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O 291522Z AUG 08 ZDS
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 002601 
 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y  (DOWNGRADED CLASSIFICATION) 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV RS GG
SUBJECT: MFA HANDS OVER PACKAGE DOCUMENTING GEORGIAN 
ACTIONS IN SOUTH OSSETIA 
 
MOSCOW 00002601  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary:  On August 27, Deputy Foreign Minister 
Grigoriy Karasin passed to the Ambassador a package of photos 
and a video documentary meant to document Georgian aggression 
in South Ossetia.  The documentary argued that Georgians 
intended to kill the South Ossetian people and destroy their 
cities, while Russia was only a peacekeeper who fought 
valiantly to protect the South Ossetians.  The video 
contained several allegations of U.S. involvement in the 
conflict, and asserted that Georgia had been preparing to 
attack South Ossetia since June 2008.  Direct quotes from the 
documentary related to Georgia's intent and the destruction 
of South Ossetia are provided in paragraphs 6-7.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  On August 27, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoriy 
Karasin passed to the Ambassador a package of materials meant 
to illustrate Georgian aggression in South Ossetia.  The 
package consisted of 40 photos from state-funded ITAR-TASS 
and a 25-minute documentary video by the pro-Kremlin NTV 
television station dubbed in English.  The photos primarily 
consisted of distraught mothers and children, hospital staff 
administering care, people returning to destroyed buildings, 
and deceased individuals in coffins. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  The focus of the documentary was to convince the 
viewer about the intent of the Georgian side to kill or harm 
South Ossetians and bring about the physical destruction of 
South Ossetia.  It made the argument that Georgia started the 
conflict and intentionally used BM-21 multiple-launch "GRAD" 
rockets to kill innocent South Ossetians.  It portrayed 
Russia as only a peacekeeper whose troops fought valiantly to 
protect South Ossetians and alleged that Georgia and the West 
launched an information war against the South Ossetians and 
Russians.  The footage used in the documentary mainly 
consisted of rocket-fire at night, destroyed buildings, brief 
interviews with Tskhinvali residents, and crying families. 
 
U.S. Involvement in the Georgian Operation 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The documentary also argued that the West, and 
specifically the U.S., assisted the Georgian military.   To 
this end, the documentary included an interview with Russian 
nationalist Alexander Dugin who said that the Georgians used 
American military tactics.  It showed a Russian soldier 
displaying a confiscated green plastic bag with English text 
that he referred to as "American writing."  Furthermore, the 
video showed a South Ossetian official saying that his troops 
"had found items from among the Georgian troops that belonged 
to Americans." 
 
Georgian Intent 
--------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The video also included a brief interview of a 
"captured Georgian commando" with a burned face who spoke 
only a few words, but off-camera the Russian translator spoke 
for a minute, saying that the commando knew about the attack 
on Tskhinvali since August 3.  As further evidence of 
Georgia's well-prepared plans, the documentary said that the 
FSB had discovered a Georgian spy network.  It showed footage 
of the June 11, 2008 arrest of Russian Alexander Kachirov, 
who said that Georgian intelligence services paid him U.S. 
dollars to take video of the positions of Russian 
peacekeepers in South Ossetia. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  To show that Georgia intended to destroy South 
Ossetia's people and towns, the documentary includes the 
following direct quotes: 
 
--"The night of August 7 Georgian President Saakashvili 
claimed he was ready for negotiations, but at 11:30 that 
evening, Georgia opened fire on Tskhinvali with GRAD rockets 
from the Georgian towns of Nikozi and Ergeti.  GRAD rockets 
can hardly be called a method to establish order, it was just 
an execution of the city of several thousand people." 
 
--"On August 8, Georgian tanks wiped out 10 South Ossetian 
villages from the face of the earth and entered Tskhinvali, 
systematically killing peaceful residents only because they 
were Ossetians.  Georgians fired at residential buildings on 
their way into the city.  They used GRAD rockets and then 
machine-gunned houses.  They also knew people were hiding in 
 
MOSCOW 00002601  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
basements, so they threw grenades into the basements.  The 
Georgians attacked ambulances and destroyed the hospital. 
They fired at people who decided to leave by car, fired at 
young boys and old women." 
 
--"Georgia said that the South Ossetians fired first because 
it had to establish the constitutional order to suppress the 
provocation.  Russian peacekeepers were in the way so 
Georgian troops killed them.  All laws worldwide prohibit 
shooting at peacekeepers; it is a war crime." 
 
--"The name of the Georgian mission in South Ossetia was 
"Clear Field."  The Russian military captured documents and 
maps that prove the Georgians had a well-prepared plan.  It 
is now clear what the purpose was of NATO and the U.S. arming 
Georgia." 
 
South Ossetia Destruction 
------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The following are direct quotes made during the 
documentary meant to show the destruction of South Ossetia 
and its people: 
 
--"Tskhinvali residents fled to their basements, men fought 
with Kalishnikovs but were no match for Georgian artillery 
fire.  There was no electricity or water, food was scarce for 
South Ossetians." 
 
--"On August 8, Russians entered to stop the extermination of 
South Ossetia.  All Ossetians knew they would be slaughtered 
without Russia's assistance.  Investigators are now 
collecting evidence of genocide." 
 
--Interview of a crying Tskhinvali man:  "This was an 
extermination of a peaceful people, he (Saakashvili) crushed 
a family with tanks.  Bloodsucker! Such barbarity never 
existed among human beings." 
 
--Interview with woman:  "Georgian troops jumped out of tanks 
and threw grenades into basements because they knew people 
were hiding there.  A Georgian tank crushed a fleeing woman 
and her grandsons." 
 
--The documentary ends with a tearful woman crying, "We will 
rebuild our city but we will never revive our boys," and the 
commentator saying that in the future the Ossetians will hold 
a blood revenge against Saakashvili according to the 
tradition of people in the Caucasus. 
BEYRLE