FARN

FARN is an untranslatable Ossetian word, used to wish welfare when proposing a toast. The history of mankind is a chronicle of wars and intermediate peaceful stages. It's not new for a person having at least general knowledge of the historical process. Moreover, war in its modern concept is a legalization of violence. There are whole codes of waging military operations, rights of occupants and occupied, various public organizations studying the warfare, an institution which passes sentences on war crimes … The overwhelming majority of hostilities were carried out due to political decisions held by authorities - that's the right delegated to them by the people. A bit strange inconsistency: the people, entrusting making a decision to a politician, suffer more than anyone else from this decision. It doesn't matter if it's a nation-winner or vice-versa. One can't avoid taking into account all psychological scars of the survived. Killed relatives, destroyed houses, social chaos constantly accompany any hostilities. When I first came to South Ossetia and had talks with people, it became clear to me that they had nothing to rely on. The most common logic of that period was “What's the use of doing something, if I'm not sure there'll be no war again?” The threat of war suppresses any motivation of the survived to live. Over 17 years of military tension in Georgian-Ossetian region three massive bloody campaigns had taken place between Georgia and South Ossetia, the latter proclaimed its independence from Georgia in 1992. As a result the population in the region decreased sharply (killed, displaced people and migrants), agriculture and manufacturing almost vanished, relations between ethnic Georgians and Ossetians, who used to live side by side peacefully, escalated, and that in turn resulted in the destruction of Ossetian villages during the first Georgian-Ossetian military campaign and Georgian villages in 2008. In August 2008, in the wake of 080808 campaign, Russia recognized the independence of the Republic of South Ossetia. Later its independence was also recognized by four UN member-states: Nicaragua, Nauru, Venezuela and Tuvalu. Yet, the international legal status of South Ossetia is still undecided. Over 3 years I've been covering this project. It's only time that will show the global changes in the local area. Looking through the photos again, I see a short history of a new country, observe the changes both in states of people and infrastructure, and realize the importance of the losses the nation had suffered. Confidence in the future is very expensive. Ossetians repaid in full for their future. Pipelaying mustn't affect ordinary citizens. Politics and war aren't crystal clear things indeed.