Occupation of Gori
Encyclopedia
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 Russia
n units from the city by 22 August 2008.
. It was the staging area for the Georgian army
during the Battle of Tskhinvali
and was bombed several times by the Russian Air Force
.
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.
(UNHCR) said about 56,000 people have fled the Gori District.
On August 11 Gori was abandoned by the Georgian army. The hasty retreat left a number of abandoned Georgian army vehicles and pieces of heavy military equipment behind. The Georgian forces fled to the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi
.
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. 4 Georgian civilians were also killed. During the final strikes, an air-to-ground missile hit the Gori hospital.
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.
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. Russian troops said they were removing military hardware and ammunition from an arms depot outside Gori.
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. On August 15, Russian troops allowed a number of humanitarian supplies into the city but continued their blockade of the strategically located city. 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.
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. The Russian human rights group Memorial
called these attacks "pogrom
s".
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.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
city of Gori
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
and its surrounding villages by Russian military forces
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
, which commenced on August 13, 2008 as part of the 2008 South Ossetian War, and ended with the withdrawal of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n units from the city by 22 August 2008.
Background and initial airstrikes
Gori is a Georgian city close to the border with the breakaway province of South OssetiaSouth Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
. It was the staging area for the Georgian army
Military of Georgia
The Georgian Armed Forces , is the name of the unified armed forces of Georgia. The Georgian military is a defence force consisting of the Georgian Land Forces, Georgian Air Force and a paramilitary organization Georgian National Guard...
during the Battle of Tskhinvali
Battle of Tskhinvali
The Battle of Tskhinvali was a fight for the city of Tskhinvali, capital of South Ossetia. It was the only major battle in the 2008 South Ossetia War. Georgian ground troops entered the city on early 8 August 2008, after an extensive artillery barrage. Their advance was stopped by South Ossetian...
and was bombed several times by the Russian Air Force
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...
.
On August 9, the bombs hit a residential district of the city near the local military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
, destroying and damaging several apartment buildings and a school, killing and injuring many. According to the Georgian Government, 60 were killed.
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. The next day, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR) said about 56,000 people have fled the Gori District.
On August 11 Gori was abandoned by the Georgian army. The hasty retreat left a number of abandoned Georgian army vehicles and pieces of heavy military equipment behind. The Georgian forces fled to the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
.
The final air attacks
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
(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
PTAB
PTAB was a Soviet World War II design of a Shaped Charge bomb.-Use:...
2.5M submunitions or "bomblets" in the center of Gori on August 12, killing at least eight civilians and injuring dozens more.
Russian occupation
Around the 13 August Russian ground forces have entered Gori. On August 14, the Russian Ministry of DefenceRussian Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation exercises operational leadership of the armed forces of Russia.The Russian Minister of Defence is the nominal commander of all the armed forces, serving under the president of the Russian Federation, in whom executive authority over the military is...
official Vyacheslav Borisov
Vyacheslav Borisov
Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov is a Russian major-general of the 2008 South Ossetian War.-Early life and Career:Borisov was born in Ruza, near Moscow, during the rule of the Soviet Union...
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. Russian troops said they were removing military hardware and ammunition from an arms depot outside Gori.
The Russian forces denied access to some humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
missions seeking to assist civilians. The United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, which has described the humanitarian situation in Gori as "desperate," was able to deliver only limited food supplies to the city. On August 15, Russian troops allowed a number of humanitarian supplies into the city but continued their blockade of the strategically located city. Russia's UN ambassador
Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations
This is a list of permanent representatives of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation to the United Nations- Of the Soviet Union :- Of Russia :- External links :...
, 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.
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
Ossetian
Ossetian may refer to:* The Ossetian language* A member of the Ossetian people* A person from the region of Ossetia...
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
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
and arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attacks by Ossetian militias in their villages, but were afraid to leave after learning about militia attacks on those who fled. The Russian human rights group Memorial
Memorial (society)
Memorial is an international historical and civil rights society that operates in a number of post-Soviet states. It focuses on recording and publicising the Soviet Union's totalitarian past, but also monitors human rights in post-Soviet states....
called these attacks "pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
s".
Russian pull out of Gori
The last Russian military formations left the city late on August 22, 2008, and Georgian law enforcementLaw enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
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.