“The Russians categorically demanded that I leave Georgia, otherwise they threatened to ‘hang’ me. Not only did I not back down, but I managed to mobilize international support, former President Mikheil Saakashvili wrote on social media.

According to him, “the self-sacrifice of the Georgian army, and later the intervention of American and European leaders, forced Vladimir Putin to abandon the complete occupation of Georgia at that stage.”

“What should we remember about August 7, 2008? Nuclear-armed Russia attacked Georgia with full force. Lavrov formulated the goal of aggression in a conversation with Condoleezza Rice [former United States Secretary of State] – ‘complete destruction of Georgia’.

Our praiseworthy armed forces were the first to confront the Russians, managing to repel the initial attacks by forces that vastly outnumbered us.

The Russians categorically demanded that I leave Georgia; otherwise, they threatened to ‘hang’ me, but not only did I not back down, but I managed to mobilize international support.

It was precisely our army’s self-sacrifice and shortly afterward the intervention of American and European leaders, including the deployment of the US 6th Fleet ships, that stopped the Russian army at the approaches to Tbilisi and forced Putin to abandon the complete occupation of Georgia at that stage. Georgian statehood survived,” Saakashvili added.

It has been 17 years since the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. On August 7, 2008, separatist forces commenced intense shelling of Georgian villages, prompting a response from Georgian forces. The following day, Russian occupation troops entered the region. As a result of Russia’s military aggression against Georgia, 411 people lost their lives, approximately 130,000 citizens became IDPs in their own country, numerous villages were destroyed, and the city of Gori, along with strategic facilities, were heavily bombed. Russia continues to occupy 20 per cent of Georgia’s territory to this day.