News

Nadira Isaeva, editor-in-chief of the Dagestan weekly "Chernovik" (Blueprint), who came on August 13 for interrogation to the Investigatory Department of the ICPO for Dagestan, has refused to evidence.

The Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of Russia has initiated a criminal case on the fact of mass assassinations of Russian citizens in South Ossetia, under which Georgia is accused of genocide, as Igor Komissarov, assistant of the chairman of the ICPO, has reported.

After the failed "blitzkrieg" against South Ossetia, Georgia will face new economic problems, President Mikhail Saakashvili - attacks of the opposition and criminal prosecution, and Russia - possible isolation by international organizations, Russian media write today.

The emergency meeting of the heads of Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the 26 NATO member-states on Georgia, convoked on the US initiative, will take place on Tuesday, August 19, in Brussels. It became known from sources in the Belgian capital.

Georgia has lodged claims against Russia to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of the United Nations. Among other things, Georgia accuses Russia of ethnic cleanings.

The information about the march of Russian armoured machines on Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, widespread by foreign media, has nothing to do with reality, said Ekaterina (Eka) Zguladze, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

Russian losses in the conflict zone of South Ossetia with Georgia make 74 persons killed, 171 persons wounded and 19 persons registered as missing. Sandro Kvitashvili, Minister of Public Health of Georgia, has declared today that as a result of warfare after August 8 the Georgian casualties made 175 persons.

President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili is ready to accept five out of six ceasefire conditions in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone and to sign the document coordinated on August 12 by Russian and French leaders.

In Armenia, the opposition party named "Heritage" asserts that the authorities of the country became accomplices of beating a journalist of the "Aikakan Zhamanak" newspaper.

President of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh has announced the establishment of Abkhazia's jurisdiction in the upper section of the Kodori Gorge to be a great victory. In his television address to the people of Abkhazia, Mr Bagapsh has noted that "we've been waiting for this for the latest 15 years of our independence."

Under the criminal case on explosion on August 13, 2007, of the "Neva-Express" train, Pavel Kosolapov, suspected by the investigation of organizing and performing the terror act, has been announced into search.

Georgia has announced three-day mourning after the recent events that led to loss of militaries and peaceful residents. The decision was made public by Elias the Second, Catholicos-Patriarch of Whole Georgia, at his sermon in the Sacred Trinity Cathedral.

The Moscow City Court has upheld the ruling of the Kuntsevo District Court on illegality of the activities of the website "Ingushetia.Ru". Rosa Malsagova, editor-in-chief of the website, who is now in Paris, where she applied for political shelter to French authorities, has stated that the "Ingushetia.Ru" website will go on despite the court ruling.

Russia is bewildered with the silent stand of Belarusian authorities on Georgian-Ossetian conflict, said Alexander Surikov, Russian Ambassador to Belarus.

The first group of volunteers from Ukraine has arrived to South Ossetia for rendering assistance to the republic, which has suffered from warfare. Representatives of the Crimea, Lugansk, Odessa, Sevastopol and Kiev will help to clear the ruins and restore dwelling houses in Tskhinvali. Another group - consisting of Ukrainian nationalists - is going to war in region on Georgia's side.

Nagorny Karabakh has reiterated that the consequences of its conflict with Azerbaijan can be discussed only after Baku agrees to recognize the independence of the NKR (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic).

Georgia leaves the CIS, denounces the agreement on peacekeeping operation in Abkhazia and announces Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be occupied territories.

The refugees from South Ossetia, with whom the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent managed to talk today, assert that they were shelled by foreigners recruited by Georgia as mercenaries.

Today, 5 trucks with humanitarian aid went from Kabardino-Balkaria to North Ossetia 5, said Anuar Chechenov, head of the Republic's headquarters for rendering medical and social help to the victims of the armed conflict in South Ossetia and vice-premier of Kabardino-Balkaria.

Inhabitants of one of the hostels for those in need of improving their housing conditions, which were earlier named "temporary accommodation centres (TACs) of forced migrants", located in Gudermes (Chechnya), complain that on August 5 the building, where over 400 persons lived, mostly women and children, was cut off from gas and electricity supplies.