Only Ivanishvili's regime blames Georgian troops for 2008 war, UNM's Pavlenishvili

Senior United National Movement (UNM) official Irakli Pavlenishvili has accused Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party of being the only political force to blame Georgian servicemembers and the state for the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, rejecting what he described as attempts to rewrite the conflict's history.

Speaking on the 18th anniversary of the August 2008 war, Pavlenishvili said only (ruling party founder and honorary chair) Bidzina Ivanishvili and "his regime" assign responsibility for the conflict to Georgia's armed forces and state institutions.

"Only Ivanishvili's regime blames Georgian soldiers and the Georgian state for anything related to the August 2008 war," Pavlenishvili said.

He argued that international resolutions adopted after the conflict recognised Russia as the occupying power, adding that the Russian delegation's protest during the proceedings demonstrated Moscow's opposition to those decisions.

Pavlenishvili also credited the former UNM government with successfully defending Georgia's position through international diplomacy and legal proceedings, saying the country prevailed in all related international court cases and that no international tribunal had held Georgia responsible for starting the war.

Today marks 18 years since the outbreak of the five-day Russia-Georgia war. According to official Georgian figures, more than 400 people were killed, including 170 military personnel, 19 Interior Ministry officers and 244 civilians. Another 2,234 people were injured, while approximately 26,000 people were displaced by the conflict.