We can't do anything else, we can't start a war

According to Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, the government of Georgia is doing everything possible against the occupation with the involvement of international partners. According to him, journalists should ask the opposition accusing the government of inaction what they were celebrating in Tbilisi when the corpses of soldiers were lying in the fields unattended.

Today, on August 11, Vakhtang Gomelauri, together with the Minister of Defence, the Commander of the Defence Forces and servicemen, honoured the memory of the heroes, who died during the 2008 Russian-Georgian war in the village of Shindisi.

Twelve years ago, on August 11th, 17 Georgian soldiers died in an unequal battle with Russian soldiers near a village of Shindisi.

Today it is the 12th anniversary of the August 2008 war. Twelve years ago, on August 7, the Russian army invaded Georgia through the Roki Tunnel and started the war. The five-day war killed 408 people: 170 servicemen, 14 Interior Ministry officers and 224 civilians. Another 26,000 people became refugees in their own country. The total number of wounded civilians and military personnel in the August 2008 war was 2,232. After a five-day war, South Ossetia's independence was recognised by Russia.

For 12 years, the occupation regimes have failed to achieve international recognition, but annexation and gradual occupation of Georgian territories continue to this day - borderization, barbed wires in the middle of the country and abductions. The occupiers still have 3 people in illegal captivity, of whom their families do not know anything. They were arrested on July 3 for violating the non-existent border - Khvicha Mgebrishvili is facing up to 4 years of imprisonment and wounded Zaza Gakheladze is facing up to 12 years of imprisonment. Gennady Bestaev, who was already "convicted" and has been serving a two-year "term" since November 2019, was kidnapped from his home at the end of last year.