Documentary lie. The events of August 2008-th according to Georgian journalists
In the end, what is a lie? - Disguised truth.
George Gordon Byron
George Gordon Byron
Documentary cinema at all times was distinguished by great efficacy on the viewer. Based on this situation, some forces tried to use the potential of this kind of art to solve highly specialized tasks. And as soon as the art of on-screen propaganda began to emerge from documentary films, it was already realized all over the world that it could be used not only to delineate views on a specific problem of a group of people, but also to shape public opinion. The truth is that in this case the word “documentary” can be safely removed and the epithet “propaganda” should be put in its place. Propaganda cinema is a cinema that aims to artificially substitute facts, deliberate distortion of the real state of things, psychological pressure on a person in order to create stable dominants, point lies in the name of achieving a single goal - convincing the viewer in a set of falsified facts.
It was this film (the end of 2008 of the year) that Georgian filmmakers, if I may say so, filmed, although their work has nothing to do with documentary. Removing his opus on the military conflict between Georgia and Russia 2008 year, the filmmakers saw the goal to turn the flow of misinformation, frame by frame, into some kind of immutable truth, which would remain in the minds of the viewer after watching. However, the Georgian work, ultimately, did not play the role that the authors wanted to endow with. The film is a kind of vaccination. It is the same as introducing a weakened virus to a healthy person, which will be suppressed by immunity, after which the human immune system acquires even greater potential. In the case of the Georgian film about the events of August 2008, the same thing happens with the human mind.
The leitmotif of the entire film is how the authors, on the basis of falsification of documents, try to show the world community, as a tiny but very proud Georgia, attacked a huge enemy and used truly disproportionate force on the basis of falsification of documents.
Consider a few key positions of the Georgian film.
Position 1.
Long before the beginning of the acute phase of the South Ossetian conflict, Russian troops arrived on the territory of South Ossetia. Russia created military bases here that literally cracked at the seams of the number of troops and military equipment. It was South Ossetia with the active support of Russia that began active hostilities against Georgia.
Comment.
Russia had a peacekeeping base on the territory of South Ossetia, the rotation of which contingent was indeed carried out constantly. However, this does not suggest that Russia has increased its military grouping in Tskhinvali and Java. The peacekeeping contingent of any state needs supplies of fuel, food, medicine, and periodic change of personnel and weapons. And if we take it as the militarization of the region, then all over the world peacekeepers only do what they do to the total militarization of the territories in which they carry out their mission.
Even if we take Saakashvili’s words about a planned increase in the number of Russian troops in South Ossetia for the truth (which was what the film ideologists wanted), then it’s not at all clear why the Georgian president didn’t warn his overseas puppeteers about it: they say, an attack is being prepared on Georgia. But instead of “bringing Russia out to the clear water,” Mr. Saakashvili suddenly took it upon himself to strike with his brave but small army against the Russian military “armada”. As far as we know, with Mikhail Nikolozovich's heroism, there are problems of a pronounced nature.
That is why the words that Russia was the first to begin the active phase of the operation in South Ossetia, shooting Tskhinvali from missile systems and from the sides of airplanes - an absolute lie, which has been proven, among other things, by Western journalists who do not have much sympathy to Russia.
Position 2.
Journalists of many central Russian TV channels and print media found themselves on the scene almost as early as the start of the South Ossetia operation itself. This suggests that the Russian side has clearly warned the entire Russian journalistic fraternity that the army is ready to begin the "occupation" of Georgian territory.
Comment.
If Russian journalists were en masse in the territory of South Ossetia, then the world would see shelling of the city not from outside, but through the eyes of operators located directly in Tskhinvali. Apparently, the Georgian customers of the film naively believe that 100% of Russian journalists of central television channels and print media fully and completely support the state policy of the Russian authorities, and therefore everyone literally conspired and agreed to not show the “atrocities” of Russian soldiers. But with the development of modern technologies, the world would instantly see how Russian technology “raises the earth” of the South Ossetian capital, realizing that thousands of civilians live in the city. At the same time, the filmmakers themselves apparently forget that the Georgian military gave interviews to journalists of Georgian television channels, stating that "constitutional order in South Ossetia is going according to plan." At the same time, everyone remembers the shots of the Georgian soldiers themselves, shot on a mobile phone’s camera, when they shot the city with heavy machine guns with indescribable enthusiasm. Where, then, was the Russian army, which, according to film-makers, had been strengthening its position in South Ossetia for almost a couple of months? Was she so afraid of the Georgian military that she hid all her hundreds tanks, Armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles? ..
And if we take the arguments of the authors of the film about the agreement of Russian journalists and the military seriously, then we could go even further: put Georgian identification marks on salvo fire systems and launch correspondents into the “rear of the enemy” so that they could completely falsify the situation. The world would then see from close range what mimicry the Russian “military” arranged. However, there was nothing of the kind, therefore it’s so groundless to talk about the warning of Russian journalists about the start of the operation that the position of the authors and customers of the film looks at least naive.
Position 3.
Russia staged a bloodbath in Georgia to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The operation “Clean Field” was developed in Russia, because there is not even such a phrase in the Georgian language.
Comment.
This view simply does not hold water. It turns out that Moscow ordered the destruction of Tskhinvali’s civilians and its own peacekeepers with the aim of calling Eduard Kokoity after some time the president of an independent state. And, one wonders, why did Moscow need such sacrifices, if it could more appropriately declare recognition of the independence of South Ossetia. And why, if you suddenly believe for a moment the authors of the Georgian film, did Moscow not start the destruction of civilians, for example, Sukhum or Gudauta for completeness, so to speak, of the picture?
Position 4.
Georgian soldiers acted as servicemen of exemplary courage, and the Russian army - as a demoralized, untrained and undisciplined gathering. Georgian troops simply lined the bodies of Russian soldiers in Tskhinvali and turned the military equipment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation into burnt wrecks. Mikheil Saakashvili speaks of 400 killed Russian soldiers, and the Georgian news agency Medianews calls Russian losses just colossal: almost 1800 military personnel, 45 BTR, 105 tanks, 10 Gradov, 81 military vehicle, 5 Smerchey. At the same time, according to the Georgian side, the number of dead civilians in South Ossetia was no more than 50 people.
Comment.
Here, the authors really overtook the stick ... Probably, here the authors simply decided to swap two numbers: the number of Russian soldiers killed and the number of civilians killed. If so, then everything falls into place. It’s just that in a few days 1800 lost people killed (which is almost 40% of the losses of the Russian army in the First Chechen campaign), the Russian army just physically could not afford in Georgia.
Position 5.
The world community supported Georgia in the war with Russia.
Comment.
Yes, the world community, having received the “necessary” picture, really, at the first stage, stood on the side of the tie-cheater. However, later, when the situation became clearer, including thanks to the investigation of French journalists, the world suddenly realized that Saakashvili had slipped a monstrous lie to everyone, which simply didn’t make it easy. Even those who secretly pushed him towards the beginning of the aggression against Tskhinvali turned away from the Georgian president.
List substitutions of facts and intentional misrepresentation historical aspects of the August 2008 tragedy in South Ossetia, taking place in the Georgian propaganda film, can still be a long time. However, it is better to see with your own eyes the agitation of Georgian journalists in order to get the very vaccination against the lies that was mentioned at the beginning of the article.
And here is the very same film, referred to in the article:
Information