Tskhinvali Four Years After the Events of August 8, 2008

Four years ago in the early hours of August 8, 2008, Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia and destroyed a part of its capital Tskhinvali. This RIA Novosti photo gallery shows what life in Tskhinvali is like today.

A memorial to those killed in the conflict has been erected in the city. According the South Ossetian authorities, over 1,500 people lost their lives as a result of the attack by Georgian troops, although the Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor's Office has only formally confirmed the deaths of 162 residents of the republic.

On August 31, 2009 the opening ceremony took place for the new Moskovsky district, which was built with money allocated out of the Moscow city budget. However, there is still a long way to go before the restoration of the republic is complete. South Ossetian Minister of Construction and Architecture Anatoly Mashchelkin said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the country's housing problems would not be solved until 2015.

According to experts questioned by RIA Novosti, in terms of its economic standing and socioeconomic development South Ossetia can hardly be called a fully-fledged state. Photo: selling clothes on the streets of Tskhinvali.

The depressed level of the region is pushing South Ossetia into Russia’s economic orbit. This means dependence on Russian loans and the Russian market, including the labor market. Photo: a night market in Tskhinvali.

South Ossetia lacks the basis for economic growth. Experts believe the only way to change the situation is for normal relations between Russia and Georgia to be established.

But while politicians are addressing problems at the state level, Tskhinvali's women bake bread...

... and raise their children.

In Tskhinvali there are even amusement rides...

... and a football pitch.