Left at the Mercy of God
Sixty-three-year-old Genadi Bosikov and his 67-year-old wife, Svetlana, are the only inhabitants of Qobi, a Georgian village a few kilometers away from the disputed administrative border with South Ossetia.
Bosikov, an ethnic Ossetian, has stayed here to look after his ancestors’ land. He works hard to harvest garlic, onions, beans and wheat, and is happy to share his crops with a guest.
People rarely visit the Bosikovs because they are the only family living here. The couple’s children live in Austria and don't visit Georgia often.
Bosikov misses the time when the village used to be full of people. He also misses his family.
But it’s the lack of information, not the solitude, that scares him most. For this reason, he worries about not having electricity. He thinks that Russian soldiers might occupy the village unexpectedly.
Yet he refuses to leave. Qobi is where his ancestors lived, and, therefore, so will he.