largest village and we used to fortefy Gori. Now Eredvi is all aloof, every village is empty... they entered Gori.
Our village was heavily bombed... houses are destroyed, some are burnt, our house is also destroyed, we were inside the house when the first bomb fell. All our neghborhood is distructed to the carpet level. I togather with my brother in law walked all the way from Gori region, bombs were thrown over our heads many times, one of them wounded my brother in law and poor creature crawled wounded several killometers. Not only bombs were thrown, they also fired guns at us, they saw people in the streets and were targeting specifically on civilians.
Cannot distringuish weather they were Ossetians or Russians. Ossetians are backed by Russians and they tell them who lives there and here, this is one big gang. One never knows what is in their minds.
I had a very good relationship with Ossetians. I myself grew up in Tskhnivali and had many Ossetian neighbors.
As I said it is three days we left Eredvi... I stayed there and continued taking care of my husband, until military jets started firing at us, we hid in basements, until the heavy bomberdment, but then had to leave.
Eredvi village is all wiped out. Every single house is burnt, very few people remained. There was one mentally sick man, they could not get him out from the village, many elderly women stayed thought they would not be killed becuase of their age. I do not know what happened with them now. are they alive? I do not know what happaned to my husband either.
My husband is so sick he cannot even talk... Even if he was not bombed how would he remained alive not eating for all these days. One of the elderly women told me to leave and promised she'd take care of him. One thing I know is I left a full house and was forced to move.
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contact: georgiawar@gmail.com
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