Report from Georgian missionary

The following is from a missionary friend of ours who lives in Georgia. It certainly gives a different spin on the situation than we see in most of the media.

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On August 6th there were reports of fighting in South Ossetia.  Every summer there is fighting in South Ossetia.  For instance last year about half of the Villages, mostly in the eastern part of South Ossetia, voted to be under the leadership of pro-Georgian Ossetian government.  The separatists in the Capital tried to cut all supplies to these villages and in response the Georgian government built, under fire, an alternative network of dirt roads to supply these villages with gas, food and water.  The fighting was so bad that the pastor that we work with in South Ossetia could not get back from Tbilisi to his churches in South Ossetia.    That was last year and that was just one story I could tell.
            I wanted you to know that because on August 6th everyone here greeted news of fighting with a shrug.  However this year the Ossetia rebels really pushed things and not only began shelling the villages with mortars but also began shelling the Georgian troops in Georgia.  The Russians version of peacekeeping lead them to warn the Georgians not to respond to the attacks, literally saying it was Ok for the Ossetian rebels to shoot at Georgians but it was not ok for the Georgians to shoot back.  Early in the morning on August 7th Saakashvili ordered the Georgian Army to end the Rebel threat once and for all.  Using the alternative road network built last year the Georgian army bypassed the Russian peacekeepers and attacked the Ossetian “militia” directly.
            Now it needs to be said that the so-called Ossetian government is just a mafia ring that happens to be backed by the Russian government.  The corruption and crime is so rampant that last year “retired” Russian army officers took over most “cabinet” positions in the “government” of South Ossetia because the entire enclave was close to total collapse. The militia of South Ossetia is made up of criminals, smugglers, black market arms dealers and narco traders and the other part are young Ossetian men, untrained and innocent but with no prospects of a job or trade see the militia as a way to earn money.  By the way I have been to South Ossetia and spoken with militia men.  I have first hand information.
            That having been said they were no match for the Georgian army and pretty much ran away as fast as they could.  The Russians tried to force some to stand and fight for the capital of Tskhinvali but after a few score died from engaging the Georgian forces they ran away again.  By the night of August 7th South Ossetia was controlled by Georgian forces and there was peace in the region.
            At this point we were all relieved here and very happy.  The Russians seemed shocked by how fast the Georgian take over was since there was no more fighting we thought that things would stay peaceful.  Everyone thought Russia would do something but we did not really expect an invasion.  Again showing how surprised the Russians were by the speed of the Georgian take over they had sent in special Russian trained militia to reinforce the Ossetian militia over a 1,000 of these militia rushed into Georgia but the speed and power of the Georgian military was so great these militia also ran away.
            So on August 7th late at night the Russian army invaded.  The first wave of troops had more armored vehicles than the entire Georgian army.  All the next day the battle raged for South Ossetia and Russian jets began bombing all across Georgia.  Things became very intense as a lot of men that I know had to go and join the army and get ready for the fighting.  People became increasingly nervous and the first Georgian civilians were killed.  People began to flee from Gori and surrounding villages and we lost contact with a large group of believers there.  Most of them had fled. 
            By end of the day on the 8th the Georgians had lost the battle for South Ossetia and fled back to Gori.  Russian jets were flying all over Georgia and bombing military and civilian targets and they were attacking cars along the roadsides at random.  Driving anywhere in Georgia was dangerous and if you heard or saw jet in the air you could be attacked.  I saw Russian Jets overhead twice and praise God that was as close as I came to the actual fighting.  I have to say though that you just can’t imagine how it feels to have enemy planes over your head knowing they could drop bombs, shoot rockets or strafe you at will just for fun.  I hope you never have to experience that. 
            We also had our first refugee problem a short term trip of American medical personal was in Gori when the bombing started. They fled to Kakheti stayed there for a day and then got away to Armenia.  At the same time another group of American short term missionaries were in Tbilisi and they had planned to visit us but with the escalating conflict they decided to leave as well.  So all the short term people made it out safely.
            The Georgian army withdrawal from the South Ossetia had been as much about limiting the conflict as much as defeat.  From the hills south of the capital of South Ossetia the Georgian army could have fought for another day or two.  Because of the bombing of Georgia from the Russian air force the Georgians decided to retreat and let things cool down.  However Russians were not really there for “peacekeeping” as they claimed.  If they had been peacekeeping then they had succeeded by the end of this day.  However instead of allowing peace to return to the country they invaded.  The bombing continued included some in the southern regions of Kakheti roughly 40 miles from my home.  At this point the Georgian army fled in a panic and retreated to Tbilisi for a last stand leaving the rest of the country vulnerable to attack.
            At this point we briefly had refugees here from Tbilisi.  A rumor started that Russian armies were entering Tbilisi.  What had happened is that some of the retreating Georgian soldiers had been mistaken for Russians.  This lead to several thousand people to flee the capital, also this is when the mass exodus of Americans and other foreign nationals began.  By this time hundreds of Americans had fled the country going to Armenia because the airport here had been bombed. 
            Also the refugee situation became even worse because the Russians opened a second front in the breakaway region of Abkhazia.  Again the Russians say that they were peace keeping but since there was total peace in the region the invasion was breaking the peace. Also the Abkhazian rebel forces attacked Georgian government positions in the region which would obligate the Russians to stop them. However the Russians claimed that this was no problem for “peace” in the region.
            The last few days of the fighting were really just the Russians driving all over the western half of the country destroying Georgians military equipment and buildings and shipping in truck loads of Ossetian mafia and Abkhazian militia to loot towns and villages under Russian control.  They claimed they came into these regions to protect the Georgians from vengeful Abkhazians, who had never been attacked, and Ossetians but he Russians shipped them in themselves and they protected them as they looted.  At this point the Abkhazians and the Ossetians began shooting children, women and men at random, robbing, looting and raping young women all while the Russians looked on.
            Meanwhile in the Kakheti we were spared all these troubles and we as churches began prepared to receive possible refugees and to start relief efforts.  That is where we are now.  However it has been incredibly hard watching what has happened here and how Russia has tortured Georgia.  First provoking the fight in South Ossetia and then escalating the conflict and involving the Abkhazians.  It also has been hard to see all the wounded, dead and destroyed.  To see Russian troops standing where I have often been and watching them destroy things that I have been too and even used. It is has been hard but at least we have all been safe here and others have been much worse off. I thank God that He has given me the opportunity to be placed to help the broken hearted and those who are so desperately in need of Christ.
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Please keep this whole situation before our Lord in prayer and continue to pray for our Christian brothers & sisters as they bring the good news of Jesus to this once-again war-torn land.