Georgian officials pay tribute to cadets fallen in 1921 Soviet invasion
The Red Army invasion of Georgia took place from February 15 to March 17, 1921, and was a military campaign by the Soviet forces that aimed to overthrow the Georgian government and annex the country into the USSR. During the clashes that followed the invasion, 118 Georgian cadets lost their lives. They won the defensive battle near the village of Tabakhmela outside Tbilisi, however the Red Army ultimately prevailed through a multi-pronged assault that occupied the country and forced its government into exile. Photo: The National Library of Georgia/Archive.
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Georgian officials on Wednesday paid tributes to the memory of the young military cadets who fell defending the country during the February 1921 Red Army invasion that put an end to the three-year First Democratic Republic of Georgia.
The country’s Prime Minister, President and Parliament Speaker made comments on the 101st anniversary of the fateful February battles that saw the cadets sacrifice their lives in clashes near Kojori and Tabakhmela near Tbilisi, as the invading Soviet forces threatened the capital.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and PM Irakli Garibashvili at the Georgian Parliament Palace. Photo: Press Office of the Government of Georgia.
PM Garibashvili paid homage to the national heroes by telling a ceremony hosted to mark the date “[f]or many decades, the sacrifice of cadets for our country, our freedom and independence has remained in our memory.”
A century later, we are an independent state. [...] [T]he cadets sacrificed themselves for the protection of their homeland, freedom and independence, but they could not stop the Red Army that occupied our country […] The example of their heroism has remained a guide for our generations,” the head of the government said.
While remembering the young servicemembers, President Salome Zourabichvili hailed their heroism, noting “the number of warriors does not matter when they know what they are fighting for”.
Today, #WeRemember the cadets who died defending Tbilisi against the Red Army in 1921. pic.twitter.com/9sa2PnSIKI
— Orbeliani Palace (@OrbelianiPalace) February 23, 2022
In his Facebook post, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili highlighted the contribution of the cadets by stating “it is our responsibility to know the stories of their heroism in order to immortalize their heroic feats. Their spiritual fortitude is exemplary for Georgians.”
The Red Army invasion of Georgia took place from February 15 to March 17, 1921, and was a military campaign by the Soviet forces that aimed to overthrow the Georgian government and annex the country into the USSR.
During the clashes that followed the invasion, 118 Georgian cadets lost their lives. They won the defensive battle near the village of Tabakhmela outside Tbilisi, however the Red Army ultimately prevailed through a multi-pronged assault that occupied the country and forced its government into exile.
One hundred years have passed since the day Georgia lost its three-year independence and was occupied by the Bolshevik Red Army.The Georgian national flag is flying at half-staff at government buildings around the country today in remembrance of the thousands of ordinary citizens and soldiers who died in the battle against Soviet forces in 1921.
The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development will release a post stamp featuring Maro Makashvili, a national hero of the country who died during the 1921 Red Army invasion of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia.
An online exhibition of photographs, biographical profiles, maps and multimedia material is detailing fragments from the crucial weeks of Georgia's First Democratic Republic, when the state struggled to defend itself against Red Army's invasion in February 1921.
The Georgian national flag is flying at half-mast at Government buildings around the country today in remembrance of the hundreds of thousands of young soldiers and citizens who died in the battle against the Soviet Occupation of Georgia 96 years ago.
Georgian national flags are flying at half-mast outside government offices across the country today, in remembrance of the soldiers and civilians who died during the Soviet invasion 101 years ago.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday paid tribute to the memory of the young military cadets who fell defending the country during the February 1921 Red Army invasion that put an end to the three-year First Democratic Republic of Georgia.
Georgian national flags are flying at half-mast outside the Government offices across the country today, in remembrance of the soldiers and civilians who died during the Soviet invasion 102 years ago.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Saturday laid a wreath at the Memorial of Cadets, fallen in Kojori-Tabakhmela [near Tbilisi] battles against the Red Army in 1921.
February 25, the day marking the Soviet invasion of Georgia, has become the beginning of the “persistent struggle” for the country’s independence, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Saturday.