GEORGIA: DAS BRYZA MEETING WITH MOIA VANO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TBILISI 001387

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND TASKFORCE-1

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL GG RU
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: DAS BRYZA MEETING WITH MOIA VANO
MERABISHVILI


1. (C) Begin Summary: On August 14, Minister of Internal
Affairs (MOIA) Vano Merabishvili spoke with DAS Bryza and the
Ambassador Tefft about the current situation following
Russia's invasion, the status of Georgian troops, and how the
attacks unfolded. Shota Utiashvili, nominally head of the
Statistical and Analytical Department (but in reality more of
a Deputy Minister),also attended the meeting. Merabishvili
acknowledged that Russian forces continued to move freely in
and out of Gori, Poti, and Senaki and claimed that they were
also in Zugdidi. Looting was rampant, primarily committed by
Russian MOD personnel, but also by Cossacks and Chechens.
Merabishvili said Georgian losses were less than has been
reported, and that reports of 2,000 dead civilians in
Tskhinvali are inaccurate. He estimates that Russia has
24,000 troops in Georgia, including Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. Merabishvili said Georgia's MOD can rely on
approximately 6,000 troops (from an initial 12,000),and that
MOIA personnel are largely reliable. End Summary.

Situation on Ground in Flux
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2. (C) Merabishvili said the situation on the ground was
changing every 30 minutes. There was bombing, then quiet.
He said Russian troops had been constantly moving in and out
of Gori and the Port of Poti. He said more Russian officers
and troops were now present in Gori. He alleged that the
"Chechens and Cossacks" noted by the press are actually
Russian MOD units with a few Ossetians included. He told us
that his police arrested two Russians driving a truck from
Senaki with looted goods on August 13. Merabishvili believed
all of the Russians in Samegrelo were CIS PKF forces, but
that the Russian forces in Gori were poorly equipped and
organized. He claimed that the Deputy Chief of Russia's
Airborne forces, General Alexander Borisov, is commanding the
Russians in Gori. Merabishvili said 50 Georgian patrol
police are ready to go into Gori and reestablish order as
soon as the Russians leave. Utiashvili claimed that Russian
forces in the villages near Gori allowed North Ossetian
irregulars to plunder the area, including raping women and
shooting resisters. Utiashvili claimed that they were
stealing everything, from TVs to air conditioners to toilet
paper. End note.)

Fighting, Casualties in South Ossetia
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3. (C) Merabishvili claimed that press reports of 2,000
people killed in South Ossetia were "fake." He said that
Georgian MOIA forces killed 13 in Tskhinvali, and Georgia's
MOD lost 70 and claimed the numbers of wounded were
significantly higher. According to Merabishvili, there were
about 30 civilians killed in Tskhinvali, and perhaps 200
policemen. He did not have an estimate for the surrounding
villages. He claimed 60 Georgian civilians were killed in a
Gori apartment by a single bomb, likely a Backfire bomber.
Utiashvili stated that there were 17 Georgians killed in
Senaki, primarily by bombing, as well as four at the military
base. He said eight people were killed by bombs in Poti.
Merabishvili estimated that Georgia is facing a flood of
around 200,000 refugees.

Invasion of Upper Kodori
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4. (C) In Kodori, Merabishvili reported that General Chaban
(head of the CIS PKF, stationed in Abkhazia) had blocked
Kodori from both sides, prior to the Russian Air Force
dropping 300 bombs on the area. Merabishvili said that his
forces suffered three wounded, while they shot down one
airplane and one helicopter. He told us there was no ground
battle in Kodori, as his men (approximately 500) escaped into
the forest, where they remained. Utiashvili claimed that
General Borisov led the operation, which included 130 Russian
military vehicles. Aside from these 500 men, Merabishvili
said of Georgian MOIA personnel, only patrol police remain
inside the zone of conflict in Poti, Zugdidi, and Kutaisi.

24,000 Russian Troops in Georgia
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5. (C) Utiashvili alleged there are now 9,000 Russian troops
and 350 military vehicles (including tanks, armored personnel
carriers, and trucks) in Abkhazia. Some of these troops are
airborne, both in Gali and Zugdidi. He estimated there are
now 15,000-plus Russian troops in South Ossetia.

"Forget Georgia" Russians Say
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6. (C) Merabishvili said the Russians are now telling
Georgian civilians in Zugdidi and Samegrelo region that they
"should forget Georgia." He claimed the Russians are testing
former MOIA (under Shevardnadze) Igor Giorgadze's name in
Gali and Zugdidi, as a potential new President/leader.
(Note: Press has reported that the deposed, exiled Giorgadze
has been sighted in the Zugdidi region accompanying Russian
troops, although some now argue that the Georgians are
floating this rumor to drum up additional support for the
Saakashvili government. End note.)

Russian Ballistic Missiles Targeted Georgia
--------------


7. (C) Merabishvili said that the Russians used "Iskander"
missiles (SS-26) to target Gori's city center and the
Baku-Supsa oil pipeline near Rustavi. Merabishvili provided
photographic evidence of the second attack, which he claims
originated from Dagestan, to DAS Bryza. (Note: Provided by
email to the Task Force and Sit Room. End note.) Post has
seen press photos of another Russian missile that landed in
Poti. Merabishvili alleged that BP has denied the attack on
their pipeline in order to protect their stock value.
Utiashvili said that a Russian officer possessed 2,000 new
Russian passports (photos have been provided to Post),which
he was planting on corpses to inflate the body count of
"Russian citizens." Merabishvili confirmed that the Russians
had destroyed several Coast Guard cutters, although most of
Georgia's border guards had gone to Turkey.

Shelling of Tamarasheni Provoked Invasion
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8. (C) Merabishvili told us that the escalation of the
conflict occurred after the villages of Nuli and Avnevi were
destroyed. Since OSCE observers were hunkered down in
Tskhinvali, they could not hear the bombing in Avnevi.
Merabishvili said that previous to this, de-facto Ossetian
leader Kokoity would always stop the escalation. This time,
however, the Georgians and Ossetians traded fire back and
forth, as the fighting increased from small arms fire, to
mortars, to 122-mm mortars, to artillery. Merabishvili tried
to get the Ossetians to stop, but they would not. When DAS
Bryza asked who decided to invade Tskhinvali and why,
Utiashvili said the Georgian side was compelled to respond to
attacks on Tamarasheni. Utiashvili said 44 people were
killed in the ensuing three days the Russians bombed
Tskhinvali.

"Heroes took Tskhinvali, Held Four Days"
--------------


9. (C) Merabishvili said that 600 of his MOIA special forces,
with their Kobra vehicles (armored Humvees with 40-mm guns),
took Tskhinvali in six hours, against 2,000 defenders. He
claimed that in the future they will use the attack to teach
tactics. He returned again to the subject, noting that "we
held Tskhinvali for four days despite the Russians' bombing.
Half of our men were wounded, but none died. These guys are
heroes." (Comment: Post understands MOIA control of
Tskhinvali was actually closer to 24 hours. End comment.)

Current Troop Status
--------------


10. (C) Asked about the loyalty of Georgia's troops,
Merabishvili said the MOD currently has 4,000 soldiers they
can count on. He expected this number to increase to 6,000
following President Bush's speech. Merabishvili claimed that
70 percent of MOIA's initial paramilitary numbers are loyal
and accountable, and that his special forces are 100 percent
reliable. In addition, he said the patrol police are
functioning and reliable. (Comment: Post's INL-contracted
police trainer, confirms this information. The Patrol
Police's command and control is functioning and they are
patrolling throughout the country, except for the conflict
zones where they do not have access. End comment.)

Looking Ahead
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11. (C) Merabishvili expressed concern that the Russians
intended to keep troops in Gori. DAS Bryza told Merabishvili
of his August 14th strategy session with President
Saakashvili. Bryza suggested that the next steps were:

-- Get the Russian troops out of Georgia, and end the
violence.
-- Take measures to shore up the economy (secure the banking
sector and reassure investors).
-- Repair the commercial sector (including opening the roads
and Port of Poti).
-- Provide relief and assistance to IDPs.

Conflict resolution would then follow. Bryza expressed his
view that the UN Friends process was finished, and that
Kokoity should be ostracized by the international community.
He encouraged Merabishvili to present Georgia's version of
the collapse of the cease fire on August 7 publicly.

TEFFT