16 years on: Georgia’s foreign ministry blames Russia for first time since August War
Georgia’s foreign ministry blames Russia
The 16th anniversary of the August 2008 war between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia, much like in previous years, has once again sparked intense confrontation between the government and opposition in Georgia.
This year, the opposition and civil society were outraged by the ruling party’s approach. Instead of focusing on Russia when discussing the August war, they blamed the United National Movement, the party in power during Mikheil Saakashvili’s presidency, for starting the conflict.
However, for the first time, the authorities made a statement directly blaming Russia for the war (more details on this below).
The opposition and the government once again failed to agree on the date the war began: the former claim it was on August 7, while the latter insist it was on August 8.
As a result, the tragic anniversary was marked over two consecutive days in the country.
On August 8, flags were lowered on government buildings, and the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an official statement (though in previous years, the Ministry had marked the war’s anniversary on August 7). On the same day, the country’s leaders paid tribute to those who lost their lives during the August 2008 war.
The president of Georgia, along with opposition representatives and civil society, held commemorative events on August 7.
Everything that took place in Georgia during these days had a distinctly political, pre-election context (Georgia is set to hold crucial parliamentary elections on October 26). The ruling Georgian Dream party also made another campaign promise, stating that the United National Movement would, in the future, be held legally accountable for actions that led to the August 2008 war.
JAMnews has summarized the key announcements made on August 7 and 8.
Statement from the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Russia named the main culprit of the war for the first time
Many in Georgian society were surprised when, contrary to the traditional rhetoric of the ruling party, Russia was named the main culprit of the war in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official statement.
The statement notes that “even 16 years later, the Russian Federation continues to occupy Georgian territories—Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.”
“Russian military bases are illegally stationed in the occupied regions of Georgia. The occupying forces regularly conduct military exercises. Additionally, the region faces a difficult humanitarian situation, with human rights violations and a fragile security environment.
Russia continues to obstruct unrestricted access for international organizations to these territories and the deployment of international security mechanisms,” the statement reads.
The statement emphasizes that Russia is attempting to subordinate these regions to its political, military, economic, and social systems and to isolate them from Georgia and the rest of the world.
“Russia conducts illegal elections in the occupied territories, reorganizes settlements and strategic facilities, and carries out other forms of integration of the occupied regions.
By approving and implementing agreements and memorandums with these territories, Russia seeks to integrate Georgia’s indivisible regions into the Russian political, military, economic, and social systems and aims to isolate the population living in the occupied territories from the rest of Georgia and the international community,” the statement concludes.
At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that “Georgia continues to pursue a policy of peaceful resolution of the Russian-Georgian conflict.”
“Georgia remains constructively engaged in the international negotiations in Geneva. The primary goal of these talks is to address the implementation of the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, and to facilitate the return of displaced persons to their homes.”
The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also highlights that the support of international partners is crucial for Georgia in these processes.
Russian Foreign Ministry: “This was Saakashvili’s criminal gamble”
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement from its spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, accusing then-president Mikheil Saakashvili and the ruling United National Movement at the time of instigating the war.
“In the early hours of August 8, 2008, Mikheil Saakashvili’s regime violated all international agreements on the peaceful resolution of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict and launched a full-scale military operation against South Ossetia,” Maria Zakharova stated.
The spokesperson described Saakashvili’s actions as a “criminal gamble.” According to her, Saakashvili left Russia “no choice but to conduct a peace enforcement operation against the aggressor and subsequently recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.” Zakharova claimed that the recognition of the occupied territories “ensures the right of the people living there to preserve their national identity.”
Zakharova believes that Russia’s recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia “safeguards the right of Abkhazians and South Ossetians to maintain their national identity.”
In her statement, she praised the international Geneva format established after the war, noting that it “has made it possible to maintain relative peace along the borders of the three states and quickly address emerging hotspots of tension.” Zakharova said that the main goal of this format is for the participants to “maximize their potential to conclude an agreement on the non-use of force between Tbilisi on one side, and Sukhumi and Tskhinvali on the other.”
Zakharova also mentioned that the Kremlin wants to begin the process of delimitation and demarcation of the “state borders” between “Tbilisi, Sukhumi, and Tskhinvali.”
In this context, the United States was mentioned as a party that exacerbated the situation in the region. According to Zakharova, “Washington and its allies exploited internal regional contradictions with the clear aim of inflaming the situation near Russia’s borders,” making the delimitation of “state borders” increasingly relevant.
Zakharova further stated that the West, in its desire to antagonize Russia, forgets the interests of the countries in the region and jeopardizes their secure and dignified existence.
The statement also mentioned that Russia is ready to cooperate with countries concerned about the fate of the South Caucasus, including providing “all necessary assistance” to dialogue between “Tbilisi, Sukhum, and Tskhinval.”
Ruling Party “Georgian Dream”: “Saakashvili deliberately executed an anti-state task ordered from abroad”
On August 7, the political council of the ruling party issued a statement that, much like Zakharova’s statement, focused on the crimes committed by the “United National Movement” during the August war.
The ruling party asserts that it intends to hold the “National Movement” legally accountable for the crime it committed.
“Until now, we have only hinted at the crime committed by the ‘National Movement’ in 2008, and there was a reason for this. As is well known, international court cases have been ongoing in Strasbourg and The Hague for many years, and thanks to the enormous efforts of our government, they have concluded with Georgia’s victory. Now that even the theoretical risk of holding Georgia, the Georgian army, or even a single Georgian soldier accountable at the international level has passed, it is time for the public to learn the whole truth and for all the facts to receive a full legal evaluation,” the “Georgian Dream” statement reads.
“The treacherous crime of the ‘National Movement’ had the most devastating consequences. As a result of the 2008 war, we lost two historic regions, hundreds of soldiers and civilians were killed, and 30,000 people were forced to flee their homes. It is unacceptable for a crime of this magnitude to go unpunished and without legal assessment.
‘Georgian Dream’ believes that the ‘National Movement’ is trying to mark August 7 as the start date of the war instead of August 8 because they ‘are trying to conceal their own crime and evade responsibility.'”
The ruling party once again accused the “National Movement” of attempting to drag Georgia into the war in Ukraine.
“This circumstance has further strengthened the belief that these individuals deliberately organized the worst provocation of 2008 and knowingly executed an anti-state task ordered from abroad. We will not dwell here on who gave the order and whose interests the top government officials of that time were serving, as everything will become clear in a public court trial. We will be the plaintiffs in this process, and the ‘National Movement’ will have to bear collective responsibility for the treacherous crime committed against the country and its people.”
Finally, the statement from the ruling party also addresses Russia’s responsibility:
“Here, we emphasize that none of this diminishes the crimes committed by Russia or the fact that the Russian Federation is responsible for the occupation of our country’s territories,” the statement concludes.
Expert analysis
Analysts believe that the “Georgian Dream” party’s claims go beyond internal political rivalry and are linked to the foreign policy direction, aligning closely with key messages of Russian propaganda against the West, which “damages the Georgian state.”
“And the only culprit in the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia was Russia—the Kremlin regime. Shifting responsibility to the then-Georgian government, however unacceptable it may be by various measures, harms and destroys Georgia,” said Andro Gotsiridze, a security expert and former high-ranking official in the Georgian Ministry of Defence, in an interview with Radio Free Europe.
Gotsiridze explains that “a government elected by the people represents the people,” and “once the former government is condemned for starting the war, Georgia itself will be condemned.” At the same time, accusations against Western partners are already extending beyond internal political rivalry:
“Now the internal political struggle in Georgia concerns a shift in foreign policy direction. It is now about the claim that ‘the West imposed the war on Georgia.’ This fits neatly into Russian propaganda and the FSB’s textbooks, as our partners say, because Russia argues that the US and the West provoke wars and change governments that do not agree with these provocations.”
According to Gotsiridze, the “Georgian Dream’s” accusations “directly fit into the Russian narrative that Russia invaded Georgia to ‘enforce peace,’ as they called their operation in 2008.”
Other key statements
President Salome Zourabichvili wrote on X: “August carries a tragic memory of Georgia’s history. It has been 16 years since the last Russian invasion, and the occupation is not forgotten! We will never get used to it or accept it! Georgia will firmly remain on its European path and resolutely resist any attempts at destabilisation.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “Today we mark the 16th anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the sovereign state of Georgia and remember those who were killed, wounded, or forced to flee their homes as a result of the military campaign and Russia’s illegal occupation. Russia continues to occupy 20 percent of Georgian territory and impose its will on the local population, including the announcement of the transfer of strategically important lands in Abkhazia to Russia and efforts to establish a permanent naval base in Ochamchire. The United States remains firmly committed to supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
We call on Russia to uphold its commitments under the 2008 ceasefire agreement, withdraw its troops to pre-conflict positions, and ensure unhindered humanitarian access.
We also urge Russia to revoke its recognition of the so-called independence of Georgia’s regions—Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These actions would allow tens of thousands of displaced persons to return safely to their homes. US support for the Georgian people’s aspiration for a Euro-Atlantic future and peaceful conflict resolution remains unwavering.”
EU High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell: “The EU’s commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in Georgia remains unwavering. We condemn the ongoing presence of Russian armed forces in the occupied self-declared regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which violates international law and contradicts Russia’s obligations under the six-point agreement reached on August 12, 2008.
Human rights violations affecting the conflict-affected population in Georgia continue, including due to the ‘borderisation’ policy, the closure of crossing points, and illegal detentions by Russian military forces and de facto authorities.
Freedom of movement restrictions must end, human rights violations must be investigated, and justice must be ensured for all victims.”
We remain fully committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, including the EU’s role in the Geneva International Discussions (GID) as co-chair, the activities of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, and the ongoing work of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM). We urge all participants in the Geneva International Discussions to constructively engage in discussions aimed at achieving full implementation of the six-point agreement of August 12, 2008″.
Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “August 7 marked the 16th anniversary of the start of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Georgia, which resulted in Russia killing hundreds of innocent people and seizing Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. Russian occupation has turned these Georgian regions into a grey zone characterized by lawlessness, lack of prospects, and human rights violations. While the military actions ceased in August 2008, Russian aggression against Georgia did not end there.
Moscow continued its so-called ‘borderisation’—a creeping annexation of Georgian territory—along with pressure, propaganda, and other hybrid methods of interference.
Ukraine supports Georgia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and resolutely condemns the Kremlin’s aggressive policies. Russia must withdraw its troops from Georgia’s sovereign territory in accordance with the 2008 ceasefire agreement and reverse the so-called annexation of Georgian regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Russian imperialism in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and Europe has remained unchanged for centuries, characterized by deeply rooted chauvinism, disregard for other nations, international law, internationally recognized borders, and a desire to restore imperial dominance. Russia’s aggression against Georgia and later Ukraine is just one episode of Moscow’s long-standing imperial policy, which has no place in the 21st century. We are convinced that only through the collective efforts of the international community can we counter the aggressive policies of the Russian Federation, compel it to withdraw from the temporarily occupied territories of Georgia and Ukraine, and hold Russian criminals accountable for all damage, crimes, and atrocities.”
