A Year after Russia and Georgia's Five-Day War

It's a year since her son was killed, but Etery Tandashili still feels angry. Alexander Tandashili was a Captain in the Georgian army and his family's main bread-winner. He was killed on the first day of the so-called Five Day war between Georgia and Russia.   [Etery Tandashili, Mother of Killed Captain]: "Some call it a little, pointless war. But I say no, it was a crucial war for us, as my son was killed on the very first day of it. The length of the war does not matter. It was a big war for me." It was a big war for Giuli Kasradze too. She lived in Ergneti close to Georgia's border with South Ossetia. All but 40 of the village's 175 homes were destroyed. [Giuli Kasradze, Ergneti Village Resident]: "We are looking at all that's left of 35 years hard labor. Everything was destroyed within two hours. This huge house was burned together with our wealth and our lives. We have nothing anymore except one room over there." The village of Shavshvebi was built after the war to house some of the 25,000 Georgian refugees forced to flee South Ossetia. Georgia's Refugees Minister is proud of his country's swift response to the plight of its people, but he regrets it had to intervene. [Koba Subeliani, Georgia's Refugee Minister]: "We have prevented a humanitarian catastrophe but this scene doesn't make anyone happy. We would have been much happier if this had not happened. And of course it is painful because this situation could have been avoided, if the world had been more vigilant with Russia." The war started when Georgia attacked the capital of South Ossetia, after months of tension. Russia responded with a massive counter-attack. Locals say there were no serious problems between the two neighbors until then.   They say they were simply caught in the middle of a massive power struggle — which many are still suffering from.

Category:

News & Politics

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[MichaelWilkinson9515]

5 day War wow

[mandrumoldovan]

georgian cocksuckers didn't have to start this shit...now they got what they deserve

[ger4ik85]

bla bla bla why the usa is not assist their georgian friends, how it was at the war beginning???

[Heliosvaleriy]

...gruziny, ob'edinyaites!!!....