Dateline: BUCHAREST

During a media interview a representative of Human Rights Watch said that “The figure of 2,000 people killed is very doubtful. Our findings so far do not in any way confirm the Russian statistics. On the contrary, they suggest the numbers are exaggerated.” She went on to suggest that this deliberate exaggeration on the part of the Russians may be in fact provoking revenge attacks on Georgian villagers in the breakaway republic of South Ossetia and in areas in and around Gori.

“The torching of houses in these villages is in some ways a result of the massive Russia propaganda machine which constantly repeats claims of genocide and exaggerates the scale of casualties,” she said. “That is then used to justify retribution.” (source UK Guardian)

Another representative of Human Rights Watch, Tanya Lokshina, detailed some of the reports they have compiled from their initial research into human rights watch abuses. “Human Rights Watch researchers also saw armed Ossetian militia members in camouflage fatigues taking household items – furniture, television sets, heaters, suitcases, carpets, and blankets – out of houses in the village of Nizhniy [Kvemo] Achabeti and loading them into their trucks.”

Explaining the looters’ actions, an Ossetian man told Human Rights Watch, “Of course, they are entitled to take things from Georgians now – because they lost their own property in Tskhinvali and other places.” (source Civil.ge)

On a lighter note Civil.ge is reporting that both Georgian and Russian military sources have said that Georgian police will be returning to Gori early on August 14th and that civilians who had fled Gori would be able to return shortly thereafter. (civil.ge) Russia still denies they were in Gori and therefore cannot say that they will be withdrawing but many media sources have confirmed Russian troops and armour in Gori today. These reports are consistent with reports I have received from civilians in Gori who saw Russian and Ossetian troops looting. Many fleeing residents from Gori were interviewed by major networks such as BBC, CNN, Aljazeera etc. and all reported similar stories from Gori and other Georgian villages in and near South Ossetia.

Georgian Public Defender, Sozar Subari, was also in Gori on August 13th and heard many eyewitness accounts of atrocities and looting and promised a thorough investigation. “We will study all these cases and table a relevant document”

[Photos: NY Times, D: B sources in Georgia]

[Georgians flee a Russian convoy approaching. Shot near Gori.]

[Georgian woman forced to leave her village near Gori. According to Human Rights Watch, preliminary investigations in South Ossetia reveal horrifying scenes of looting in deserted Georgian villages.]

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My contact has safely returned from Gori after traveling there with the diplomatic envoy to investigate claims of looting and violence against civilians on the part of the Russian troops. He and other journalists were denied entry into the city by the Russians, however, the diplomats were let in for an hour or two. Here is his direct account. I apologize for the delay but I had a problem with the internet connection.

“9:15am. August 13.
Just came back from near-Gori. Russian troops are NOT now on their way to Tbilisi. I watched the military trucks do a u-turn on the highway and drive past us we were speading to Gori.

I saw droves of refugees coming toward Tbilisi on their feet. I received several firsthand refugee accounts of their houses being looted and set on fire. We came up to Gori in a Diplomatic car. Diplomats went in, but reporters weren’t allowed. Russians blocked us entry. I was there for a little less than 2 hours.

It is surreal to see blockposts of a foreign army on the highway I used to drive freely.

Had a bizzare episode with a Russian soldier. He jumped from a tank, came up to me, all smiles, asked me for cigarette and food. Totally caught me off guard. Gave him cig. and water.”

Other media sources have reported people fleeing from Gori, some of them on foot, along the main highway that was also the scene earlier of the Russian forces advancing towards Tbilisi. Without independent observers and/or journalists able to move into Gori it’s impossible to either completely confirm or deny accounts but I have heard from multiple sources of property being looted and of people hiding or fleeing from the Russian troops that entered Gori in clear violation of the “ceasefire.”

As President Saakashvili was denouncing Russia’s violation of the less than 24 hours old “ceasefire” and Russian troops and military hardware were heading towards Tbilisi along the main highway the Russian commander issued this statement:

“If he doesn’t understand the situation, we’ll have to go further,” said the commander, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He doesn’t seem to understand that the Russian Army is much stronger than the Georgian Army. His tanks remain in their places. His air force is dead. His navy is also. His army is demoralized.” (source NY Times)

Amid the reports of executions and looting and fresh violence commited by the Russian troops in Gori I have confirmed reports that a group of “high profile diplomats” is traveling to Gori with journalists in an armoured vehicle to try and put an end to tragedies being commited. A source inside Georgia is traveling in this convoy and we should be able to bring absolutely confirmed reports of the situation in Gori in a few hours.

“5:16pm. August 13. AP report of Russian troops moving closer was confirmed. (note - later confirmed to have turned around) Harrowing stories of executions in Gori. A group of high-profile international diplomats will be going there in 30min to stop the violence. I and several other reporters will go in their armored truck.”

According to the NY Times the Russian commander of the tank battalion that has occupied Gori said that the Russians were there to look for Georgian fighters who were violating the ceasefire. So let me get this straight…Russian forces are violating the ceasefire by occupying Georgian territory far outside the conflict zone of South Ossetia in order to “make sure Georgia is not violating the ceasefire?!” Makes perfect sense really.

On a brighter note my source traveling with the convoy to Gori reports that all is still quiet in Tbilisi as of this afternoon with busses running and stores open for business. It’s incredible how different the situation can be only an hour away in Gori!

Amid reports that a Russian convoy of troops and military hardware was heading towards Tbilisi and other reports of fresh fighting in and around Gori in clear violation of the ceasefire terms comes some very disturbing reports from a journalist source inside Georgia about point blank executions and looting. Other media sources also have unconfirmed reports of looting and ethnic cleansing. I also have a contact who is in direct communication with a Georgian citizen still in Gori who is hearing gunfire and saw Russian troops moving from house to house looting and has now moved into his basement to hide. The international media needs to pick up on this! Who’s gonna stop the Russians now?!

“1:10pm, August 13

Russian troops conducted point-blank executions of several families in villages near Gori and upper Abkhazia. Took their valuables.

Nadya: airport was attacked the day yesterday, but it survived destruction. A nearby appartment buidling hit. Some demage, but the building didn’t collapse, no casualties.”

This was posted by an American reader as a comment on this very blog but I felt it was well said and should be given more visability so here it is:

I agree that more needs to be done; having a much larger and more publicized contingent of foreign envoys to occupy Tbilisi immediately with the President and act as a human diplomatic blockade/witness to the injustice would help, along with an instant call for economic sanctions targeting Russia.  With oil prices subsiding temporarily we as a world community can adjust world demand away from Russian oil and gas and create new lines of supply to those who will need altternate fuels.  As we are evidently unwilling to commit troops, we need to give the Georgian people assurance that their peaceful resistance to make the takeover of Tbilisi and Georgia unmanageable for Russia will draw real encouragement and support from more active allies, including notably the US and the UK.  If they could band together for Afghanistan and Iraq, why not Georgia? Otherwise Ukraine and all of the bordering states will be next in line for this brutality, and anyone abroad or in the US Congress  who will not join in this effort NOW, before it is effectively too late within a day ot two, with Gerogia’s President, dead, in prison or, at best, in exile. Surely those who withhold support from Georgia in their hour of need deserve the sternest treatment from a coalition - and not by making them eat Stolichnaya fries.

Thank you for reading and for your comments.

From my contact in Khashuri:

“I think their target was the Osiauri Military Base. The whole house shook [when the bombs fell]. All the ways are blocked, Mike. We can’t go anywhere.”

We had asked them to leave Khashuri for Akhaltsikhe but they said all roads are blocked, presumably by Russian forces that are advancing on Tbilisi.

Incoming report from journalist contact inside Georgia reports that Russian troops are in Sarpi on the Black Sea coast. This is the border crossing into Turkey just south of Batumi and is quite far from Senaki or Poti where Russian troops were last reported. There seems to be cessation of military activities forthcoming on the side of the Russian military. Perhaps President Bush has good intelligence that further attacks are forthcoming when he issued his statement, which seemed like a warning to Russia not to attempt to overthrow President Saakashvili’s regime.

He also reports that a Georgian missile boat has been sunk by Russian naval forces.