Flags at half-mast on 11th anniversary of 2008 Russia-Georgia war
The Georgian national flag has been lowered over the Administrative building of the Government of Georgia. Photo: Government press office
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Georgian national flags are flying at half-mast today on all government buildings across the country to commemorate the eleventh anniversary of the most tragic day in the recent history of the country – the five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008.
The state flag on the Orbeliani Presidential Palace has been lowered to honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the August 2008 war. According to @ModGovGe, 164 died fighting for their country and 5 remain missing. pic.twitter.com/3an1ebaqgA
— Orbeliani Presidential Palace (@GeorgiaPres) August 7, 2019
The national flag has also been lowered in front of the Parliament of Georgia in Tbilisi:
Peaceful anti-occupation rallies continue on central Rustaveli Avenue in front of the parliament building today – demonstrators released 412 balloons into the sky in remembrance of those who died during the five-day war in 2008.
The Interior Ministry also lowered the national flag last night:
The physical confrontation between the Georgian army and Ossetian separatists reinforced by Russian soldiers started on August 8, 2008. However, developments started on the evening of August 7.
The five-day armed conflict claimed the lives of 228 Georgian civilians, 170 soldiers and 14 police officers.
192,000 people had to leave their houses during the war. Most of them returned to their homes after the war but more than 20,000 still remain displaced.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, President Salome Zurabishvili and other state officials paid tribute today to the victims of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia of 2008. PM Bakhtadze said at the Mukhadgverdi cemetery that the Russian occupation of Georgia is “the pain that should unite us all” despite the differences in political views.
Eleven years after the Russia-Georgia war the United Kingdom remains committed “to the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and a peaceful future for all”. The UK Ambassador to Georgia Justin McKenzie Smith released a statement on his official Twitter account both in English and Georgian.
The United States Acting Ambassador to Georgia Elisabeth Rood visited the settlement of Tserovani nearby the capital of Tbilisi, where internally displaced people (IDPs) have been living since the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. “In the 11 years since the Russian invasion of Georgia, each of these houses has come to tell a story of loss – the loss of families, friends, homes, and loved ones”, she said
The Delegation of the European Union to Georgia has condemned the ongoing occupation of two of Georgia's regions by the Russian military on the anniversary of the 2008 war between the two countries.
Politicians from across the globe have marked the 11th anniversary of the 2008 Russia – Georgia War, stating Georgian territories were occupied by Russia in August 2008. “Russia continues its creeping annexation and occupies 20% of Georgia’s territory,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicus said in his Twitter post.
Eleven years have passed since the most tragic day in the recent history of Georgia – the beginning of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. Today the Georgian Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the date, saying that 11 years on from the war, Russia still continues its occupation and practical annexation of two Georgian regions, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia).
The de-facto authorities of Georgia's occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region have announced a temporary closing of the "border crossing" locations between the region and the Georgian-controlled territory starting on Tuesday evening.
Georgian diplomatic missions abroad have lowered flags to half-mast on the 11th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia War. The flags have been at half-mast for two days (August 7-8). Georgian national flags are also flying at half-mast today on all government buildings across the country.
The permanent representatives of Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States to the United Nations released a joint statement on the eleventh anniversary of 2008 Russia-Georgia war.