Georgian man in famous Russia-Georgia war photo dies in accident

A Georgian man immortalized in an image of war has died in a tragic accident in a refugee settlement in Karaleti, in the Gori district.

Zaza Razmadze was electrocuted yesterday when he was working in a crane when the machine accidentally touched a power line.

Razmadze was depicted in a well-known image of the 2008 Georgia-Russia war, which showed him crying and leaning over his brother’s dead body with his bloodied hand raised in the air.

Yesterday, Razmadze attempted to use a crane to move an iron cabin, housing his mother’s second hand clothing, from Gori Bazaar to his own cottage in the refugee settlement.

He died after the iron cabin touched an electricity transition line.

Razmadze’s family originated from the Eredvi village, which is five kilometers from the city of Tskhinvali - one of the Georgia’s breakaway regions.

During the August war, the village was bombed several times.

Razmadze’s brother, Zviad, was killed during one of the bombings in 2008. A photograph showing Zaza crying and leaning over his brother’s dead body spread around the world as an evidence of cruelty of the Russian-Georgian war.

After the Russian 58th Unit entered Eredvi, all the locals were forced to leave their homes. Since then, the Razmadze family has lived in a small cottage in the Karaleti refugee settlement. They are socially vulnerable and live below the poverty line.

Today, the Minister of refugees expressed his sorrow over the tragic accident and said the state would financially help the family.