“Today, we pay tribute to our heroic soldiers and national heroes who sacrificed the most precious thing for the freedom of our homeland,” stated the President of Georgia, Mikheil Kavelashvili, addressing journalists at the Mukhatgverdi Brothers’ Cemetery.

According to Kavelashvili, Georgia has always been home to heroic soldiers and will continue to have them in the future.

“Their memory is eternal. Georgia has always had heroic soldiers, and it will always have them. This should never be in question. Our country, and the progress we have made, is entirely due to our brave people, heroic soldiers, and warriors. Therefore, no one should doubt this. Once again, I pay great respect and homage to their memory. We will always honour them; we must constantly remember what they did and recognise the heroes Georgia has produced,” said Mikheil Kavelashvili.

The President laid flowers at the heroes’ memorial at Mukhatgverdi Brothers’ Cemetery and extended his condolences to the families of those soldiers who lost their lives in the war.

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.