Medvedev: to help South Ossetia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that must be taken all the necessary assistance to South Ossetia solutions. The meeting was held in the presidential country residence Gorki.



"With regard to South Ossetia, housing in Tskhinvali, border settlements, where, to put it mildly, almost all destroyed, so I believe, need to help people return to their homes, to help them rebuild their homes, apartments," - he said, Putin, reporting to the President on the results of the trip to Vladikavkaz.

He recalled that the Government had developed a separate program to assist in the reconstruction of housing in South Ossetia. "Now we have to understand the scale of destruction, it is clear that it is a huge, but at the first stage consider it possible, and this we have worked with the Ministry of Finance to allocate for these needs at least 10 billion rubles. We are ready to increase this amount, but it can be done as a result of serious analysis of the real situation prevailing at the time of recovery, "- said Putin.

"Let's take all the necessary decisions", - said in response to that Medvedev.

The Prime Minister also said that the second hospital Emergency Situations Ministry to help the civilian population, military personnel, who take part in hostilities, will be deployed in South Ossetia immediately, as soon as conditions permit.

"I looked at how the Ministry of Emergency Situations, national service is deployed and started the practical work of the hospital, there are already working surgeons, to provide direct medical care, including direct operations carried out on the spot", - said the prime minister.

He said that by September 1 issue of the refugees from South Ossetia in the North must be solved taking into account the beginning of the school year in schools. "The refugees are located, as a rule, their relatives, some of them are compactly housed in the former Pioneer camps, nursing homes, schools," - said Putin. "Incidentally, this is also one of the problems in North Ossetia, as school premises to be used for other purposes from September 1, which is not far off - that is due to start the school year", - said the prime minister.

Putin noted that the republic "is assigned additional load." He recalled that the government in this regard, provides additional funds for North Ossetia, including to address the problems of refugees, in total more than 500 million rubles.

In addition, President Dmitry Medvedev said that he had instructed the military prosecutor to document crimes against civilians in South Ossetia. Those responsible must be held accountable, including criminal, he said.

Vladimir Putin told Dmitry Medvedev spoke with the refugees about the events in South Ossetia. "Now it is not easy, but it drew the attention - that the events in the conflict zone already extends far beyond the understanding of warfare", - said the prime minister.

"It has elements of a genocide of the Ossetian people," - said Vladimir Putin.

He called it "a clear crime against the civilian population of the peace».

Putin arrived in Gorki to Medvedev upon arrival from Vladikavkaz. Premier visited the capital of North Ossetia on Saturday night. He flew to Vladikavkaz, changing the schedule of his visit after attending the opening of the Olympics in China, to discuss assistance to South Ossetia in the aggression against the Republic.

The refugees told the Russian prime minister about the atrocities of the Georgian servicemen. In one of the villages in the area Znauri Georgians were burnt alive in a house a few girls, refugees say. "They herded them like cattle, closed the house and set fire to. We saw how a tank elsewhere drove by the old woman who runs away with her two children. Did you see how polutoragodovalogo stabbed the child "- told the refugees to Putin.

One of the young women who has killed her husband and was a little kid, told Putin that in South Ossetia, it has remained in-law and she does not know about his fate. However, she stressed that "the Ossetian people will not surrender and will fight to the last».

According to recent data, in South Ossetia killed more than 2 thousand people. For two days the unrecognized republic have left more than 34 thousand refugees. In the capital of South Ossetia destroyed all hospitals. In Tskhinvali there is no water, electricity. Completely destroyed 8 villages in the border areas.

In Tskhinvali there are still about 150 wounded, while there is no way to evacuate them. The wounded are in the basement of the destroyed hospital, medication is not enough. At the hospital applied constant attacks from the Georgian side.

As the special envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Yuri Popov, the Russian diplomats are in contact with the Georgian side, to get the possibility to evacuate the journalists, wounded, women, the elderly and children from South Ossetia, but so far little progress on this issue has not been reached.