Collection

The Edge

When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 90’s, the sense of nationality rose in all peoples that belonged there. Particularly, in Georgia as well. The Russian Federation used this to inspire and steam up ethnic conflicts in the Abkhaz and Ossete autonomies established by the Soviets in Georgia. After two wars, Georgia was left with over 200,00 people forcibly displaced in their own country. And over a thousand citizens kidnapped from the neighbouring villages of Russian-occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Each with a story of their own.In existence of “Frozen Conflict” was recovered in massive military attacks by the Russian Federation in August 2008 in Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). The Russian military mobilization was 10 times larger than entire Georgian army, in which they burned and destroyed villages, killed civilians, Georgians were evicted from there homes and subjected to ethnic cleanising. In which the attacks lasted for 5 days it ended up with occupying the region of South Ossetia. Both of the post-conflicting zones of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are isolated from the rest of Georgia, after the conflict separatist forces put barbwire fences by dividing the occupied and Georgian-controlled territories, in which today they are recognized as two different De-Facto states (De-Facto state of Abkhazia and De-Facto state of South Ossetia).After the conflict the war became hard for many Georgians and for those who are living in the occupied territory. For those living in Georgian-controlled zones so-called “Fear zones” many elements of daily life have changed, from social activities to friends and family connections. Time in those villages seems to be frozen or stopped.

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