The Georgian Aggression of ’08 is Remembered… “Nothing is Forgotten… No One is Forgotten”

On Monday night, Russian youth group members lit candles at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in memory of those killed in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict. The memorial observance Свеча памяти (Candle of Memory) opened on 8 August at 23.00 MSK (20.00 UTC 15.00 EDT 12.00 PDT). 500 activists attended the event, Anna Biryukova, a spokesman for the youth group Nashi (Ours) told Interfax. Participants observed a moment of silence in memory of the civilians, Russian peacekeepers, and Ossetian militia killed in South Ossetia.

“We mourn all who died as a result of these terrible events, and demand the condemnation of the actions of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who fought against his own people and against its history”, said Maria Kislitsyna, the organiser of the rally. On the evening of 8 August 2008, the Georgian army opened a heavy bombardment on Tskhinvali from Grad rocket launchers and artillery. Only then, did statements appear that Georgia effectively declared war on South Ossetia. The Georgian aggression, according to the Investigative Committee of the RF Procurator, claimed the lives of 162 South Ossetian civilians and 67 Russian soldiers. 255 Ossetians were injured; more than 30,000 {out of a pre-war population of 60-70,000, nearly 50% of the total: editor} were forced to flee their homes.

Meet the Ossetians! A great people… marked for extermination by America’s stooge Saakashvili…

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In Tskhinvali, they remembered the events of two years ago. Memorial observances began on Saturday night at exactly 23.35 MSK (20.35 UTC 15.35 EDT 12.35 PDT), the exact moment that the Georgians started their bombardment of South Ossetian territory. There were many civilian victims of the Georgian attack, and 67 Russian peacekeepers died in the defence of South Ossetia from the invaders. According to Вести.Ru (Vesti.Ru), on Sunday night, the central square of Tskhinvali was filled with hundreds of people who held lit candles in memory of the victims of the bloody aggression in the summer of 2008.

Everyone remembers the chronology of these events in South Ossetia by heart. In the evening of 7 August, on Georgian television, Mikhail Saakashvili promised that he would not go to war, and that South Ossetia could sleep peacefully. People went home, and, literally, within an hour, Tskhinvali was engulfed by fire from Grad rocket launchers. People remember how the town burned, as children hid in basements, as tanks shot at civilians at point-blank range. These days will remain forever in their memories. There are still many reminders of the brutal attack left in Tskhinvali. One sees the charred skeleton of the university, which was one of the first objectives of the aggressors, and the broken walls of a department store. This reminds people of the events of the recent past.

Today, local residents need not fear for their safety and security. Along with their own armed forces, Russian units help safeguard the region, the base of the 4th Guards is on the edge of town. They were amongst the first troops who came to liberate the burning city in August 2008. The North Ossetian branch of the United Russia bloc does what it can to support the troops, and a delegation from the party visited local bases. “Both the (Russian) government and the United Russia bloc do what they can to strengthen South Ossetia and to restore its economic base. We’re doing everything that we can to ensure that everyone who lives here has a better life, so they can look confidently to tomorrow”, according to Lyudmila Takaeva, secretary of the Political Council of the North Ossetian branch of the United Russia bloc. Today, Tskhinvali is changing rapidly. New houses are springing up amidst the ruins, along with the restoration of social and administrative facilities. Two years ago, the people of South Ossetia defended their land, and, despite the fact that the memories of that war are still fresh, they people confidently look forward to build a new and peaceful life.

9 August 2010

Interfax-Religion

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=36843

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2010/08/08/14950352.html

Editor’s Note:

What do you do if you are in the US forces and receive orders to go to Georgia or to train the Georgian thugs? You can ask for another assignment, it won’t hurt your career if you’re upfront and honest about it all. We should not be aiding godless secularist warmongers such as Saakashvili… especially not when they are attacking an Orthodox state. That’s simple enough… don’t help the neocon bandits if you can avoid it.

BMD