By Ketevan Chitanava

I came to Prague as a marketing intern from Georgia, hoping to bring back valuable skills in events production to help my country develop. As war erupted in my home, those dreams seemed shattered. I was helpless to do anything as I sought information about exactly what was happening in my homeland.

August 8
I first heard of the conflict from articles and photos on the internet on the morning of August 8th. The Georgian Army had mobilized all of its forces and a number of my friends had been sent to the war region. The only evidence families had that loved ones were still alive came from text messages.

I, too, heard the details of the war from my friends via mobile phones, later confirmed by the official information on Georgian TV channels hours later. Irakli Gujabidze, 22, a member of the Georgian reservist army, sent me an SMS from a military base in Gori saying they had been bombed several times. Seeing ‘too many’ young men die, he wrote he was ‘proud that we still have heroes’.
The fighting was only just beginning. According to the Ministry of Defense, Russian planes violated Georgian airspace a total of 22 times.

August 9
I lost all sense of time in the confusion and fear that followed. For the whole day of the 9th Georgia experienced bombing from Russian air troops. From several friends and public media footage, I learnt that civilian territories in both western and eastern parts of Georgia were bombed, outside the conflict zone.
My friend David Gvasalia, 20, living in West Georgia, called me through skype and described how the city of Poti on the Black Sea was bombed. He said they saw the planes in the sky for several hours before the bombing began. Everyone was confused as to what was happening, fearing the bombs at any moment. The Georgian government cut off the electricity along the coastline to avoid further aerial attacks. The same information was later announced in How News on Georgian TV channels, which was soon conveyed to the world’s media, as reported on the BBC that night.
By now I was insisting to my family that I come home, but everyone was telling me ‘Don’t come back.’

August 10
From August 10th, our parents and siblings in Georgia started to complain about their communications being limited. Emails were not going through and a webportal for news discussion (one of the main sources outside official press releases), www.forum.ge, was closed down. Texts were slowed by damage done to telecommunication towers by Russian bombing, especially in Western Georgia, as I heard from my relatives. Many people were noting the ‘War of Information’. It seemed clear to us from early on that the Russians were less interested in harming the people than the infrastructure of the country, though police hotlines were also flooded with reports of civilian casualties in the villages.
After sitting near a computer for 48 hours I grew hopeful that diplomacy would work. Reported on Georgian TV, the President of Georgia had ordered the Georgian Government forces stop operations in the conflict zone. As a response, Russia announced the terms of a ceasefire. Georgia had to withdraw to positions existing before the beginning of the conflict and take responsibility without using force.

August 11
It seemed that this nightmare would not end.
My family and friends sounded totally destroyed when informing me that the invading army of the Russian Federation had advanced outside the conflict zones of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and was heading to the capital.
The main reason for the worry wasn’t their lives generally. They were distraught that Georgia could loose its independence again; the life of our country was at stake.
While the Georgian army retreated to defend the capital, the Government was urgently seeking international intervention to prevent the fall of Georgia and the further loss of life. It seems that no one will stand up and help us.

August 12
In the morning, the President of Russia Mr. Medvedev announced the end of Russian operations in Georgia. My relatives said that despite the fact that most of them had left their homes they were happy to have that information.
However, such celebration was premature. The bombing of Georgian territory continued, as calls from relatives from various parts of Georgia informed me. Inhabitants of Tbilisi were not in panic but again sound disappointed by the latest news. Though emails with attachments from Georgia had been blocked, our friends managed to send us photos of the war released by the Georgian government, now readily available on the internet, showing the extent of the damage that was being done.

August 13
Relying on the official information of the Georgian government Russian army is heading to the south of Georgia. I remain stuck in Prague, with flights out to Georgia cancelled, and dread what may become of my country.

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