We Were Too Young To Help: Georgia's War Through Teenage Eyes

Until August 7, 2008, we, the population of Kareli, felt safe-and-sound despite all the turmoil taking place around us during recent years.

At midnight of August 7, 2008, we heard the horrible sounds of the first blasts. That was the sound of the low-flying attack started up by South Ossetian separatists over Georgian villages.

During the whole night we observed bombs sparkling in the sky. We were so scared and shocked by what we saw that we fell asleep only at dawn, and only for a short time.

That night we did not understand the reality of the horror yet. Being in severe shock, we did not want to understand that we might be directly involved in the brutality of war.

At 9:30 a.m., we heard the sound of a bomb blast, and the shaking walls of the house made us rush out. Fragments of the bomb dropped on Kareli were all over the yards.

Russian bombers attacked Georgian villages. Shortly, all surrounding villages were bombed out, as well as those Georgian military units that were protecting the civilian population.

More and more people were wounded, the yard of the hospital was full of injured men. Each resident of Kareli did his best to help them: donating blood, and giving shelters. We decided to contribute and donate our blood as well, but we were not allowed to, due to our ages.

Non-stop bombardment caused a panic in the city. Our city is located under the flight path, and after each bombardment we hoped, helplessly, to survive.

We could not sleep for three days and nights. Each morning it went from bad to worse. Our neighbors forced us to leave for Tbilisi, but stayed in the city themselves.

We cannot describe the fear we felt during the bombardments. However, the worst was the fear of losing our relatives.