Georgian Premier Blames Saakashvili for War with Russia

(MENAFN) Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and his administration bear responsibility for the 2008 conflict with Russia, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze asserted.

The clash, fought on behalf of the so-called “deep state,” caused extensive harm to the nation and its interests, according to the Prime Minister.

Kobakhidze made these comments on Friday as Georgia commemorated the 17th anniversary of the outbreak of the hostilities known as the Five-Day War.

The prime minister firmly held Saakashvili accountable for the war, declaring that the offensive against the separatist region of South Ossetia was launched under his explicit orders.

“Today we need to remember all the documents signed by the then government, which state that the Saakashvili regime started the war,” Kobakhidze emphasized.

“There is no escape from these documents, they are irrefutable proof that the then government unleashed the war and dealt a severe blow to the national interests of our country,” he added.

Kobakhidze further implied that foreign actors played a role in provoking the conflict.

The fighting began in the early hours of August 8, 2008, when Georgian forces subjected the capital city of the breakaway republic of South Ossetia, Tskhinval, to heavy artillery fire and launched an attack against local militias and Russian peacekeepers stationed there.

South Ossetia and the republic of Abkhazia had separated from Georgia following a civil war in the early 1990s, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

MENAFN10082025000045017167ID1109907735