News

In the evening on August 24, in Karaleti village, 5 km off to the north of Gori, Georgian and South-Ossetian parties exchanged their prisoners of war, as reported by the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia.

President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili has assessed the damage caused by Russia during military operations and accused Moscow of unleashing the conflict in South Ossetia. The British Financial Times gives an interview with the Georgian leader.

Russian State Duma has called the international community and President Dmitri Medvedev to recognize the sovereign status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Earlier today, an appeal to Russian President urging him to recognize independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was adopted by the Federation Council.

France and Great Britain have supported the US viewpoint about incomplete withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.

The Parliament of North Ossetia demands demilitarization of Georgia or reduction of its armed forces and asserts that Georgia should compensate the material damage from the war in South Ossetia. This is stated in the Parliament's appeal to Russian authorities.

At today's extraordinary sitting, the Parliament of Georgia has supported the proposal of President Mikhail Saakashvili to extend the martial law in the country from August 24 till September 8. In his turn, General-Colonel Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of Russian Armed Forces, has stated that Tbilisi gets ready to new warfare and provocations in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.

According to the authorities of South Ossetia, 2100 peaceful citizens fell victims of the warfare, General-Colonel Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of Russian Armed Forces, said today in a press conference.

Thomas Hammerberg, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, finds it too early to announce the exact figure of casualties and victims of the war in South Ossetia.

Journalist Sergey Rozhkov, now trialled in the Krasnodar Territory under part 1, Article 318 of Russian Criminal Code ("Violence against power official"), has announced a hunger strike in protest against the "absurd indictment" and "prejudiced justice."

The World Trade Organization (WTO) will slow down the process of Russia's accession in reply to actions of this country in the Georgian-South-Ossetian conflict zone, said Matthew Bryza, assistant of the US Under Secretary of State.

Ekaterina Tkeshelashvili, Foreign Minister of Georgia, believes that a possible unilateral recognition by Russia of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will mean nothing. However, experts think that Russia can find allies amidst the world community.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has refuted the statement made by Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of Russian Armed Forces, according to which the OSCE had known the date of Georgia's attack on South Ossetia but failed to warn Russian peacekeepers.

Tskhinvali suffered a lot in the warfare in the capital of South Ossetia from bombardments, but the majority of houses survived, in many respects thanks to Russia's support, as the Ossetian civil guardsmen and journalists who visited the battlefield report.

John Beyrle, US Ambassador to the Russian Federation, believes that Russia was absolutely reasonable in responding to the attack of Georgia on Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia.

The Russian-language RTVi television channel, which was stopped on August 19 after broadcasting the interview of Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, to the "Echo Moskvy" Radio dealing with the conflict in South Ossetia and future Russia-Georgia relations, has resumed its broadcasting. In that interview, Mr Lavrov justified the invasion of troops into Georgia.

Today, Russian and Georgian militaries exchanged their prisoners of war at the building of hospital in the city of Gori. 17 Georgians were exchanged for 10 Russian soldiers.

Today, the Parliament of South Ossetia has adopted an appeal to President of Russia and Federal Assembly with a request to recognize the independence of this republic.

Anatoly Serdyukov, Russian Minister of Defence of Russia has reported to the Supreme Commander in Chief - President of Russia - that the withdrawal of the Russian military units, which had been attached to the peacekeeping contingent, of which Dmitri Medvedev stated on August 17, is over.

Chechen investigatory bodies have cancelled the federal search of Sulim Yamadaev, former commander of the "Vostok" (East) battalion of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division of the Ministry of Defence, reported today the official spokesman of the Investigatory Department of the Investigatory Committee at the Russian Prosecutor's Office for Chechnya.

Conductor Valery Gergiev, head of the Mariinsky Theatre, said on August 21 after the concert-requiem performed by his orchestra in Tskhinvali that now the capital of South Ossetia resembles the post-war Stalingrad by the scale of its ruins.