Russian soldier recounts Georgian ambush

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (AP) - Nikolai Badry, one of the first Russian soldiers to invade the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali last week, said he watched fellow soldiers fall to their deaths when Georgian artillery bombarded his convoy.

Now he lies in a hospital bed at the Rostov Regional Military Hospital here in southern Russia recovering from a gunshot wound in his arm.

"The Georgians opened fire on us from the windows of five-story apartment buildings on either side of the road," he said Tuesday.

Badry is one of 44 Russian soldiers being treated for wounds at the hospital. Most of them sustained injuries from shrapnel fragments, though several were recovering from bullet wounds and one soldier was in serious condition due to a spine injury.

All had taken part in Russia's invasion of South Ossetia, which began on Friday in response a Georgian assault on the breakaway region.

As they seized control of South Ossetia and pushed out the Georgian troops, the Russians faced heavy fire.

"The ambush was expertly organized," Badry said. He said Georgian soldiers guessed where Russian troops would be entering ahead of time and waited in strategic places to attack.

Badry claimed the Georgian soldiers were armed with quality NATO equipment, though he said he was surprised they were using locally made Kalashnikov rifles.

Russian officials claim around 2,000 people have died in the fighting over South Ossetia, though the estimate has not been independently confirmed.

Leaders of both Russia and Georgia have agreed to a cease-fire plan worked out by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
MyWay