On the 17th anniversary of the August 2008 War, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze again claimed that the war was provoked by then-President Mikheil Saakashvili — this time saying the ‘deep state’ had ordered him to do so.
Kobakhidze has refused to clarify who or what the ‘deep state’ is, having been using the term regularly to refer to shadowy forces allegedly trying to destabilise Georgia.
‘Ask Trump who the deep state is’, he told journalists while smirking on Thursday, referring to the US President Donald Trump, whom Georgian Dream often cites as a source of legitimacy for its messaging and policies.
Trump and other members of the Republican Party have also often used the term, typically referring to career bureaucrats and civil servants that are accused of trying to undermine the conservative agenda.
Kobakhidze’s criticism of Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM) government (2003–2012) over the war was also reflected in a post published on the Georgian government’s Facebook page on Friday. The post concerned a visit by government officials to the Mukhatgverdi Cemetery, where Georgian soldiers killed in the war were buried.
‘8 August is a tragic date; it was a grave adventure, a betrayal committed by the government at the time’, Kobakhidze was quoted as saying at the cemetery.
‘This day reminds us of the necessity for the country to be governed by a sovereign government — one that acts based on its own national interests, not under the direction of foreign powers’, Kobakhidze added, alluding to Georgian Dream’s claim that the UNM governed the country under instructions from outside forces.
Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani echoed Kobakhidze’s sentiment, stating that ‘unfortunately, Georgia had a treacherous and adventurous government’.
A journalist reminded Chikovani several times that he himself had been a member of the UNM government and had held various foreign affairs positions. In response, Chikovani confirmed that he was a diplomat at the time but emphasised that he acted ‘in the best interests of the country’.
‘Russia started the war!’
Blaming the previous government for provoking the August 2008 War is a central point of the parliamentary commission established by Georgian Dream to investigate the opposition in February of this year. The commission recently ended its work and vowed to publish its findings in September.
The commission’s move sparked protests from government critics, who argued that Georgian Dream’s rhetoric downplayed Russia’s responsibility for the war. Family members of fallen soldiers of the Georgian Army, as well as some current and former military personnel, joined the criticism.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
Georgian Dream’s position on the war was well-known even before the commission was launched. The party has repeatedly accused Saakashvili and the UNM of starting the war, though it sought to distinguish between the ‘UNM’ and ‘Georgia’ in public statements.
‘Georgia did not start the war; in 2008, Saakashvili rigged the presidential elections, and afterward, Saakashvili’s illegitimate regime started the war in August’, Kobakhidze said in September 2024.
However, the ruling party’s rhetoric hasn’t always been this harsh, and has grown in intensity over time.
Netgazeti compared Kobakhidze’s Thursday comments to his 2018 remarks, when he also criticised the UNM government, but unlike his latest statement, he said that ‘in 2008, of course, the one who started the war, the aggressor, was the Russian Federation, and everything unfolded according to the Russian scenario’.
‘This scenario could not have unfolded without the, so to speak, mistakes and reckless actions on the part of the then-president and government’, Kobakhidze said at the time.
In response to Georgian Dream’s statements on Thursday, the civic movement Unity announced a rally in front of the Georgian Government Administration building in Tbilisi on Friday, under the slogan: ‘Russia Started the War!’
A rally had already taken place in Tbilisi on Thursday evening, with a march from Heroes Square to the Georgian Parliament. At the front, participants carried a banner reading ‘Glory to the Heroes’, and the event concluded with the screening of a film about the war, presented by Georgian opposition parties.
"Glory to heroes" - March for 17 year anniversary since 2008 August war. pic.twitter.com/FkjW9x8o4W
— Mariam Nikuradze (@mari_nikuradze) August 7, 2025
International reactions
On the 17th anniversary of the August 2008 war, statements were issued by both Georgia’s traditional allies and by Russia.
In a statement on Thursday, the US Embassy expressed solidarity with the people of Georgia and once again reaffirmed its commitment to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The EU, for its part, condemned Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, stating that the continued presence of Russian forces was a violation of international law.
‘The population affected by the conflict continues to suffer from human rights violations such as “borderisation”, the closure of crossing points, and illegal detentions’, the statement said.
‘Refugees and internally displaced persons continue to face challenges, and we underscore their right to choose a sustainable solution that includes voluntary, safe, and dignified return’, the EU added.
Individual statements were issued by EU member states, expressing their support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also commented on the war’s anniversary, stating that the 2008 war was ‘the first large-scale manifestation of the Kremlin’s new imperial policy, which sent a clear signal of its desire to forcefully change borders and undermine stability in the region’.
‘The subsequent aggression against Ukraine was a direct continuation of this policy’, the statement added.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement as well, saying that ‘among the top priorities [of the negotiation process] is the conclusion of a legally binding agreement on Georgia’s non-use of force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia’.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, referred to ‘public confessions made by the Georgian authorities’ about ‘the fact of aggression undertaken by [former Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili against South Ossetia’.
‘It is important that these revelations of the Georgian leadership become decisive in Tbilisi’s approaches to building relations with Sukhumi and Tskhinvali, and also transform into concrete practical actions’, she said as quoted by Russia’s state-run agency TASS.
In 2021 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that following the 2008 August War, Russia had exercised ‘effective control’ over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The tribunal also found Russia in breach of several articles of the European Convention of Human Rights in connection to the war.
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