Georgians start to pick up the pieces despite Russia presence

[bemildred]

Source: Haaretz

GORI, Georgia - Despite Russia's pledge to begin withdrawing its troops from Georgia on Monday, no pullback preparations were visible as of Sunday afternoon. Russian armored forces did leave the village of Igoeti, some 35 kilometers from the capital Tbilisi, but instead of withdrawing, they dug into camouflaged positions with good views of the country's main road. Convoys of supplies and engineering equipment continued to flow toward these positions.

The Russians also maintained their presence in the city of Gori, though they allowed Georgia's civil authorities to begin organizing food and medical services. The Georgian police were still not allowed to operate in the city. But, five days after taking over, the Russians did finally allow an organized entry of reporters into Gori.

Contrary to previous reports, there were no signs of large-scale destruction or looting in the city, except for a few stores and one bank branch. However, dozens of homes had been bombed from the air. There was a huge crater between two apartment houses near Stalin Square, in the center of town, made by a 1,000-kilogram bomb dropped from a Sukhoi fighter plane. Tamara Mediashvili, the curator of the Stalin Museum, which documents the life of the city's most famous son, was putting pieces of cardboard together to cover the shattered windows. She said the damage was done by a bomb that fell in the courtyard of the museum, which also features the house where Stalin was born, covered with a marble dome adorned with the hammer and sickle, and the train car that he used on his travels. It seems as if, 55 years after the dictator's death, Russian soldiers are still afraid to damage his memory.

Inside, the ponderous Soviet grandeur was everywhere, with red carpets, oil paintings and statues documenting events from his life. The museum is presently closed to the public, as are all of Gori's businesses and institutions.

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1012647.html