This year marks the 14th anniversary of the August 2008 war. Fourteen years ago, the Russian Federation invaded Georgia and occupied two regions of the country, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, so-called South Ossetia.
Since that time, thousands of residents have been displaced, persecuted, and impoverished. Many have lost their lives. The war lasted for five days - August 7–12.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, during Russian invasion 228 civilians, 169 military officers and 14 police officers died, 1747 people were wounded. About 150 thousand people were forced to leave their homes.
Today, 20% of Georgian territory remains occupied.
Local authorities and Georgia’s foreign partners, including U.S. Embassy to Georgia, the EU Delegation to Georgia publicly responded to the anniversary, condemning the Russian occupation and calling on the Russian federation to withdraw its troops from Georgian territories.
“Georgian resilience has proven stronger,” Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia says in her response to the anniversary.
“1801, 1921, 1992, 2008 – are dates that every Georgian remembers forever. They illustrate Russia’s relentless policy of armed aggression and occupation. Georgian resilience has proven stronger. My thoughts go to our citizens in occupied territories in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali,” President Zourabichvili says.
