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If There Were Radar Specialist at the Military Base, Reservists Would Not Have Been Killed

August 26, 2008

Nana Pazhava, Khobi

“Time will come and I will investigate the incident by all means! If radar operator had implemented his responsibility properly my son and other reservists would not have been killed!” said father of Goga Chitanava, one of the killed reservists at Senaki military base. In the morning of August 9, Tariel Chitanava, the father found the body of his dead son in the dissecting room of Senaki hospital after two-hour-long search in the military base.

Twenty-one-year-old Goga Chitanava was resident of the village of Kheta in Khobi district. Village governor, Mamuka Bukia took him together with other reservists to Senaki Military Base in the early morning of August 8. Russian aviation started bombardment of the base at midnight.

Levan Chitanava, the brother of Goga Chitanava: “Goga called me at 11:40 PM and asked if we were alive; he was worried about us.” At that moment I heard the voice of Russian aircrafts bombing Poti port. We heard Zemo Abkhazia also being bombed. I tried to calm him down. He called me back in ten minutes and said they were leaving the military base soon for Tskhinvali. 15 minutes later we heard the bombardment very close to us; everything was shaking. We guessed that Russians were bombing the base…Goga’s friend, who was on the base at that moment, later recalled how they noticed some lights in the sky. One of the commanders stated it was firework; people in Zugdidi were celebrating the victory over Tskhinvali.”

According to the unofficial information nearly 1 000 reservists were in the Senaki military base by that time who were recruited from various districts of Samegrelo Region. They were getting ready for the departure to Tskhinvali. Part of them was already on the bus and another part was still in the quarters waiting to get guns. Goga Chitanava was standing close to the radar system together with other 100 reservists.

Levan Chitanava: “One of the reservists told me that Goga survived the first bombardment. They were creeping and looking for the cover. Then he saw my brother stood up as if he wanted to run away but the second bombardment killed him.”

Tariel Chitanava started looking for his son after he could not see his son among the reservists who returned to the village in the morning of August 9.

Tariel Chitanava: “Five hours after the Senaki military base was bombed 200 reservists were standing near the base. They were shocked not knowing what to do, what to say. They could not recognize each other. Initially soldiers did not let me inside the military base and I tried to resist them. I was looking for my son and they could not stop me. They threatened me to fire but I did not surrender. I walked around the whole base territory but could not see any dead bodies there. Reservists knew that Goga was killed but did not tell me; they lied to me he was somewhere in the base…I came to the dissecting room of the Senaki hospital and there I saw to dead bodies covered with sheets. I uncovered one of them it was Goga Beraia, a friend of my son; and the second one was my own son…”

Both reservists got deadly wounded during the bombardment. Goga Beraia had whole body burnt besides multitude of injuries. Goga Chitanava died because of skull injury that resulted from the high pressure of bomb explosion. He had injuries on the body too. According to the reliable information two more reservists from Khobi district, Iosava and Khurtsilava also died during the bombardment. Information about other dead people is not reported yet.

Nana Bukia, the mother: “Goga graduated from the Technical University this year. He was getting married in autumn. He could not manage to be happy in the life. In this case, there is only one reason why my son died-the children were left without attention at the military base. Somebody should be charged for that!”

Father of the dead reservist also intends to investigate the accident and to punish the person who is to be blamed for it. “Where was the radar operator before the bombardment? Where was he hiding? How could the boys be deployed near the radar system? If the radar operator were on the place he would have noticed the light on and he would have noticed the aircrafts approaching the base. He could have warned the reservists about the upcoming threat and suggested them to seek for shelter. Five minutes could have been enough for that. How could children know what the burning light meant?”
After 13-day-occupation Russian forces left Senaki Military Base on 23 August looted and destroyed. Now Georgian army controls the territory…

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