Long after the guns have silenced in Georgia, the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have seen little of the aid promised by Moscow. On Monday, Kommersant published a close look at conditions in South Ossetia. What they found was stark — little has been rebuilt, aid from Moscow has dried up, and the people are increasingly dissatisfied with the Russians.

The comments of Uruzmag Dzhioev, a school director, are representative of most Ossetians interviewed by Kommersant:

“They [Russians] say to us, ‘We saved you. But Russia didn’t save us here. She saved herself, her interests in the region. The West proposed that we stay in Georgia and receive quick membership in the EU… We are honest with Moscow, but she isn’t honest with us. If Russia doesn’t want to rebuild South Ossetia, does that mean we’ll have another war?”

Such remarks seem to have stung the Russians, particularly after they were picked up by the English-language press. The Russians announced today that they’re directing $226 million dollars to the two regions.

Georgian separatists would do well to remember a truth Americans learned in the Cold War: You can trust the Russians, to be Russians.