Tsotne Ananidze: They Thought War Was a Game, Without Thinking About the People, Soldiers or the Country

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara Tsotne Ananidze has responded on social media to comments made by Davit Sakvarelidze regarding the August 2008 war.

According to Ananidze, Sakvarelidze’s remarks amount to an admission that the United National Movement (UNM) treated the war as a game and, despite warnings from Georgia’s partners, failed to consider the consequences for the country.

“It is, in a way, an admission that they were detached from reality. They thought war was a game, without thinking about the people, the soldiers or the country, despite warnings from our partners,” Ananidze wrote.

Speaking on Iago Khvichia’s program The Birth of Georgia, Davit Sakvarelidze said:

“The August 2008 war had a very profound impact. The day before, the mood was completely different. There was still hope among the public that we might somehow restore our territorial integrity. But the next morning, when a Russian bomber flew over us, I realized that this was our reality.”