18.09.2008 17:43 | The Tragedy of South Ossetia. Testimony of Witnesses: Hubulov Sarmat Emzarovich

Hubulov Sarmat Emzarovich, born in 1990, painter

On August, 7, I’ve been in Tskhinval. There were 7 of us – me, my grandmother, grandfather, my aunt, two little sisters and the nephew. All of us have gone to sleep, because Saakashvili has told that there would be no shooting any more. We were sleeping when the explosions have suddenly begun. One of the fleeting shells hit our balcony. We ran to a basement straight away.

I took the documents and warm clothes. In two hours the shooting stopped, I have gone upstairs and went to bed. We really used to the fact, that the shooting usually quickly stops. I was sleeping, when they began to shoot from the “Grad " rocket systems. I returned to a cellar - for the whole 4 days. The

was burning. In the morning, about 9 o’clock the Georgian tanks have already entered the city. There were 4 tanks on our Tabolov Street, and they were shooting directly at our building. Well, while they were turning around, we thought that they were Russians and looked out of the basement. They have noticed us and began to shoot at the house. Then they got out of the tanks and opened the neighboring shop, cafe "Asel", got the beer, took the seats on the tanks and began to sing in a Georgian way. Then they have glanced in a cellar, but didn’t go downstairs and went away. And then people were talking (our neighbor Alexander is from The Heroes Street), that some of them spoke Ossetian, they said: "Don’t be afraid, we are Ossetians". There were women and children in the neighboring basement near a bakery. A woman from there looked out when she heard Ossetian speech; right at that moment they threw grenade in the basement. In the evening of the same day the car drove along our street, the father wanted to take his child away. For some reason they braked on the crossroads of Isak St.and Heroes St., and the tank has shot at them. And they knew that there was a child in the car. The neighbors have seen that, almost all the city knows about this occurrence. And else, I saw black men by my own eyes. That’s how it was: when it becamerelatively calm, I ran to my mother, who lived near the station. And then the shooting began again, and I had to stay there because the tanks already came nearer. Several servicemen, my friend, the neighbor and 4 other guys - we are all had been in a basement. When the tanks came nearer, my friend Slavik hit them from a grenade launcher, both of them! Two men got out of one tank; they were almost burning, and they ran into the house. When they saw us, they began to shoot. Our guys shot at them and killed them. My neighbor was wounded in the leg. Those killed men were Koreans. And one more fighter was sitting under the tank and shooting at us from there. Then my friend has shot from a grenade launcher again and killed him. And all of us have seen that it was the Negro. I saw him by my own eyes. The bodies have remained there. They were scorched not strongly, it was possible to define that it was Negro.

The tanks were in front of the Fire Department, they turned the guns to the hotel and shot – they knew that there were people in the cellars. They didn’t see us.  My friend Slavik went outside and hit the both tanks. In general, Slavik came as a volunteer on the first day of the war.

One more tank was in front of the school №6, it was shot down by one guy, whom, as they say, was released from the prison: they couldn’t be left in the hands of fate.

That guy was released from the prison by the fighters of Spetsnaz group; they gave him a machine gunner, which he used very well. He is, basically, a good guy, and he had been in prison for a road accident. Then, there were heavy fights near the hotel and the guys called him there by a portable radio. He ran there and was shot from the Georgian tank. Then, when it became a bit calmer, Russians were already on Zarskay road, I ran home, went upstairs for the water for ours. I found my relatives and got my uncle by phone, as it turned out, he stayed in a basement. He returned in 4 days, hungry, without water. He said that he had a car in his office and he would take us away. He took us to the hotel, there were 7 of us. Then, in Тbet we have placed one more woman. A time before they said people it would be an evacuation, but there was nothing and a full panic as a result. Some people drove through Tbet, others - through Kvernet, and we went through Тbet. When we reached road Zarskaya, we were fired. Those cars, which came before us, "Volga" and "UAZ", both stood on road burnt. The uncle looked at "UAZ" and said there was nobody inside. Then I have examined “Volga”, it’s roof was broken off, and the people inside have completely burned down, only the blood was still there. Then we have returned to the car, somehow drove round and passed further. The car behind went with the included headlights, and was shot. Then the uncle has jumped out and shouted that driver to switch off the headlights, and after that the fire stopped. We got to Dzhava and therefrom we went to Vladikavkaz, where my aunt lived. Tomorrow, on August, 15 I’ll return to the city, the grandfather stayed there. Our house is almost completely destroyed, but I cannot remain here.

And, in general, I think, many people will return in Tskhinval, and if they finish building of the city, everyone will return.

Translated by Tatiana Inozemtseva.