National flags have been lowered to half-mast on government buildings across the country as Georgia commemorates the 31st anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi on September 27, 1993, which marked Tbilisi’s loss of control over the region and triggered the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Georgians from the region, which was later assessed as an ethnic cleansing by authoritative international organizations. The anniversary date comes amid the GD government’s campaign of “peace” and accusations against the opposition, which the GD claims is planning to open the “second front” with the support of civil society and “foreign [Western] patrons”.
In a traditional act of remembrance of the victims, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, along with members of the Cabinet and the public, paid tribute to the fallen Georgian soldiers at the memorial in Tbilisi’s Heroes’ Square.
“September 27 marks one of the most tragic dates in the contemporary history of Georgia. Today we pay homage to our heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country, homeland, and paid the ultimate price for the idea of Georgia’s unification. These heroes had a dream, one of a unified Georgia, and I am convinced that this dream will surely come true,” PM Kobakhidze said in an official comment to journalists at the memorial.
He then went on to make statements in line with the GD’s war-against-peace campaign agenda, accusing the opposition of trying to drag Georgia into war, blaming the former government for starting the 2008 Russo-Georgian war, and promising that the GD would not allow the “Ukrainization” of Georgia.
The ruling GD’s “peace” rhetoric evoked comparisons in the minds of many Georgians with Soviet propaganda posters, widely shared on social media, featuring slogans juxtaposing the Soviets’ alleged struggle for peace and peaceful coexistence of nations with Western militarism and warmongering.
The anniversary comes amid the citywide appearance of GD’s pre-election banners, which draw brute comparisons between war-torn Ukraine and the “peace” offered by the ruling party. “Today we are reminding society of the results of the war in general and what we have avoided for our country in 2022, 2023, and what we should avoid – which is the most important thing – in the upcoming parliamentary elections,” Kobakhidze told local media at the memorial in response to a journalist’s question about whether it would have been a morally justified act for Ukraine to use the footage of the war in Abkhazia. “I remember that Ukrainians actively used these footage for many reasons, including humorous ones,” he claimed.
Kobakhidze declined to comment on the Ukrainian MFA’s statement condemning the GD’s campaign banners, saying: “What is happening in Ukraine is unacceptable.” He added: “The comparison between war and peace is essential for society to make the right choice, because what these pictures depict is the very thing we have avoided at the cost of a great struggle. In 2022-2023, our country would have faced the same fate if we had not taken the right steps; and some people are planning to do the same amid these parliamentary elections,” implying GD’s unpopular propaganda narrative against the opposition politicians, CSOs and some targeted government critics, whom the ruling party constantly accuses of trying to drag Georgia into war and of attempting to open a “second front” of the war in Ukraine in Georgia. “Society must realize very well what the price of war is,” he concluded, accusing the opposition-leaning TV stations, opposition parties and CSOs of “romanticizing” the war in Ukraine.
PM Kobakhidze was also pressed to comment on his recent speech at the UN General Assembly, where he refrained from mentioning Russia when addressing Georgia’s occupied territories. He said: “The Russian Federation has occupied them [Abkhazia and Tskhinvali], everyone knows this very well,” but added: “By the way, we could not get the EU to recognize this.” This claim by the Prime Minister contradicts EU statements and documents, where the Union consistently refers to the Russian occupation.
In addition, Kobakhidze once again blamed the former UNM government for starting the war in 2008: “In 2008, it was Saakashvili’s regime that started the war, which it later admitted by signing the Council of Europe resolution.” Confronted by journalists, PM Kobakhidze said, “Russia, of course, is guilty of the war,” but he reiterated that Saakashvili is to blame for starting it.
“Nothing can alleviate this pain, but in the interests of Georgia we must take the steps of mutual forgiveness and reconciliation,” Tbilisi Mayor and GD General Secretary Kakha Kaladze said in his Facebook post, echoing ruling party patron Bidzina Ivanishvili’s offer of apology to “Ossetian brothers and sisters” for the August 2008 war.
Opposition politicians also reacted to the anniversary.
“We are obliged to remember the merits of the people who sacrificed their lives in the fight for the territorial integrity of our country,” Badri Japaridze, one of the leaders of Lelo/Strong Georgia, said from the heroes’ memorial in the western Georgian town of Terjola.
“This is one of the most tragic and painful episodes in Georgia’s contemporary history, which once again reminds us who the real enemy is and who is an ally,” wrote ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the opposition Gakharia-For Georgia party.
Sharing the picture of a child fleeing the conflict in Abkhazia, Nika Gvaramia, co-chair of the Ahali party and one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, wrote in a social media post: “On this tragic day, I believe that just as this little child crossed the flooded river with a footbridge, so our homeland will walk the path of life towards happiness, the West, unity!
The U.S. Embassy in Georgia also reacted, saying: “Today, 31 years have passed since the fall of Sokhumi, but thousands of Georgian citizens still remember this dumbfounding tragedy. Together with you, we honor their sacrifice and devotion”. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan paid tribute to the fallen heroes at the memorial in Tbilisi.
In August 1992, Tbilisi dispatched troops to Abkhazia to protect the Abkhaz section of the Russian-Georgian railway.
The conflict that ensued lasted 13 months and ended with the fall of Sokhumi on September 27, 1993, after Abkhaz militants and Russian mercenaries launched an attack on Sokhumi in violation of the July 27 ceasefire agreement, which called for the withdrawal of Georgian heavy weaponry from Sokhumi and its surroundings.
September 27 is associated in Georgia with the loss of control over Abkhazia and the ethnic cleansing of Georgians that took place in that region. More than 12,000 people are reported to have died during the armed conflict. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
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