Split of Ukrainian society on conflict in South Ossetia

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.

On August 11, Kiev started forming regiments of volunteers, ready to go to help Georgia in its conflict with South Ossetia and Russia. The initiative was demonstrated by Ukrainian nationalists; however, it is not known whether they went there or not.

The group of volunteers who have arrived to the non-recognized republic was sent to South Ossetia under the Humanitarian Project "Ukraine for South Ossetia", which is realized by the Eurasian Union of Youth and the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine.

The special correspondent of the RIA "New Region" reports that the Project initiators received several thousands letters from potential volunteers. It is expected that in the near future a group of dog specialists from Kharkov will go to Tskhinvali and help with their specially trained dogs to seek people under ruins.

In the meantime, volunteers rally in Lvov intended to defend Georgia. The West-Ukrainian Information Corporation reports that this was declared today during a press conference in Lvov by Vladimir Holyavinskiy, Chairman of the UNA-UNSO Lvov Regional Organization.

As he said, Ukrainians are ready to defend Georgia, like it was in 1993 during the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. "However, now it's not the issue of mobilization, and we'll undertake no radical actions without an appeal from Kiev," said Mr Holyavinskiy.

In Kiev, the Russian Embassy was picketed by some 80 supporters of political parties named "Our Ukraine National Union", "Freedom All-Ukrainian Association", "Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists" and "Ukrainian Party", who demanded to withdraw Russian troops from Georgia, the "Ukrainian News" report.

The picketers held state and party flags and posters running: "Georgia, Ukrainian nationalist is with you!", "Russia is evil empire" and "Stop destruction of Georgian people!"