The hysterical desire of the Russian security forces to be in the Pankisi Gorge leads to unexpected results. First, the militants left without leaving even a formal reason for aggression. And Shevardnadze suddenly, without a single shot, got control...

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the steric desire of the Russian security forces to be in the Pankisi Gorge leads to unexpected results. First, the militants left without leaving even a formal reason for aggression. And Shevardnadze suddenly, without firing a shot, gained control of this isolated part of Georgia. In the very center of the gorge, he finds a population that connects all their hopes for a peaceful life with him, his beloved. The President of Georgia has long forgotten about such loyalty in his capital.

Someday the population of Russia will still be told what caused such a large-scale commotion in the political elite of the superpower. Will it lose its positions in the Transcaucasus, where NATO, oil consortiums and other American interests are slowly but surely entering? Or political speculation about support or non-support for Iraq on the eve of the second "Desert Storm". Or maybe it’s just “personal hostility” to the old politician who, even in such a humiliated state, without means and levers of influence, outplays young, but very stupid opponents, is simply to blame.

Today we are in touch with the Brussels headquarters of the OSCE, whose observers clarify who is carrying out the "secret" bombing of Georgia, and the residents of the Pankisi Gorge, with whom we have established constant communication

What the OSCE observers saw

“We only said what our observers saw and expressed concern about what happened - nothing more,” OSCE spokesman Richard Murphy told me by phone in response to a request to comment on the sharp statements of Russian representatives, including Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, against the OSCE .

Murphy repeated word for word a statement made last Friday by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Portuguese Foreign Minister António Martins da Cruz. Then the head of the press service himself called me back half an hour later, apparently after consulting with his boss.

The Chairman is deeply concerned by reports that “some targets in Georgia” were bombed from the air on Friday and regrets that people have died as a result. The chairman's office notes that OSCE observers from their patrol base in Girevi, which is located directly south of the Chechen section of the Georgian-Russian border, saw several aircraft moving from north to south on Friday between 05.15 and 06.00. The planes flew at high altitude at subsonic speeds, and a few minutes after they passed over the patrol base, observers saw flashes and heard explosions. The OSCE Chairman calls on all parties involved to stop any acts of violence and refrain from any steps that could lead to a further increase in tension in the region. I'm afraid I can't make any further comments right now.

— What further steps can the OSCE take, what proposals can the organization come up with?

- So far, I can only say that the OSCE is making efforts at the diplomatic level to extinguish the tension that has arisen in the region. I hope you understand that we would not like to talk about this activity. As long as diplomatic efforts continue, we cannot say another word in public. Excuse me, I myself was a journalist for 21 years and I understand everything, but diplomacy has its own laws.

- Do the OSCE observers in Girevi have enough grounds to assert that the planes were precisely Russian?

- They very carefully limited themselves to only a practical statement of what they themselves saw: the planes were moving from north to south. This is not about any expert opinion.

In other words, the OSCE does not blame anyone.

The former journalist, now a high-ranking international official, did not comment on Sergei Ivanov's statements that the OSCE observers were "looking in the wrong direction."

After all, Russia is a full-fledged and far from the last member of the OSCE. The OSCE mission has been monitoring the Chechen section of the Russian border since 1999 with the consent and approval of Moscow.