Shindisi Battle: Georgia commemorates heroes of August War

Georgia is today commemorating a group of heroes of the Russia-Georgia war who heroically sacrificed their lives in a ‘David and Goliath’ type battle that took place in Shindisi Village in central Georgia.

The Shindisi Battle took place on August 11, 2008.

On this day nine years ago a 21-member detachment of Georgian soldiers came face-to-face with Russian soldiers in Shindisi Village. The Russians greatly outnumbered the Georgian side and advised the Georgians to surrender, but they refused.

The uneven battle continued for 45 minutes.

Despite being greatly outnumbered, Georgia inflicted significant damage on their enemy. All but four Georgian soldiers died in fight.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili commemorated the 17 soldiers who died at the Shindisi Battle and said that "August 11 of 2008 has been written in the recent history of Georgia as the day of heroism and self-sacrifice for the homeland".

The Russia-Georgia war began on August 8, 2008 and lasted five days. After the armed conflict 228 Georgian civilians, 170 soldiers and 14 police officers had lost their lives.

The war displaced 192,000 people in Georgia. Many were able to return to their homes after the war but more than 20,000 people still remain displaced.