387 candles were lighted in the Patriarch Ponds in memory of Ossetian war victims. It was done to mark a three-year anniversary of military involvement between Georgia and South Ossetia and to remember soldiers and civilians who had died during the conflict.
On Sunday Russian officers, politicians, actors and other public figures assembled at the Patriarch Ponds in Moscow city centre. At exactly 9 p.m., after a minute of silence, they sent 387 lighting candles down the water, one for each lost person.
The organizers of that memorial event are the Russian participants of military operations in South Ossetia. They said this event was important to make people remember about these sad moments of Russia's modern history.
Late on August 7, 2008, Georgian troops began shelling Tskhinval. On the following day, Russia intervened and repelled the attackers. Before the war ended five days later, hundreds of Ossettians had lost their lives. Following the brief conflict, Moscow and several other countries recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Since 2008, Russia remains the main guarantor of security in the region.
In his interview for Russian radio stations Medvedev said Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili should be brought before an international court for starting the war in 2008.
Source: RIA News
Author: Julia Shuvalova