Residents of South Ossetia to spend coming winter in tents

In Tskhinvali, there are families, who continue, after the last year's August war, living in tents. Out of 3500 houses under restoration, the authorities promise to finish only 250 before winter. So far, even in Tskhinvali not a single house is ready, except for the cottage settlement "Moskovskiy", built for Moscow's money.

One of the largest streets of Tskhinvali - the Lenin Street - is all under construction. One can see here the only house already roofed; it belongs to Khetag Tadtaev, but he had started building it himself. According to Tadtaev, the State Committee for Restoration of South Ossetia will compensate him his expenses.

Several houses away, in the same street plenty of tents can be seen close to ruined houses. People are still living in them. A young family lives in one of the tents - Igor Tskhovrebov, head of the family, his wife Karina Koraeva and three children: senior daughter is 15, middle son is 8 and to the youngest boy is 1.5 years old.

"Two days ago they started building our house, but it won't be finished before winter. We don't know what to do and where to live. It's already impossible to live in the tent. During rain we are flooded; then, bad small and dampness rise from the wet ground under our tent. My husband doesn't work, he's ill. I work for 3000 roubles per month. How we could survive another winter in tent, I don't know," said Karina.

Another tent is inhabited by an aged woman Zoya Tedeeva and his son Tuzar. Zoya lives in an attachment near their survived bathroom, and her son - in the tent that he put on the non-destroyed foundation of their house. Zoya had gone blind during the last year's war. She is afraid to go out alone; and her son works for the STSI (road police) and is busy all the time with his work.

Another tent is the "house" of an elderly Tanya Dzukaeva and her daughter-in-law Zamira Valieva. Tanya is an invalid. They have lived through the whole summer in the tent, which is open on one side. "Now, it's become quite cold, it was even snowing recently; and we moved to granddaughter's flat. She lives with her husband and children in a small two-room apartment. We have no place even to turn around there. How should we winter in such conditions? I'm a sick woman. When our house is finished - nobody knows. They started only the day before yesterday," Tanya said.