VZCZCXRO1806
RR RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #2599 2421440
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291440Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9767
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS MOSCOW 002599 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL RS
SUBJECT: CASUALTY FIGURES IN SOUTH OSSETIA VARY, STILL 
UNKNOWN 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  In the aftermath of active fighting in 
South Ossetia, numerous leaders and agencies from Russia, 
Georgia, the United States, international agencies, and the 
self-proclaimed South Ossetian government have reported 
varying death toll figures.  While there is no consensus, 
published figures from the Russian and so-called South 
Ossetian governments vastly exceed those from the U.S., 
Georgia, and human rights agencies.  Council of Europe Human 
Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg stated in an Interfax 
press conference on August 29 that the number of casualties, 
while still unknown and undeterminable, exceeds figures 
quoted by international organizations.  End Summary. 
 
Civilian Deaths 
--------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Since August 8, civilian casualty estimates cited 
publicly by Russian and foreign officials in South Ossetia 
have ranged from 44 to over 2,000; however, Russian and South 
Ossetian figures are all 1,000 or higher. South Ossetia's 
Prosecutor General's Office proclaimed on August 29 that 
exactly 1,692 people were killed, but ventured that only 
1,500 were injured in the Georgian conflict, a figure 
slightly lower than that cited by South Ossetian President 
Eduard Kokoity.  On August 25, Kokoity claimed that 2,000 
civilians died in the conflict.  Yet, on August 22, Chief of 
the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee Irina 
Gagloyeva stated that 1,492 civilians died in South Ossetia. 
Russian Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov declared on 
August 25 that approximately 1,000 South Ossetian citizens 
perished in the conflict. The lowest figure from the Russian 
side came on August 20 from Deputy Chairman of the 
Investigations Committee of the Russian Prosecutor General's 
Office Boris Salmaksov who totaled known South Ossetian 
casualties at 133. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Calling the situation a humanitarian catastrophe 
but not genocide, Hammarberg in an August 29 press conference 
discouraged the publication of casualty numbers, positing 
that it is too difficult to know exact figures at this stage 
(Note: Hammarberg made a similar statement on August 23).  In 
an August 27 meeting with the Ambassador, Russian Human 
Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin also refused to estimate 
casualty figures and to call events in South Ossetia 
"genocide."  In Hammarberg's August 29 meeting with Duma 
Speaker Boris Gryzlov, he noted that some people had been 
buried quickly in family gardens to prevent an epidemic, and 
the possibility of more buried civilians complicated casualty 
estimates.  At the same time, Hammarberg said the death toll 
was higher than that reported by some international 
organizations.  On August 14, Human Rights Watch Moscow 
Deputy Director Tanya Lokshina stated that the Tshkinvali 
city hospital reported 44 civilian deaths.  The Washington 
Post printed the same figure for Tshkinvali on August 25, 
also noting figures from hospitals in Tbilisi (70) and Gori 
(64).  Georgia-based Kavkaz Press reported 25 deaths in Gori 
on August 25.  In wild contrast, Russian military experts 
estimated Georgia's death toll at 4,000 on August 15. 
 
Military Deaths 
--------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) While the precise count for Russian military deaths 
has varied since the outbreak of violence, the majority of 
officials reported fewer than 70 deaths.  On August 24, 
Russian military officials tallied 64 deceased military 
personnel, a figure supported by Russian Colonel-General 
Anatoly Novogitsyn on August 20.  Russian daily Komsomolskaya 
Pravda reported 51 Russian military deaths on August 18 while 
Rossiya TV reported over 70 Russian military deaths on August 
¶15. Russian officials stated on August 25 that approximately 
200 Georgian soldiers died in the fighting, with another 
150-180 Georgian soldiers still missing. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Despite numerous reports from government officials, 
human rights watchdogs, and press outlets in South Ossetia, 
there is not a consistent estimate, much less a precise 
number, of casualties. 
BEYRLE