Скачать с ютуб ONLY ON AP Olympic security near borders creates problems for local traders and workers в хорошем качестве

ONLY ON AP Olympic security near borders creates problems for local traders and workers

(7 Feb 2014) A short distance from Sochi lies Russia's border with the breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia, a constant reminder of the ongoing tensions in the North Caucasus. The ring of steel Moscow has erected to keep Caucasus-based Islamic extremists out of the Olympic zone is in open view here, just six kilometres (3.7 miles) from Olympic Park. Security is tight along the supposedly-friendly border. Locals who rely on cross-border trade to survive fear the Olympic security crackdown will restrict their movement even further. Mukhmunad Ashabokova is one of those traders, bringing Abkhazian tangerines into Russia to sell. Most days in the tangerine season, she rolls her squat cart loaded down with the fruit across the bridge over Psou River from her garden, some three kilometres (1.8 miles) inside Abkhazia. She sells the tangerines just over the border, at a crossing that's only about six kilometres (3.7 miles) south of Sochi. She makes the hour-long round trip on foot - a cog in the primitive economy flourishing in the shadow of Russian President Vladimir Putin's shiny, 51 (b) billion US dollar Olympic showpiece. Ashabokova sells fruit to Russians for about one US dollar (35 rubles) a kilogram (35 rubles a kilogram (2.2 pounds) She returns home with the cart weighed down with plastic bottles of cooking oil, big bags of rice and other grains for her and her neighbours. The journey is arduous. Entering Russia, she first has to deal with Abkhazian border formalities and pull her cart across the long river bridge. Then she confronts Russian border guards and customs agents. She does the same thing in reverse on the way home. "We must eat," she explained. Abkhazia is a festering geopolitical sore - its status disputed by Russia and Georgia. Moscow recognised Abkhazia as an independent nation after Russian forces crushed the Georgian army in a short war in 2008. The Georgians had, in Soviet times, administered Abkhazia, and were once the majority population in the district. The Georgian government and many Western nations do not recognise Abkhazia, and consider it part of Georgia, even though Tbilisi is not in control. Ruslan Khagba who carries up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of various goods across the border almost every day says life in Abkhazia is better now. Despite this, it's still not good enough. "The salaries are very small. People get around 5-thousand rubles (around 145 US dollars) or a bit more, maximum up to 10-thouand rubles (around 290 US dollars), not more," he says. On the eve of the official opening of the Games, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon restated his appeal for warring parties around the world to lay down arms during the games. His message was certain to have landed on deaf ears in the Caucasus, where the terrorist threat hangs heavy over the games. Russian security is massive. Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers and security forces are policing the so-called 'exclusion zone' encircling Sochi. That includes the border with Abkhazia. Tall fences topped with razor wire and cameras flank both sides of the riverine frontier with the breakaway territory. The ring of steel extends off shore in the Black Sea, where Russian gunboats bob in a line just a few hundred metres offshore. Inland, anti-aircraft batteries are tucked away in the towering peaks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised a safe Olympics and is determined to fulfil his vow. Reflecting the depth of feeling in the divided region, Abkhazian trader Ashabokova is unflinching in her support for Russia's team at the games. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...