‘We’ve waited 17 years’: Tskhinvali responds to Georgian Dream report on 2008 war
Tskhinvali welcomes Georgian Dream report
“Tbilisi has admitted what we and Russia have been waiting 17 years to hear,” Tskhinvali said in response to the findings of Georgian Dream’s commission investigating the actions of the Saakashvili government.
During the report’s presentation in the Georgian parliament, the head of the commission, Tea Tsulukiani, said that in the 2008 war “the Georgian army was dragged into a war by politicians far removed from military affairs who, hoping for outside help and ignoring the advice of Georgian officers, launched an attack on Tskhinvali.”
The opposition, along with many in Georgian society, considers both the commission and the parliament itself illegitimate, arguing that the parliamentary elections of October 2024 were rigged in Georgian Dream’s favour. Six opposition leaders were jailed for refusing to cooperate with the commission.
The state news agency of the self-proclaimed South Ossetia, Res, published an article titled “Georgia officially admits responsibility for launching war against South Ossetia in 2008.” It described the commission’s report as an “official and final document” that confirmed the positions of South Ossetia and Russia.
What did Res write?
“Seventeen years after Georgia’s full-scale military aggression against the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation in August 2008, an admission has finally been voiced in Tbilisi — one that South Ossetia and Russia have awaited all these years.
At a plenary session of the Georgian parliament, Tea Tsulukiani, chair of the commission investigating crimes of former president Mikheil Saakashvili, presented a 460-page report that leaves no doubt: the aggressive war against the civilian population of South Ossetia was launched by the Georgian leadership of the time, headed by Mikheil Saakashvili.
In any case, this report is an official and final document confirming the correctness of the positions of South Ossetia and Russia. It proves that the peace enforcement operation carried out by the Russian Federation was the only possible response to the treacherous aggression of the Georgian regime, which aimed to forcibly destroy the Republic of South Ossetia and its civilian population.
In this regard, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the Georgian parliamentary commission has turned out to be more honest than western politicians, who for almost 20 years have repeated the mantra about Russia’s and South Ossetia’s supposed guilt in the 2008 war,” the article said.
More about the Georgian Dream investigative commission
The temporary investigative commission set up by Georgian Dream was established on 5 February 2025 to examine the activities of the previous government led by the United National Movement. The commission is chaired by Georgian Dream MP Tea Tsulukiani.
It summoned politicians to hearings and broadcast their questioning live. Those who failed to appear were investigated under article 349 of Georgia’s criminal code — “failure to comply with the demands of a temporary parliamentary investigative commission” — which carries a penalty of a fine or up to one year in prison. Convicted individuals are also barred from holding public office for three years.
Within a month, the Georgian Dream authorities used this article to jail six opposition leaders. The opposition considers both the commission and the parliament itself illegitimate.
Tskhinvali welcomes Georgian Dream report
