Data on destructions in Tskhinvali exaggerated, eyewitnesses say

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.

Many office buildings, some high-rise buildings and several districts, including the well-known "Jewish town" - the old part of Tskhinvali, were completely destroyed.

"Tskhinvali has no gas, electricity and water supplies, shops do not work. To have a drink of tea, we had every time to make fire in the yard of the house where we lived. Food means bread (the bakery continued to work all these days) and army rations brought by civil guardsmen," write the journalists of the edition "South-Caucasian Integration. Alternative Start".

According to civil guardsmen, without support of the Russian army the city would have been seized by Georgian troops. But first Georgian tanks were turned back by civil guardsmen - the armed forces of South Ossetia appeared to be unprepared to war.

Also, journalists visited the Ossetian village of Khetagurovo. They say that practically not a single house had survived there, streets are empty and cadaverous smell is felt that comes from under ruins.

"I never saw such things even during the war in Egypt, where I served as an adviser," said Akhsarbek Mamiev, a resigned colonel and former chairman of rural soviet. "As a military, I don't understand the logic of their operation and the admitted barbarity. They used 'Grad' installations against a peaceful village! They knew perfectly well that we have neither Ossetian militaries nor civil guardsmen present here."

The ex-colonel said that, when the head of the rural soviet, he worked in close contact with administrations of neighbouring Georgian villages. We lived peacefully and happily, there were many mixed marriages. Everything has changed in recent years: "From the times of Gamsakhurdia, our neighbours were inspired that they are exclusive that the last Georgian swineherd is superior to Ossetian professor. Is it rightful?"

Robberies and marauding prospered in villages, journalists say. "One of our acquaintances furiously proved that he had the right to take away any Georgian car he likes, because his own one was burned down at bombardment. The other one said that the property in the deserted houses is not a military trophy, and taking it is a shame," writes the edition "South-Caucasian Integration" in one of its articles.

However, on August 13, Russian militaries set up their posts on the roads running both from Georgian enclaves and from Georgia proper. Militaries kept stopping examining the passing vehicles to restrict the export of stolen property.