Occupation of Gori

Occupation of Gori Part of 2008 South Ossetian War Date August 13–22, 2008 Location In and around Gori, Georgia Result Russian victory and subsequent withdrawal (negotiated).[1] Belligerents  Russia  South Ossetia  Georgia Commanders and leaders Vyacheslav Borisov[2] Unknown Strength Elements of the 58th Army Russian Air Force units Ossetian militia Georgian Army Georgian Police Casualties and losses None 9 Policemen killed 3 Policemen missing Civilian Casualties: At least 60 civilians killed, dozens of civilians wounded.[citation needed] Refugees:About 56,000[3] 1 Dutch journalist killed

Occupation of Gori was the takeover of the Georgian city of Gori and its surrounding villages by Russian military forces, which commenced on August 13, 2008 as part of the 2008 South Ossetian War, and ended with the withdrawal of Russian units from the city by 22 August 2008.^[4]

Background and initial airstrikes

Gori is a Georgian city close to the border with the breakaway province of South Ossetia. It was the staging area for the Georgian army during the Battle of Tskhinvali and was bombed several times by the Russian Air Force.^[5]

On August 9, the bombs hit a residential district of the city near the local military base, destroying and damaging several apartment buildings and a school, killing and injuring many. According to the Georgian Government, 60 were killed.^[5][6]

Georgian abandonment

By the evening of August 10, following a warning by the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs that Gori was "not safe", large numbers of the civilian population began to flee the city.^[7] The next day, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said about 56,000 people have fled the Gori District.^[3]

On August 11 Gori was abandoned by the Georgian army.^[8] The hasty retreat left a number of abandoned Georgian army vehicles and pieces of heavy military equipment behind.^[9] The Georgian forces fled to the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi.^[1]

The final air attacks

A burnt apartment building where 16 people were reportedly killed

Propulsion stage of a Russian missile in a civilian apartment on August 25, 2008

Georgian officials say Russian forces had been targeting the city's administrative buildings and claimed that the university of Gori and its post office were on fire after the bombings. On August 12, a Dutch television journalist Stan Storimans‎ was killed and several other foreigners injured when Russian warplanes bomnbed the central district of the city.^[10] 4 Georgian civilians were also killed.^[11] During the final strikes, an air-to-ground missile hit the Gori hospital.^[12]

Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international rights group, accused Russia of indiscriminately deploying cluster bombs in civilian areas during the 2008 conflict. HRW said that Russian aircraft had dropped RBK-250 cluster bombs, each containing 30 PTAB 2.5M submunitions or "bomblets" in the center of Gori on August 12, killing at least eight civilians and injuring dozens more.^[13]

Russian occupation

Around the 13 August Russian ground forces have entered Gori.^[14][15] On August 14, the Russian Ministry of Defence official Vyacheslav Borisov claimed that the city of Gori was controlled jointly by Georgian Police and Russian troops. He further said that Russian troops would start leaving Gori in two days.^[16] Russian troops said they were removing military hardware and ammunition from an arms depot outside Gori.^[17]

The Russian forces denied access to some humanitarian aid missions seeking to assist civilians. The United Nations, which has described the humanitarian situation in Gori as "desperate," was able to deliver only limited food supplies to the city.^[18] On August 15, Russian troops allowed a number of humanitarian supplies into the city but continued their blockade of the strategically located city.^[19] Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, denied that Russian troops were occupying Gori, saying that Russian soldiers "are not in Gori, have never been in Gori and do not occupy Gori," and rejecting news reports that the town was in ruins.^[20]

In the August 17 report, HRW said the organization's researchers interviewed ethnic Georgians from the city of Gori and surrounding villages who described how armed Ossetian pro-Russian militias attacked their cars and kidnapped civilians as people tried to flee in response to militia attacks on their homes following the Russian advance into the area. In phone interviews, people remaining in Gori region villages told HRW that they had witnessed looting and arson attacks by Ossetian militias in their villages, but were afraid to leave after learning about militia attacks on those who fled.^[18] The Russian human rights group Memorial called these attacks "pogroms".^[21]

Russian pull out of Gori

The last Russian military formations left the city late on August 22, 2008, and Georgian law enforcement units moved into Gori shortly thereafter. Georgian authorities have reported that they were in control of the city and its outskirts. Gigi Ugulava, the mayor of Tbilisi, said that the authorities would arrange an organized return of tens of thousands of refugees to Gori. The closest Russian checkpoint remaining in the vicinity of Gori was located in the village of Karaleti, just five kilometers from the town.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Al-Jazeera: "Georgian troops flee Gori", 12 August 08
2. ^ Eyewitness Gori's combustible mix, BBC News, 14 August 2008
3. ^ ^{a b} Humanitarian effort begins in Georgia, CNN, August 11, 2008
4. ^ ^{a b} Civil Georgia: "Police Back in Gori", 23 August 2008
5. ^ ^{a b} Russian jets attack Georgian town, BBC News, 9 August 2008
6. ^ Georgia conflict: Screams of the injured rise from residential streets, The Telegraph, 10 Aug 2008
7. ^ BBC: "Eyewitness: Mood shifts in Gori", BBC News, 10 August 2008
8. ^ AFP: "US military surprised by speed, timing of Russia military action", 11 August 2008
9. ^ Debris of a defeated Georgian army litters the road to Gori, DPA, 2008-08-12
10. ^ "Dutch journalist killed in Russian bombing of Gori". International Herald Tribune. 2008-08-12. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/12/news/Georgia-Journalist-Killed.php. Retrieved 2008-08-12. 
11. ^ Reuters - Cameraman among Georgia deaths
12. ^ The new Cold War: Crisis in the Caucasus, The Independent, 17 August 2008
13. ^ Hines, Nico (2008-08-15). "Russia accused of dropping cluster bombs on Georgian civilians". Times Online (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4539186.ece. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
14. ^ Russian forces occupy Gori, so much for the ceasefire, The Spectator, 13th August 2008
15. ^ Russian Forces Still 'Occupy' Gori, Gradual Withdrawal Predicted, AHN, 12 Aug 2008
16. ^ Russian military will leave Gori in 2 days, Interfax, 2008-08-14
17. ^ Russia says removing Georgian arms from town of Gori, Reuters, 2008-08-13
18. ^ ^{a b} Russia/Georgia: Militias Attack Civilians in Gori Region; Russia Should Curb Militias and Allow in Humanitarian Aid, Human Rights Watch, August 17, 2008
19. ^ Russian blockade continues in Gori, Associated Press, 2008-08-15
20. ^ U.S.-Russia tensions heighten over Georgia conflict, Los Angeles Times, August 15, 2008
21. ^ Chechnya: search of Sulim Yamadaev, former battalion "Vostok" commander, cancelled, Memorial, 22/8/2008