UNM’s Pavlenishvili: August 7 is the date when Russian occupation battalions invaded Georgia, when military aggression began

“August 7 is the date when Russia’s military aggression actually began, when various battalions of the Russian occupying army invaded Georgian territory en masse; something that, of course, cannot be viewed as anything other than occupation and barbaric aggression,” stated Irakli Pavlenishvili, Chairman of the Interim Governing Council of the United National Movement.

According to Pavlenishvili, the question of the date became far more prominent following the accession of the Georgian Dream government to power.

“Back then, no one questioned whether to blame their own country for starting the war. We have repeatedly witnessed this truly astonishing anti-state behaviour on the part of Ivanishvili’s regime servants, claiming that the Georgian side was somehow to blame for the barbaric aggression unleashed by Russia 18 years ago. At that time, this issue was not even up for discussion, which is why highlighting August 7 in this manner was not as vital.

We remember well that clashes took on a different scale on August 8, which is why August 8 became ingrained in the public consciousness. As for August 7, it is a matter of fact, a historical reality, that the Russian occupying army launched its barbaric aggression precisely on August 7. Unfortunately, when this issue was forced onto the agenda, the focus naturally shifted to August 7.

August 7 is the date when Russia actually commenced its military aggression, when various battalions of the Russian occupying army invaded Georgian territory en masse, which cannot be seen as anything other than occupation and barbaric aggression. Consequently, August 7 is the official date on which that aggression was executed. Back then, this was not a matter of debate.

Those in power since 2012 claim that the Georgian side played some role in initiating this barbaric aggression, which is historically false. We must say directly that the question of the date became far more prominent after Georgian Dream came to power,” declared Irakli Pavlenishvili.