News

On August 19, Grach Melkumyan, head of the Radio Liberty service in Armenia, was beaten in the centre of Yerevan. People at the Radio office convinced that the attack is directly related to the journalist's professional activities.

Indications have appeared evidencing the beginning of withdrawal of Russian troops from Gori. Thus, last night Russian forces closed two checkpoints in the city, as the correspondent of the Tbilisi bureau of Radio Liberty reports.

The aggravation of situation around South Ossetia has taken place for the guilt of Georgian politicians, said President of Czechia Vaclav Klaus in his interview published on August 18 in the Prague-based newspaper "Mlada Front Dnes".

Creative unions of Abkhazia believe that the USA, as the country that rendered permanent military aid to Georgia, cannot further act as intermediaries in settling conflicts, and should bear political and legal responsibility for the consequences of its policy.

Today at night, an intrusion of an unknown aircraft into the air space of Abkhazia was prevented, as Anatoly Zaitsev, Chief of the Joint Staff of Armed Forces of Abkhazia, told the journalists.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko believes that Russia did everything "accurately and beautifully" during Georgia's aggression on South Ossetia. At his meeting with Dmitri Medvedev in Sochi he thanked Russia "for wisdom."

On August 18, Mirza Sakit (Sakit Zakhidov), a satirist of the "Azadlyg" newspaper, who is serving his term at the Penitentiary Establishment No. 14, went on a hunger strike.

General-Colonel Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of Russian Armed Forces, has stated today that the troops' withdrawal schedule away from the conflict zone in Georgia "will depend on the situation."

Today at 11:00 a.m. (10:00 a.m. Moscow time), near Igoeti village (some 40 km off the capital of Georgia), at the checkpoint set up by Russian militaries, the exchange of prisoners took place.

The Supreme Court of Dagestan has acquitted nine defendants accused of terrorism and illegal keeping of weapon. It became known at the trial that the defendants had been tortured.

On August 17, General Anatoly Zaitsev, commander of the Joint Staff of Armed Forces of Abkhazia, has stated that after liberation of the upper section of Kodori Gorge it became clear that Georgia was roughly breaking the Moscow ceasefire agreement and misinforming the parties in the negotiation process.

Russia has announced the start of withdrawal of her military contingent from Georgia, however, the Georgian party has not confirmed the start of this process.

The would-be today's exchange of prisoners of war between Georgia and Russia has failed. The parties are accusing each other.

Yesterday, on August 17, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) informed that, despite the statement of President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity, Georgian refugees are fully entitled to return to their villages abandoned by them after aggravation of the conflict.

According to updated information, as a result of explosion in "Abu-Bekr" Mosque located in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, two believers were lost and 13 more were wounded. Seven are still in hospital, two of them in heavy condition. The law enforcers examine different versions, including a terror act and personal vengeance.

Yesterday, on August 17, the first column of UN's humanitarian aid arrived to the city of Gori (Georgia). According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the city is devastated by marauders and looks completely deserted.

David Kezerashvili, Minister of Defence of Georgia, told journalists on August 17 when visiting the Vasian Military Base that 133 militaries were lost and 50 more are regarded missing after the warfare in South Ossetia.

Today, in Gali District of Abkhazia, two Abkhazian frontier guards were killed and two more wounded by explosion of a radio-controlled mine. Journalists were informed about the fact by Lavrentiy Mikvabiya, coordinator of power agencies of the Gali District.

Today, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan has registered the incumbent President Ilham Aliev as a candidate for the position of the state leader at the forthcoming presidential election on October 15.

Today, President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev has held a sitting of the Security Council, where they considered the post-conflict settlement in South Ossetia. The President has informed that he had signed the six-point plan coordinated between Russia and France.