As you know, the regular round of Geneva negotiations finished on October 13. As a representative of Secretary General of UN, Anti Turrunen told UN radio during the talks, an open and direct discussion was held where some encouraging strokes arose. The sides agreed on withdrawal of Russian military divisions from the village Perevi of Sachkhere region by Russia’s side, where they now stay isolated from the main armed group placed in Tskhinvali region.
The parties also agreed that Russian and Georgian parts would jointly restore Zankari reservoir, from where the entire region is supplied with water. European union undertakes to finance this project. The village belongs to Sachkhere municipality of Imerethi region (Tchala district). It is situated on 760 meters from the sea level and separated from Sachkhere region by 20 kilometers. According to 2002 census data, 632 people lived in the village, though, now, presumably, there is no more than 20 people in Perevi.
Perevi directly adjoins Java region, which is controlled by so called a separatist administration of South Ossetia and Russian military forces. In 2008, during the August Russia-Georgia war, Perevi was occupied by the Russian army. Perevi has remained the hearth of intensity up to now. There, Ossetian and Russian band-formations ravaged Georgian population. Majority of the village inhabitants left the territory. Russia has always spread the information that the area of Perevi and also this upper fork of the river Kvirila have always formed a part of Ossetia and the control will necessarily be restored on them.
In spite of so called Sarkozi-Medvedev agreement, the village still remained occupied, however, after the latest statements of the Russians, people were filled with hope that occupation period of their village might even really have terminated.
Zaza Kupatadze: inhabitant of Perevi: “2 years ago, when the Russians began to occupy Perevi, five Russian war-planes appeared in the sky at that time too, one of the planes was flying over the village for about half an hour and everybody expected the bombs would fall at any minute. Fortunately, the Russians did not throw bombs, but they brought in so many solders that an old block-post area was too small for them. They removed the garden fence of one of the local peasants and arranged a new camp in the middle of the yard. The Russians have been there since then. My family and I live in Georgia for good reason, but we are very happy to hear the information that the Russians are going to leave Perevi. To tell the truth, I lost hopes for happening it any time. I do not know which side is to favor this. Is it European pressure or the Russians’ touched feelings? But the most important thing is that we want the Russians really leave the territory and nothing more than it.”
As Sachkherians say, for the last period, in Perevi, about 30 Russian solders, two armored personal carriers and two infantry fighting vehicles stood with rather small forces. The aggressors controlled the Georgian village with no problem. The great part of the Russian army located in Perevi now is paratrooper. These paratroopers took baptism of fire while the Chechnya bloody campaign and in the north Caucasus they are called rather significant names – “jackols”.
In December, 2009 the Russians left Perevi for a while. This going out was preceded by a meeting between Georgian Patriarch and Medvedev. After this, President Saakashvili spoke on TV. He began boasting. Also, he made fun of Russians in his report one or two times. About half an hour passed after Saakashvili’s report when the first Russian tank returned in Perevi. The Russians were very angry and said that the commanders ordered them to go back in Perevi after Saakashvili’s address on TV.
Zaza Kupatadze: “When the Russians came back to Perevi for the second time, one Russian solder told one of my Perevian friends even the fact that Putin personally phoned their General and ordered to bring the army back in the village again. They said that the leave of the Russian army was Georgian Patriarch’s achievement and as if Medvedev made an order of army withdrawal in respect for Him. I personally doubt that Medvedev has any respect with anybody and moreover with Patriarch. In my opinion, retreat of the Russian army was conditioned by the winter. In winter conditions, provision of the Russian solders standing in the mountainous Georgian village with food would be very difficult. Though, it is my own view and I do not say that it was so in fact”.
