The irregulars had come from the Russian-controlled South Ossetian capital, Tskinvali, five miles (8km) away. According to the villagers’ accounts, the militias, with the apparent support of the Russian army, began a campaign of ethnic cleansing, killing teenage boys, stealing vehicles, looting and burning.
There is no way to independently verify these accounts.
Georgian forces were supposed to take back control of Gori. In reality, the Russian army is refusing to leave, blockading the entrance to the town and the road north with dozens of tanks.
While negotiations took place between a Russian general and Georgia’s national security adviser, in the nearby mountains black smoke poured from a burning Georgian military base. Every few minutes there was a rumbling explosion. The air smelled of cordite.
Negotiations broke down today after the Russians insisted that the South Ossetians run Gori’s police force.
