[Music]
there are almost 200 official countries
in the world today but there are dozens
more breakaway states determined to be
separate but officially not recognized
some survive peacefully with their own
borders money and presidents but others
are a magnet for terrorists and weapon
smuggling and have armies ready for a
fight
welcome to places that don't exist
[Music]
Georgia has a particular problem with
breakaway states after the collapse of
the USSR Georgia became independent but
three parts of the country South Ossetia
Abkhazia and Acharya then broke away
from Georgia conflict broke out
thousands were killed and the whole
region has suffered ever since I drove
with my guide Natalia through Georgia to
South Ossetia on Russia's southern
border on the way we saw posters of the
new Georgian President Saakashvili who
took power in winter 2003 the new
president who supported by the West has
vowed to bring all the breakaway regions
which the Russian support back into the
fold
although officially one country this is
where George and jurisdiction ends
tensions were high at the border just a
day before 50 Georgian soldiers had been
taken captive by South Ossetia enforces
well these guys are now saying that we
actually can't go back because the South
has settings might try to kidnap us we
can't go forward because the Russians
are ahead of us and they won't let us go
part either so it we could be stuck here
this Georgian checkpoint Georgia's will
take us to them up to the point where
the the peacekeepers checkpoints but
five kilometers from here so then we
will have to talk to the Russians in the
city and see whether they let us in
because that's why they Georgian
jurisdiction and
so in no-man's land
yes that's right
the buffer zone between the two is
controlled by Russian peacekeeping
forces despite Russia's open support for
South Ossetia independence Georgians say
the Russians just want to keep soldiers
in Georgia
Natalia spoke to a group of Russian
soldiers who are happy to explain where
their load is lie the guys that they're
saying that they identify themselves
with South Ossetia and they're ready
they might be here as well on a
peacekeeping mandate but as soon as
there's some sort of an aggression or
some sort of a implication that there
will be war they're going to tear off
and that's how they said it they're
gonna tear of their peacekeeping badges
and they're gonna they're gonna fight
for so but they are telling me that I
listen you are America's puppet you know
that there are Americans training
Georgia's now they're British Army
training Georgia's you are you are the
puppet so the sausage on a commissioned
officer know what is his aim here what
is the procedure paya Holly Photoshop
kakapo rocket failure Isis give me a
tour sir
Jason animal subjects Bonilla right here
at work is as I said general towards the
Turkish study it's only Russian
peacekeepers here who are keeping
stability
the Russian general eventually gave
permission for us to cross into South
Ossetia
and we followed his army jeep to a South
Ossetia in government ministry to
register our arrival this is actually
the South Ossetia Foreign Ministry which
always sounds like a contradiction in
terms but it's a proper breakaway state
they formed their own government of
course they've got their own foreign
ministry for 12 years South Ossetia has
existed as a self-declared country with
its own flag army and government but not
recognized by any major state the people
here are mainly assets we speak a
different language to Georgians the
government has vowed to fight to the
death rather than rejoin the Georgian
fold they clearly don't think much of
President Saakashvili we've got area
south acetylene magazine here a news
magazine it's got a picture of the
Georgian President Mikheil so he's
building on the front time to think of a
more unflattering portraits for the hand
of America using him as a puppet seen
green with a swastika armband on leading
death and pestilence into a South
Ossetia it's really worked his more news
from South Ossetia is the Georgian
troops they were taken captive or
hostage here depending on your point of
view a bunch of operators ahead deliver
to avoid that music idea we were just
doing this show that show the tape we
just filmed this you just walked in when
we were doing this see boom now you're
happy
I'm sure we shall my typical well I
think we've managed to basically
persuade the rather tough south ossetia
women in there that we should be allowed
to stay I think she was at one point
going to kick us out she's now gonna let
her stay and hopefully we'll be allowed
to stay a little bit longer than the two
hours they initially said we could be in
south ossetia we're not allowed to film
on the capital of south ossetia was
attacked by Georgian forces in the early
90s when the assets' announced they
wanted their independence it's a
beautiful old building and this is the
South Ossetia flag on the roof they're
saying that where there's new plaster
this is where bullets hit the building
during the war just over ten years ago
well they don't wait to film there yeah
why I think basically because over there
is the government ministry and maybe
where the president works and the same
they don't we need to film a president
of South Ossetia read your mind huh
where is it which one is it just over
there can we go and speak to him it's
the president of South Ossetia just over
there
he's just gone now and really wanted to
speak to him but there they're saying we
can't they won't let us go and chat with
them they're saying before we take your
tapes away just keep going started out
and start leave before we take their
tips okay
I was speaking with one of their girls
with a company I suppose she's from the
Ministry of Information and she was
talking about how they really distrust
everything that comes from the outside
whether it's Georgia or the bigger
outside but we're also we had an
interesting chat mode dad met President
Saakashvili and she was saying how much
people despise him but really his
reputation here is that his tears they
mentally disturbed the Isetta in
government gave us a local guide who
took us on a tour first stop the local
market people were reluctant to talk to
us at first because our guide was
telling them we were Americans no no no
no America not not America no not did
you say America when we're not from
America from London but it's not America
once our nationality was cleared up
people became friendlier hello
so they've got lots of produce as you
can see Oh
spasiba we thought there was no food in
South Ossetia ah
spasiba it's for Syria because this is
what people say in Georgia almost
everyone in South Ossetia has someone
close to them in the Isetta an army yeah
so much Kenan mañana you caught this f2
remember he said he has a son I love you
defense
us from doujin hammers as his son maybe
many here have already lost a relative
our guide took us to the grounds of a
school where a makeshift cemetery was
established during the Georgian
bombardment and they were both killed
during the war it's horrifying really
it's supposed to be a kids playground
it's not supposed to be a cemetery so
Georgia did a lot of heavy bombardment
during the war here yeah there was heavy
bombardment there was a lot of looting
Georgian army and prime militaries
behaved in terrible ways a lot of people
were killed on both sides what does that
say
after I've lived through all of these
tragedies I know that you view my proud
Ossetia will win
technically our time is up and we have
to leave right now because we were
already stopped once by k to be here and
they checked our documents so if we're
stopped again we're going to get kicked
out because our accreditation time is
ran out but we might try to persuade
them to give us some more time here to
buy some extra time we persuaded our
government guide to take us to a local
restaurant but she wasn't happy I
suppose she's got a right to be fed up
her brother cousin and father all in the
army along with all our neighbors is
very fence claim are you are you worried
for them are they they are on the border
with Georgia yes is it stressful time
for your family
there is much stress within your family
in the back we found a group of young a
city and soldiers who had taken a break
from the front line to celebrate a
birthday they were too young to fight in
the last war but all were affected by
shots apologies my fathers died in that
war now we're ready to dine a new war to
protect our freedoms blood you mean you
have expected this that it might happen
again gosh of course we knew this would
happen because we will never allow the
Georgians to rule us throughout the set
in history they've always tried to push
us around
we've never submitted to that and never
wish to merely button himself
there were reminders of the influence of
Moscow everywhere Russian President
Putin is a hero here we were running out
of time and the KGB wanted us to leave
I didn't give me any time
our guys are getting a little worried
about the KGB guys behind us so they
want us to leave right
spasiba thank you I hope to see you
again I hope to see you both again
we just couldn't stay any longer
basically we had a certain amount of
time we were allowed to be here and the
KGB is they still call them here
we're insistent that we leave the only
opportunity for us to see the south or
city and president eduard kokoity was on
a videotape of him training with his
army gulia de baak de facto republic is
president he said watch kokoity italia
respond he's dressing combat fatigues he
thinks for himself as a military leader
as well as a political one yeah he does
and he's preparing for war and that's
what he says here as well I think it's
great one everyone that this is no joke
[Applause]
back in the Georgian capital we were
summoned to meet President Saakashvili
the man who's trying to reunify the
country it's a president I already Simon
from the VPT hello nice to see you nice
to see you too these will and I believe
you know Netanya where are you going now
sir I'm going to meet there is no Sofia
of my population of based people for our
opposition ethnic origin that came here
for demonstration right and basically
well they didn't expect to meet me but
you're gonna go say hello
yes and what are they out here
demonstrating for for peace for peace
that's what we want as well right
looks like Russia's want to see a
trouble on the border there but we are
trying to keep things calm we don't need
it any other bloody clash there and how
how difficult is the situation of easily
South Ossetia tomorrow well it's a very
small piece of territory but looks like
that for Russians is kind of marginal
line of defence
God knows where what interests oh right
only one hand where we are trying to
think several things around there is the
kind of leverage over us right yeah are
you worried about the possibility
is it a serious possible varus chance
that there will be flash but we hope it
won't happen people are actually of a
sense yes were concerned about you or
how many medicinal provinces good
because I enjoy every night I pray for
peace Georgia is changing rapidly we
went to an old Soviet base where British
troops are now training the Georgian
army and the tactics of international
peacekeeping local medical students
added a touch of realism Oh Big Joe
the Georgian troops here and obviously
not training for an invasion of a small
breakaway state this is for peacekeeping
operations this is really why the
Russians are so angry because we're here
with American trained Georgian troops
we're now training alongside British
troops on an old Soviet Air Base just on
Russia's southern borders
all they've ever been trained in is
Soviet doctrine and war fighting so this
is completely new to some of these guys
likewise running structuring planning
scoping and exercise along Western lines
a long way the British Army is also new
so the whole thing is a huge learning
experience for them
stay here you can't the world windows
you know that window you look at that
when you stay here okay again great
there get out of there
play away you should have stopped a
little bit early runs of them want to
take the building and they've done a
good job
much of their military hardware has been
provided by America what did you think
of how the Georgian soldiers handled
things today we impressed or hide what
they did it was quite impressed by their
discipline very aggressive it's like
good or bad ah too aggressive for
peacekeeping but in a lot of other
aspects where they need to be aggressive
great but when we left the peacekeepers
just down the road we found Georgian
troops preparing for war much closer to
home
I'm not going to see it if we do it
quickly its tanked on the other side
mate we were just trying to get close to
a Georgian train that is just behind me
loaded with tanks armoured personnel
carriers and artillery and they're
shouting at us now they're all yeah
there is the train there it's full of
troops just give them a shot on the
surface Georgia
Georgian politicians might be saying oh
well we're trying you know we don't want
there to be a conflict but underneath
the reality is they're clearly
absolutely prepared for it
[Music]
giorgia seems to have a real problem
with breakaway stage which is Rhett to
get you overnight train West across the
country to add Aria which is a breakaway
region of Georgia that President
Saakashvili has just brought back into
the fold that's the reason why South
Ossetia and our party are so worried we
were very lucky to get on this train
we've managed to secure the final
sleeping compartment but it's the end of
the train and the toilet so we're not
sure it's gonna be like well it's a bit
of a stink okay we can try to get the
window down but it seems we push it down
it goes up again Oh a little bit I never
gather we gotta go okay
okay all right we'll survive
in Soviet times the Black Sea resort of
a Daria was a favorite destination for
Soviet holidaymakers and the old
communist party hierarchy but more
importantly it's the country's major oil
transit port
Suganya de su Daniel su Daniel a Jharia
spent a decade as a breakaway region
under the rule of aztlán ever she'd say
a corrupt local politician before
president sack has really took it back I
think we need to have a word with our
driver
he's a undercover cop or he's got some
useful props they're helping to get
through traffic jams it's fantastic can
i buy one of these this would be so good
in London
[Music]
so he is a police officer yes turns out
that he is he's off duty national
Sheldon at the higher
Natalia took me to ever she days home
which he left in a hurry when the people
turned against him she'd been here
before I was actually in this room eight
hours after he fled to Moscow after the
Revolution and it looks very different
it looks so cleaned up now there was
them the work glasses with unfinished
cornea on the table there were pictures
scattered personal photos just gathered
through the floor there was the web
plastic bags with toothbrush and
underwear just personal thing boxer
shorts of the ruler of Acharya leg lay
on the floor it was amazing look at that
how tacky some talkies ah
is this one of those ones that light up
see if he's left any stationary I'm
running short of post-it notes
oh hang on he's got some business cards
imagine giving those out at a party
hi I hear you are at a terrace for
autonomous republic of general Ned cut
off an officially retired Russian
general he was the man who trained the
paramilitary forces of the former regime
of us Lana mashita and he was a man
who's very welcome at his house as many
other Russian politicians including
mayor of Moscow who is a big personal
friend what do you think well I'm not
sure it works for the trainer's I hadn't
fully appreciated until we came here
just how strong an important Russian
influence in Georgia in the breakaway
states still is I mean even now more
than a decade after the Soviet Union
collapsed Russia still calls the shots
Georgia is still dealing with the
consequences of the collapse of the
Soviet Union at this old military base
tons of ammunition have been abandoned
leading to fears explosives could fall
into the wrong hands
he's a huge anti-aircraft missiles these
are the ones that each contain about a
kilo and a half of TNT
there's nobody guarding them as you can
see we're just wandering around opening
the cases and these are actually really
quite easy to turn into terrorist
weapons or to take the explosive that's
in here just inside the end here and
turn it into a quite a significant bomb
this one's locked my piece of string
hairs on my arms standing up
there apparently are the ones that they
found outside the base once that just
people would steal and take them apart
in in the bullshit take copper parts and
just throw them around you can see that
they're falling apart
yeah and that means once once they start
rusting how many are they here do we
know hundreds thousands just in this
room 30,000 that they dismantled now
they need to melt TNT out scientists
here are trying to dismantle the shelves
and remove the explosives but they're
hopelessly underfunded I was then taken
to see far more powerful rockets lying
unprotected and unguarded there's not
even money for petrol for a lawnmower to
cut the dry grass a major fire risk but
it does show us a kilogram there are 200
kilos of TNT in each rocket one can
destroy almost anything they are
extremely powerful for example a
skyscraper our tool here sucks down
gross Oh problem look how easy would it
be for somebody to take the explosives
in these missiles and use them in a
terrorist weapon well appear to Signet
everything is inside that's why a small
spark or static discharge will detonate
the static will return has gone up it
Vitelli rocket you could detonate one
with a small battery a limited this is
the fence around the base I'm you there
is no fence there's nothing there
the directors just mentioned that soon
this base will be reclassified at the
moment it's a military base so it has
five guards soon it's come not going to
be a military base anymore so even those
five guards are going to be taken away
and all these guns all the missiles all
the shells tens of thousands of shells
are we completely unguarded which is why
we're not going to tell you where they
are
[Music]
we traveled west to Abkhazia the largest
of Georgia's breakaway states after
declaring independence they also fought
a war with Georgia in the early 90s that
killed thousands and ended in an easy
stalemate the United Nations has an
unarmed presence in Abkhazia these
checkpoint is under Russian
responsibility
and there is possible for security here
we've been warned it would be difficult
to get in so UN peacekeeper said we
could hitch a ride with one of their
patrols through the southern part of the
breakaway state
so where we
no we are now we are on the present site
we were in Abkhazia we are in Abkhazia
you can see the refugees
I can do anything specific to scurvy
tusculum depreciate is forbidden to take
short okay I will not
we're just crossing back into Georgia
from our kasi because the housing
authorities have refused to allow us in
they've been completely uncooperative
you need to discuss things with us into
Simeon this kick is out we tried to
interrupt Garcia several times but were
refused like many others when war broke
out with Georgia thousands fled into
refuge wherever they could amide ever
years later this old tea factory is
still home to a number of families from
Acacio Oh what kind of life are you
talking about
you call this life there's no
electricity no food the water this is
not life yes yeah yeah they get
electricity for two or three hours every
15 days and they have running water only
when they have electricity he told me
his final wish was to be buried in
Abkhazia his homeland
it's our tradition that we cannot be
buried outside our country we have to be
buried in our own land he's now telling
the stories I got the easiest way to get
to our pauses to die and get yourself
place at the cemetery if we can load on
the horizon this is ridiculous I mean
what the hell are these two what the
hell are they all doing here what I want
how how we allowed just to walk in here
you