Achabeti

Interview place, time and date: Tbilisi, 15.08.08
Interviewer organization: "Article 42 of the Constitution", Gabisonia Tamar
Respondent:man,55 years
Story code:0066
12. On 9 August My neighbour and I saw Russian soldiers and there was a dialogue between us:
We: What's the matter?
Russian soldiers: Is Georgia near here?
We: This is Georgia, we are Georgians.
Russian soldiers: Is the capital far from here?
We: Yes
Russian soldiers: Get out of here if you are Georgians and want to save your lives.
At the same time Russian aircrafts ware attacking us, I heard some shots and explosions. The soldiers broke shops and robbed them, they spoke Russian.
There were Ossetians following Russian army beating, killing, robbing civilians and destroying their houses. I ran to the forest to save my life. One of my neighbours, Omar Babutsidze (patronic name – Sandro) refused to escape with us saying that he would shake hands with anyone, a Russian or an Ossetian and they would not harm him. Next day we were told that his body had been seen in front of his gate with his head cut.
As concerns my property I had in Achabeti: 2 cows with its calves, sheep, a tractor with its plough, a house and a garden. The approximate value of my property is 80,000$, I had an income of about 8,000$ per year.