New York Times: Ossetians are not eager to disarm

Despite the Russian support, residents of South Ossetia are not eager to disarm, Gazeta.ru reports alluding to The New York Times.

"Now, with Russia guaranteeing its security, South Ossetia is asking residents to turn in their weapons voluntarily. The police have opened 50 criminal prosecutions for illegal weapons and plan to offer $300 to $400 for each Kalashnikov rifle, a top official said".

"This has been the strange way of life inside South Ossetia, on and off, since the end of the Soviet Union. The tiny population of this valley - factory workers, university students, farmers and smugglers - has been turned into a loosely organized fighting force, deployed along the boundary that separates South Ossetia from Georgian-controlled territory," the article says.

David Sanakoyev, South Ossetia's ombudsman, said he had never owned a gun but felt it was still too early to disarm. "Life has changed," he said. "But inside, you don't yet feel that life has changed."

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