World | Other World Stories
'Take Russian passport or leave town'
The eyes were bloodshot and the face unshaven but the South Ossetian commander used his pen like an officious clerk.
- By Damien McElroy, Telegraph Group
- Published: 23:30 August 31, 2008
Akhalgori: The eyes were bloodshot and the face unshaven but the South Ossetian commander used his pen like an officious clerk.
The school exercise book in which he jotted has become a weapon in Russia's war in Georgia. In Akhalgori, which Russian troops seized on Tuesday as part of an extended buffer zone round South Ossetia, it is a vital tool in a campaign to force ethnic Georgians to accept Russian passports.
Akhalgori's residents must register at checkpoints, giving details that are passed on to the town police station. A new Russian-appointed chief of police gives people a stark choice: take a Russian passport, or leave the town.
Passports are a vital plank in Russia's strategy of securing a toehold in democratic Georgia. By issuing citizenship to South Ossetians, Russia gained a pretext to invade in August, claiming to be defending its own from Georgian attacks.
Since signing a ceasefire with Georgia two weeks ago, the Russian military and its local allies have carved a substantial buffer zone round the tiny enclave. Now Moscow has shipped in what Georgian officials call "industrial batches" of passports.
"The Russians are telling everyone they must take a Russian passport," said Akhalgori shopowner Guram Chkhvidze. "One explained that if I did not take it, my safety could not be certain. I was scared, so I am leaving."
Journalists looking to enter Akhalgori must seek accreditation from the South Ossetia "government". Diplomats have access and an Estonian mission was allowed in Saturday.
The Sunday Telegraph was allowed to spend a short time in Akhalgori, despite its lack of paperwork. "It is normal here," said the commander. "Life in the town is peaceful."
Akhalgori has not been subjected to the looting that Russian-backed forces have inflicted on other Georgian towns. But its population of 6,800 is said to have halved in a week.
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