Russian commission proves Georgia guilty of starting war in South Ossetia

The commanders of the Georgian army and brigade generals of that country are proved guilty of organizing an attack on South Ossetia which affected 5,315 civilians, chief of the Prosecutor General’s Office Investigation Committee told a press conference on Friday.

“We proved the guilt of commanders, chiefs and brigade generals of the Georgian army in this crime,” Alexander Bastrykin was quoted by Itar Tass as saying without specifying their names.

Bastrykin said that the committee, containing over 100 investigators, questioned more than 1,000 witnesses among the civilians. The number of people proved affected in the war is estimated at 5,315 people.

“We have fully proved the essential elements of the offence: genocide and murder of a large number of civilians, 5,315 people were found injured,” Bastrykin said.

Bastrykin also said the committee found proof of Georgia’s use of prohibited weapons and war techniques, again without specifying anything.

So far, he said, the investigation confirmed death of 162 South Ossetian civilians in the August conflict, but the number is not final, he added.

Meanwhile, Bastrykin noted that the investigators still lack “direct (evidence of) orders from Saakashvili to launch a military operation in South Ossetia.” “But we will do our best to obtain these orders. The generals obviously could not give orders to launch the combat actions without the signature of the supreme commander-in-chief,” he said.

Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in August after Russian said Georgia launched an artillery attack on the separatist South Ossetia’s capital city of Tskhinval.