International

In South Ossetia, Georgian Villages Burn

By Gregory Feifer

Published August 15, 2008 at 1:00 PM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

A ruined residential quarter in Tskhinvali, the capital of the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia. Georgia signed a cease-fire deal on Aug. 15 to end the conflict with Russia.

Georgian villages are burning in South Ossetia despite the presence of thousands of Russian soldiers in the area.

Many buildings are still burning after attacks by local South Ossetians allied to the Russian military. The stench of smoke is everywhere. Last week, Georgia attempted to take control of the breakaway region.

Residential areas of the regional capital were apparently attacked by Georgian artillery at the start of the conflict.

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International

Gregory Feifer

Gregory Feifer reports for NPR from Moscow, covering Russia's resurgence under President Vladimir Putin and the country's transition to the post-Putin era. He files from other former Soviet republics and across Russia, where he's observed the effects of the country's vast new oil wealth on an increasingly nationalistic society as well as Moscow's rekindling of a new Cold War-style opposition to the West.

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