Google Earth releases satellite imagery of damaged Georgian villages after 2008 War

მიმძიმს ამის შესახებ წერა, მაგრამ გასაგები მიზეზების გამო, გადავწყვიტე, პოსტი ინგლისურ ენაზე გამეკეთებინა.

Google Earth has released new satellite imagery for the territory of Georgia. It has updates for the territory of former South Ossetia Autonomous region which was the battle place during the bloody war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008. The images show the total damage of Georgian settlements which were controlled by Georgian authorities before the military actions when Tskhinvali which also was badly affected by combat operations shows the significant signs of reconstruction.
Since the updated images are not presented on Google Maps, we can easily compare the situation. The full index of images and KML files (file which can be opened in Google Earth) can be downloaded from my Google Docs profile.

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Dzartsemi

Dzartsemi before the war

Village Dzartsemi After the war

Kekhvi

Kekhvi Before

Kekhvi After

Kurta

Before

After

Tamarasheni and newly established Moskovskaya District of Tskhinvali

Tamarasheni Before

Now...

Effaced village of Eredvi...

Moskovskaya district of Tskhinvali built with sources given by Moscow City

Moskovskaya district

Russian Military Base of Tskhinvali

View of rebuilt reconstructed city of Tskhinvali.

Most part of the listed villages were not in the center of clashes but were destroyed by Ossetian militias and paramilitary groups after combat activities were finished. All these facts are proved by UNOSAT and EU fact-finding mission headed by Ms. Heidi Tagliavini (see the report here).

Remember that none of the civilians who fled their homes in the Summer of 2008 has right to return back…