“Politicians must not recklessly involve the military in processes that lead to great losses. The sacrifice of the Georgian army is well known. When there was no longer a leader, the military fulfilled their duty to their homeland,” said Tea Tsulukiani, head of the Temporary Investigative Commission on the Activities of the 2003-2012 Regime and Its Political Officials, during a session.

“Our government does not and will not have the political will to implement military plans. Such plans belong in the hands of the military and defence institutions, not politicians. The army should not be sacrificed for political purposes. The events of August 7 prove that decisions leading to an already lost war, combined with misguided combat actions, resulted in the army being used improperly. It is unacceptable for figures like Vano Merabishvili to direct military operations. While defence plans exist, they should always include evacuation strategies, and we will inquire about this further. It is crucial to remember that the military fulfilled its duty when leadership failed,” she said.

Tsulukiani also highlighted the Georgian Dream’s efforts to protect the dignity of Georgian soldiers and the state.

“We discussed how civilians were abandoned during the war. As it turns out, the authorities knew as early as November 2007 or February 2008 that something was coming, yet the civilian population was left vulnerable to Russian forces. The Hague Criminal Court only investigates individual criminal responsibility. The previous administration had built such a weak case that ordinary officers and soldiers were at risk of prosecution. If anyone was on the right side of the August 2008 war, it was the Georgian soldier. We defended their dignity in The Hague and protected Georgia’s interests against Russia in Strasbourg,” Tsulukiani declared.

Tsulukiani made these remarks while questioning Lasha Koiava, former head of the Medical Department of the Ground Forces.