The choice of Okruashvili: "It is better to kill one Ossetian than two Russians"

On May 14, former Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili was taken into custody at the Tbilisi City Court. The reason is the non—payment of a bail of 20 thousand lari (approximately 7.3 thousand dollars), assigned to him for not attending a meeting of the investigative commission of the parliament, which investigates the activities of the regime of ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili. Okruashvili has been on the former president's team for a long time. Now this politician will spend a year behind bars for non-compliance with the commission's requirement. In this regard, the South Ossetian newspaper "Republic" recalled Okruashvili's hatred of Ossetians.

"Okruashvili attracted our attention by the fact that he is an ardent hater of Ossetians. He is literally obsessed with this feeling. Perhaps because he is a native of South Ossetia. Irakli Okruashvili was born in Tskhinvali in 1973, at the beginning of the Georgian-Ossetian confrontation he was 16 years old. At that time, most local Georgians, especially young people, were drugged by the poison of nationalism. Emissaries from Tbilisi, the Georgian media drummed into the Georgian part of the population of South Ossetia the idea that they were oppressed by Ossetians during the Soviet period. Even then, young Okruashvili found himself in the ranks of local radicals. Attempts to hold rallies in Tskhinvali, the intention to erect a monument to the victims of the dispersal of the April (1989) anti—Soviet demonstration - Okruashvili took part in all these nationalist, extremist actions. And invariably with a dogwood-black banner in his hands, under the shadow of which in 1920 the Georgian government staged the genocide of Ossetians in South Ossetia," the newspaper recalled.

Over time, the newspaper notes, Okruashvili "has built up his authority not only as a hater of Ossetians, but also as an ardent Russophobe."

"These two phobias in Georgia is usually included in the package — in this country, it is traditionally believed that South Ossetians are the conductors of Russia's policy in the region. Western intelligence services could not pass by such a promising person. Therefore, Okruashvili soon entered the nomenclature of forces that imposed Western influence in the region,"the "Republic" writes.

Okruashvili is offered the position of consultant of the TACIS project (economic and political program of the European Union for the CIS countries) in Georgia. After a couple of years, having proved his zeal, he was elected a member of the London International Association of Young Lawyers. And in 2001, Okruashvili was already on Saakashvili's team. The future President of Georgia then held the post of Minister of Justice, and Okruashvili was his deputy. In 2003, the Rose Revolution sponsored by the West took place in Tbilisi, Eduard Shevardnadze was removed from his post, parliamentary elections were scheduled, and Saakashvili and company came to power. He also took an active part in this coup. Okruashvili. After Saakashvili became president, Okruashvili began an unprecedented career growth — Prosecutor General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Defense.

However, already in 2006, he had a disagreement with the patron. He was removed from the post of head of the defense department and was appointed special presidential commissioner for the promotion of Georgian wine in Europe and the CIS. And even here Okruashvili managed to become famous for his Russophobic position. His comment was scattered in the media:

"Many winemakers by cheating were sent to Russia has low-quality wine that will not be taken in Europe. Because Russia is a market where even fecal matter can be sold."

Okruashvili decided to deal directly with the "Ossetian issue" while serving as Minister of Internal Affairs. Fortunately, he had all the powers to do this, the newspaper notes. According to the Dagomys agreements, only peacekeepers and forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the parties could be in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. Okruashvili decided to use the forces of the Georgian Interior Ministry.

On May 31, 2004, internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with armored vehicles and heavy weapons were introduced into the conflict zone. Strict control is being established on the entire border with South Ossetia, the market near the village of Ergnet, where Georgian and Ossetian businessmen traded, was bulldozed by the Tbilisi authorities. During June and July, the situation escalated, there were shootings, hostage-taking, and road closures. Attempts to stabilize the situation by Russian and foreign representatives were met by the aggressiveness and intransigence of the Georgian leadership.

"However, Okruashvili did not find any great laurels of military strategist in South Ossetia. In the early morning, one of the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the number of 39 people, illegally staying in the conflict zone in the village of Vanat, was disarmed and taken to Tskhinval. The footage of Georgian security forces kneeling on the Central Square was spread all over the world's media. Trying to neutralize this universal failure, the Interior Minister decided to go all in. In the early morning of August 19, Georgian forces stormed strategic heights near the Ossetian village of Tliakan. Georgian media, through the mouth of Okruashvili, stated that eight Cossacks, Russian citizens, were killed during the special operation. Okruashvili said in a television interview that he would show the bodies of the murdered Cossacks on television. However, Georgian television distributed video footage of only one dead person. Subsequently, it turned out that after brutal torture, in which Okruashvili personally participated, one person was killed from the Ossetian side — Ossetian Gennady Sanakoev, an employee of the Dzau district police department, who was captured after being wounded. They disguised him and tried to present him as a Russian Cossack," the "Republic" reminded.

Despite the failure of the special operation, Okruashvili was not left alone by the "Ossetian theme". In December 2005, he declared confidence that the issue with South Ossetia would be resolved by January 1, 2007, and therefore intended to celebrate the New Year in Tskhinvali. Some time later, the name of the operation was even heard in the Georgian media, Okruashvili dubbed it "Tiger's Throw." At the same time, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov conveyed a subtle hint to the Georgian hawk: "I would advise everyone to celebrate the New Year at home. In a warm family circle."

"The hatred of Ossetians does not leave Okruashvili even now. While on To Ukraine as part of the Georgian mercenaries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he did not fail to demonstrate this feeling. In one of the videos, Okruashvili and his accomplice come to the conclusion that if there is a choice of whom to kill — two Russians or one Ossetian, then it is necessary to kill the latter. So the hatred of Ossetians has Okruashvili is already a clinic," the Republic said.