According to the statement of Zaza Gogava, former head of the United Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces during the August 2008 war, military forces successfully protected the Tskhinvali evacuation corridor, enabling the population to escape.

Testifying before the “Temporary Investigative Commission on the Activities of the Regime and Political Officials from 2003-2012”, Gogava emphasized that the armed forces sacrificed many lives to keep the vital escape route open.

“Almost all villages from every valley managed to evacuate. This was the effort undertaken by the armed forces, including from Kurta, which belongs to this valley. They have one crossing point on the Liakhvi River, they ascend through Tskhinvali and exit – there are no other escape routes. We evacuated them. This military decision required significant sacrifices, and that’s how it should be. We serve the people,” Gogava declared.

Responding to Commission Chair Tea Tsulukiani’s query about whether people evacuated independently or were forcibly removed, Gogava clarified: “What you’re suggesting – that armed forces escorted people out with statements like ‘Leave your homes’ – did not happen. But we maintained that route freely and protected the evacuation corridor. Tskveriakho was the only crossing point. Believe me, there was no other way to reach them at that time.”

When Tsulukiani asked about the approach of responding patiently while simultaneously evacuating people, given that the opposing side had already evacuated its population, Gogava explained that the other side’s actions were intended to escalate the conflict.

“The other side did this to provoke and escalate. This is direct preparation for war and nothing more. They took no steps to soften their position and left no room for dialogue with politicians or international observers. They went straight to evacuation, and had we followed suit, I would now be sitting in The Hague, long convicted,” he stated.

Gogava emphasized that the military’s primary mission was to protect civilians, even at great personal cost.