Opposition leader Khabeishvili accuses Georgian Government of betraying 2008 war heroes

On the 17th anniversary of the 2008 Russia - Georgia war, Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the political council of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), criticised the Georgian Dream government, accusing it of dishonouring the memory of fallen servicemembers.

Speaking at the Brothers' Cemetery in Tbilisi, where he paid tribute to those who died in the five-day conflict, Khabeishvili praised the courage of Georgian servicemembers who, he said, had stood firm against Russian aggression and defended the country's sovereignty.

"Seventeen years ago, these brave young people denied Russia the right to occupy our country," Khabeishvili said. "But now, we are witnessing how the regime prosecutes heroes and claims it was all for publicity."

He accused the ruling Georgian Dream party, which he said is aligned with Russian interests, of enabling a new form of occupation, alleging that Russia now exerted influence across all of Georgia. Khabeishvili referenced recent legal actions against military commanders, calling them a "betrayal" orchestrated by a parliamentary inquiry led by former justice minister Thea Tsulukiani.

"Instead of honouring their service, generals are being interrogated as if defending the country was a crime," he added. “They asked them: ‘Did you fire ballistic missiles at the Russians?’ If I had the chance, I would have launched one directly at Putin’s residence.”

Khabeishvili called on Georgians to unite in what he described as an uncompromising struggle against Russian influence in Georgia, framing it as a fight to protect the legacy of the fallen and restore the country’s full sovereignty.