Vera tells how it all happened in autumn of 1992. Armed units burst in Gagra. Some local residents took what they managed to take and escaped to Adier. Others, like us thought: we have neither touched, nor killed anybody, why should we escape? Later we understood, we were caught in trouble. Abkhazians, North Caucasians, Cossacks came to Georgian houses and burst into them under the pretence they were looking for arms. They ravaged them. They took the cars, took away men and shot them.

My son-in-law's mother, a well-known doctor was raped. Her house was burnt. He himself, also a doctor, a surgeon was taken away prisoner to Gudauta. They wanted to shoot him, but some Abkhazians recognized him and said: don't kill him, we may need a doctor. He was made gather dead bodies, and then by some miracle, Abkhazians who knew him, evacuated him in the ambulance to Adier. I hid my daughter and pregnant daughter-in-law in Abkhaz families.

In general, everybody tried to help irrespective of their nationality. My husband was saved by a Russian woman Liza by name. She lived close to us. Liza was very religious and gave half of her house to Abkhaz refugees, so the bandits did not come to her. First she was hiding my husband in the hen house, then in her room upstairs;then he was disguised in a woman's frock and driven away from Gagra. And I could not go away, I could not leave my house. I told my children, if they begin to kill me don't run to my shouts, don't cry "mother" or they will kill you too.

They came to me several times. They demanded gold. Once, when they understood there was nothing left in the house, they beat me and began to pull out my teeth with golden crowns.