AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

High-Resolution Satellite Imagery and the Conflict in South Ossetia


AAAS conducted a damage assessment of 24 village areas in the region of Tskhinvali, Georgia, to corroborate reports by Amnesty International of violence against civilians and property destruction during the Georgia-Russia conflict of August 2008. This report documents the scope and extent of damage between August 10 and August 19, 2008. Imagery analysis demonstrates initial concentrated damage to the city of Tskhinvali and small amounts of damage to outlying areas that had occurred by August 10. By August 19, a much broader range of destruction occurred in the village areas surrounding Tskhinvali. Other significant signs of military actions were also shown to have occurred in the region, including many obvious craters from munitions and tracks from the presumed movement of military vehicles, which resulted in clear damage to the vegetated areas throughout the region.

This document is directly associated with the following: Projects Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights AAAS