“Attention. State Border. The passage is forbidden.” This sign in Khurvaleti village of Georgia, has become one of the symbols of the decades-long occupation of the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Since the latest armed conflict between the sides in 2008, the South Ossetian separatists have started the “borderization” process by splitting entire households and farmlands into two. Ever since the moving “border” has become the haunting nightmare for the locals.
Davit Vanishvili's life had totally changed after the barb wires were set up. Ever since, he has been having challenges in communicating wuth the outer world. During passing 5 years, the media covered his life and many politicians have come to visit him.
The barb wires dividing Davit Vanishvili`s household were put in 2012. He has been forced to accept the South Ossetian “citizenship.” Vanishvili refused it and remains one of the symbols of the occupation.
Though several thousand Georgian civilians are left behind the wires, majority left the breakaway region after the August war of 2008. Khurvaleti IDP Camp, located few kilometers from the de-facto Georgian-South Ossetian border is home to 139 refugee cottages. Most of them are from the 12 occupied villages of South Ossetia.
According to the State Migration Comission of Georgia, there 34930 registered refugees from breakway South Ossetia.
During the war, support was extremely necessary. Nodar Dudayev, half Ossetian, half Georgian by ethnicity, did everything he could to help people escape. Hе rescued dozens of compatriots in his minivan towards the safe zone. Despite the risk, Nodar did not stop drove for the people several times back and forth.
The armed conflict forced many civilians to hide in the basements like Nanuli Toriashvili and her blind mother. The two remained in the basement for 8 days in their native village of Ksuisi. Later in November, they settled in the Khurvaleti Camp.
Despite the bullets are silenced, the life alongside the demarcation line is still challenging. Not only refugees rebuilding new life, but the locals who witnessed the horrors of the war are being haunted of the separatist presence next to them.
