Gergiev: capital of South Ossetia resembles Stalingrad

Conductor Valery Gergiev, head of the Mariinsky Theatre, said on August 21 after the concert-requiem performed by his orchestra in Tskhinvali that now the capital of South Ossetia resembles the post-war Stalingrad by the scale of its ruins.

"I think today we can tell the whole world that Tskhinvali is a city hero. What I saw today - it's just Stalingrad, complete destruction. But believe me, you're backed up by a huge country and all the fair people of the world. Tskhinvali will surely be restored, and life will again reign here," said the maestro.

Mr Gergiev has noted that now the most important is that all the people know the truth about the events in Tskhinvali on August 7-8.

"You've lived through a monstrous bombardment, direct fire to destruction on the sleeping city. You were invaded by aggressors, who did it right on the eve of the Olympic Games, the greatest event for all the mankind, traditionally related by the world with complete peace. I want to re-emphasize that save for the help of great Russia, the casualties would have been still more numerous. For the Ossetian people, after the Beslan tragedy, two thousand victims more is a terrible loss," he has emphasized.

Those who had hoped that their warfare would pass unnoticed and remain unpunished, have played the wrong card, Valery Gergiev has assured.