In comments to mark 17 years since the start of the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, officials of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party reiterated long-standing accusations that Georgia’s former-ruling United National Movement government under ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili provoked the conflict.

In remarks to journalists on August 8, top GD members including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the GD-elected Georgian president, Mikheil Kavelashvili, paid tribute to the Georgian soldiers who died fighting in the war, which they insisted started as a result of Saakashvili’s actions.

The brief but bloody 2008 conflict resulted in Russia expanding its military presence in Georgia’s Abkhazia and South Ossetia separatist regions and officially recognising the two territories as independent states, a position challenged by the majority of the world’s countries.

Most of Georgian society, along with the entire Georgian pro-Western opposition and Georgia’s Western allies, blame Russia for starting the war and occupying over 20% of Georgia in a violation of international law and Georgia’s territorial integrity.

During a visit to Tbilisi’s Mukhatgverdi cemetery to lay wreaths on the graves of Georgian soldiers, Kobakhidze described the August 8 anniversary as a “tragic date” and the 2008 conflict as “a betrayal committed by the government at the time”, as cited by Civil.ge.

Similarly, GD Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani blamed the then government for starting the war, describing the former-ruling UNM as “treacherous and adventurist”, as cited by Netgazeti.

Further, Kobakhidze doubled down on GD’s prior accusations that Saakashvili’s UNM government was acting under external influence – the so called “deep state” – during its time in power from 2003-12, and it was these shadowy forces who “ordered” the start of the 2008 war with Russia.

“This day [August 8] reminds us of the necessity for the country to be governed by a sovereign government — one that acts based on its own national interests, not under the direction of foreign powers,” Kobakhidze continued.

Recent months have seen mounting allegations from GD that Georgia’s pro-Western opposition – which includes many former UNM MPs – are today continuing to act under subversive foreign influence to initiate revolution in the Caucasus country and topple the GD government.

GD’s downplaying of Moscow’s responsibility for the 2008 war and its placing of the full blame on the previous government has sparked furious backlash from government critics in Georgia, particularly those whose family members died fighting Russian soldiers.

The party’s rhetoric has grown harsher and more critical of UNM over time, as shown by two videos published by opposition aligned media outlet Netgazeti which contrast comments Kobakhidze made on the war in 2018 and in 2025.

While his remarks on the war’s 10-year anniversary were still critical of the former government, Kobakhidze did acknowledge that “in 2008, the one who started the war, the aggressor, was the Russian Federation”, though he did add that the conflict scenario “could not have unfolded without … mistakes and reckless actions on the part of the then-president and government”.

International partners comment on war anniversary

While many in Georgia and the West mark the anniversary of the conflict on August 7, GD officials tend to commemorate the event on August 8, as they did this year, reflecting the contrasting narratives over when war phase of the conflict officially started and which side was to blame for triggering it.

On August 7, the EU released a statement to mark the event, in which it reiterated both its “unwavering commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Georgia” and “condemnation of Russia’s ongoing military presence in the occupied breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia”.

Multiple EU member states issued individual statements, many of them condemning Russia’s “invasion” and “aggression” against Georgia.

“This was yet another stage in Russia’s imperial wars that began in the early 1990s, which ended successfully for the Kremlin and laid the groundwork for the attack on Ukraine,” stated Marko Mihkelson, chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of Estonian parliament.

The US embassy in Tbilisi, also on August 7, noted its “solidarity with the Georgian people” and reaffirmed its “unwavering support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Comments from Moscow

The Kremlin, meanwhile, pounced on the GD government’s allegations that Saakashvili’s government was to blame for the war.

In comments on the anniversary, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova noted that GD officials’ “public acknowledgement of Mikheil Saakashvili’s aggression against South Ossetia”, and their “calls for reconciliation with the Abkhaz and Ossetians” offered “hope for progress in negotiations”.

The spokeswoman stressed the importance of GD’s statements leading to “real, practical steps” for Tbilisi to “restore ties” with the two separatist regions.

Specifically, Zakharova stated that a “priority task” would be for the government in Tbilisi to sign a “legally binding agreement on the non-use of force” with the authorities in occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“Such a deal would not only help prevent a repeat of the tragic events of August 2008, but also serve as a starting point for normalising relations between Tbilisi, Sukhumi and Tskhinvali,” she added.

Zakharova further suggested the initiation of the delimitation and demarcation process of the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-South Ossetia borders, highlighting that this would facilitate “stabilisation of the situation in the border areas”.

Russia would “fully support these processes” as a “neighbour of Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia”, the spokeswoman concluded.

Kobakhidze rejected Zakharova’s suggestions, stating that “neither direct nor indirect recognition of the so-called independence [of South Ossetia and Abkhazia]” would be possible from the Georgian side.

Further, Georgia’s foreign ministry condemned Russia’s occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, again calling on Moscow to reverse its recognition of the two territories, withdraw troops from Georgian territory and respect Georgia’s territorial integrity.

The ministry’s official statement noted how Russia “continues to take steps aimed at integrating Georgia’s regions into Russia’s political, economic, military and social systems in violation of international norms”.