00:06 – Heavy artillery shelling from the Georgian villages of Nikozi and Ergneti, as well as from the Georgian city of Gori, targeted at the capital city of the Republic of South Ossetia, Tskhinval, has begun. Ossetian villages of Dmenis, Sarabuk, Satikar, Tsunar, Khetagurovo, Velit, Mugut, Didmukha, Znaur, Galuanta and others are also under heavy shelling.
00:42 – Georgia has officially announced the war. The Commander of the Georgian peacekeepers Mamuka Kurashvili officially informs the Commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) in the conflict zone, Major-General Marat Kulakhmetov, that Georgia is starting its military operation in the zone of Georgian-Osseitan conflict to restore constitutional order in South Ossetia. He calls on the Russian peacekeepers deployed in the conflict zone not to interfere into the situation.
01:00 – Howitzer and large-caliber mortar fire opened at the villages of Dmenis, Znaur and Khetagurovo.
01:38 – Assault at Tskhinval is taking place in all directions. The Georgian side is shelling Tskhinval from GRAD artillery systems, howitzer and large-caliber mortars.
02:00 – Tskhinval volunteer fighters are defending the city, taking the positions in the northern, southern and western parts of the city.
02:10 – The Republican Hospital starts receiving first influx of wounded from the southern part of Tskhinval, Gudjabaur.
02.50 – Georgia reports about forcing out South Ossetian armed groups from some of the villages.
03.20 – Georgian airforce appears.
03:46 –Georgia has launched a tank attack at southern outskirts of Tskhinval. South Ossetian forces offer resistance. State Minister of Georgia Temur Yakobashvili reports Tskhinval is surrounded by Georgian armed forces.
03:50 – Targeted shelling aimed at annihilation at the village of Tsunar-Khetagurovo. Georgian armed forces enter the village. Georgian military commit atrocities.
04:00 – Russia demands for emergency session of the UN Security Council.
04:35 – Georgia misinforms the international community reporting about complete seizure of Tskhinval, while in reality, the forces are located four kilometers from the borderline.
05:12 –Georgian SU-25 again attack South Ossetia. The irrigation pipeline in the northern part of Tskhinval is damaged. The basements sheltering civilians from Georgian fire are being flooded.
09:23 – Georgia reports seizure of Tskhinval. Nonetheless, the Georgian armed forces have not managed advancing farther than 4 kilometers inside the capital city. South Ossetian Interior Ministry Special Detachment (SOBR) succeeds in preventing advancement of Georgian tanks along Stalin Street. 4 Georgian tanks destroyed, the whole group of Georgian infantry in this part of the city annihilated.
10:00 – UN does not come to any decision on South Ossetia.
11:00 – Vladimir Putin states that the action of Georgia “will cause retaliatory measures”.
11:03 – Russian peacekeepers report killed and wounded in Georgian shelling.
11:05 – Eduard Kokoity meets the president of North Ossetia Taimuraz Mamsurov.
13:45 – Street fighting is taking place in the south-eastern part of the city, as well as in the center of the city. The hospital is destroyed, the University building is burning. South Ossetian Interior Ministry Special Squad (OMON) is defending the eastern entry to the city. Major part of the Georgian infantry located in the area of “Oak Grove” is destroyed. Afro-Americans are found among the killed Georgian military personnel.
15:00 – Dmitry Medvedev states Russia will not leave the actions of Georgia unpunished.
15:30 – Tskhinval is ruined. The governmental building is burnt down, the TV building is destroyed, 60 % of housing in the city is destroyed.
16:20 – Tskhinval volunteer fighters and armed detachments merge and mobilize their forces to prevent Georgian tanks’ advancement farther than the north-west part of the city. 7 Georgian tanks and major part of the infantry destroyed. The hospital continues receiving the wounded. 31 persons reported killed.
16:30 – Russia demands for emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in South Ossetia.
17:00 – Georgian armed forces attempt new assault at Tskhinval. They are defeated by Tskhinval volunteer fighters, OMON and SOBR.
18:00 – Georgian armed forces are committing atrocities in the southern part of the city. They are throwing hand-grenades to shelter basements, flooding them with water, firing t them. They do not allow picking up the killed in the streets.
19:00 – Georgian armed forces again open heavy fire in all directions of their offensive.
21:00 – The Jewish Quarter of Tskhinval and Molodezhnaya street are destroyed, the secondary school #5 is burning. The city is under fire throughout the night. Dwelling houses in Stalin, Tabolov, Oktyabrskaya, Geroev, Komsomolskaya are destroyed. The Museum is Vasily Ivanovich Abaev is destroyed. Всю ночь идет обстрел города. Полностью разрушены жилые корпуса на ул. Сталина, Таболова, Октябрьская, Героев, Комсомольская. Уничтожен дом-музей Василия Ивановича Абаева.
21:20 – The shelling of Tskhinval from all types of large-caliber weapons continues to go on. The assault at the city is taking place in all directions.
21:33 – Armed forces of South Ossetia come to a direct combat contact with Georgian military personnel at the entry to Tskhinval. “Heavy fighting is taking place, the enemy is suffering losses”, states the President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity. “Our forces feel confident”, he underlines.
22:01 – The situation in remote Leningor district of South Ossetia is catastrophic. Civilians of Tsinagar village have to escape in the forests where they are shot at by Georgians.
22:03 – The Republican hospital in the capital city of South Ossetia, Tskhinval, is under heavy artillery fire. All medical personnel are in shelter basement. Due to heavy shelling, it is still impossible to bring the wounded to the hospital, report the RES Agency correposndent in the hospital.
22:09 – Civilian population, elderly and children are under intensive fire of GRAD artillery systems, as well as large-caliber cannons and mortars. At the entries to Tskhinval, street fighting is ongoing. Majority of projectiles and shells are blowing up in the center of the town. There are killed and wounded. It is still impossible to bring the wounded to the hospital. Tens of houses in the capital of South Ossetia are burning. The fire is opened from the Georgian territories in the direction of Gori adjacent to the borderlines with South Ossetia.
22:12 – At the entries to Tskhinval, heavy street fighting is ongoing. Tens of building and houses, including the Government building, are burning in the capital city of South Ossetia.
22:16 – Information has been received that thousands of volunteers have started from North Ossetia and Abkhazia to South Ossetia.
22:31 – Georgian airforces are the sky. The population of Tskhinval asks for help of the leadership of the Russian Federation to protect its citizens. Georgia’s open aggression continues. Georgian tanks are continuing their offensive at Tskhinval. Heaving fighting is taking place.
22:33 – Georgian aircrafts SU-25 are bombing civilians in South Ossetia. SU-25 are also striking the Ossetian village of Kvernet, as well as the Zar bypassing road, the only road connecting South Ossetia with North Ossetia. The population of South Ossetia asks for help from the RF President Dmitry Medvedev and the leadership of the Russian Federation to take emergency measures and protect the population of South Ossetia, citizens of the RF, and do whatever possible to stop the genocide of the Ossetian people.
22:41 – A column of Georgian tanks and infantry is movement toward Tskhinval. Significant part of the city is already destroyed. Several buildings in the center are burning. The building of South Ossetian Parliament has burnt down. The government buildings are badly damanged, multistoried houses and other buildings in the center are burning.
22:50 – Citizens of Russia sheltering in the basements of their houses in Tskhinval are calling on the RF President Dmitry Medvedev and Government of the RF for help.
23:01 – The city is under heavy shelling. The civilian population in the capital city of South Ossetia Tskhinval is finding shelter in the basements of their houses. Some of them do not event have this opportunity, since their houses are destroyed. There are still many children, women, and elderly in the city. According to current information, despite the ongoing armed activities, the city has not been seized by Georgian armed forces and the resistance is still there. The Georgian armed forces are pursuing total annihilation of Ossetians and they do all possible to wipe off all Ossetian settlements. The people of South Ossetia in its hopes address Russia for help to protect it from fascism and total annihilation by Georgia. The innocent citizens of South Ossetia, citizens of Russia, are dying in their houses. It is impossible to give any precise figures of death toll.
23:11 – Street fighting is taking place in the center of Tskhinval. Georgian tanks are firing at the city streets. There is practically no house undamaged in Tskhinval. The city is in ruins, fire and ash. You can hardly recognize Tskhinval. South Ossetian forces continue their resistance against Georgian army. Georgian aggressors are bombing houses of civilians. People have no place to find shelter from the enemy’s fire, they are killed in their houses. It is impossible to estimate the number of casualties. The South Ossetian Republican Hospital is destroyed by Georgian fire, the University building located in the close vicinity to the JPKF HQ is burning. Civilians, elderly, children and women in Tskhinval are facing the most terrible tragedy.
23:16 – Due to DDOS attack, South Ossetian web-sites are often inaccessible for long time. Currently, only the webpage of the State Committee for Information and Press is active.
23:21 – According to received information, air bombardment of Tskhinval is now ongoing.
23:26 – So far, over 10 Russian peacekeepers have been killed, 30 are wounded in South Ossetia. These figures were reported by Assistant Commander of Land Forces Igor Konashenkov.
23:41 – The President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity states he is currently in Tskhinval and the armed detachments of the Repubic are controlling most part of the city.
