Georgia’s Most Powerful Man Suggests Apology for 2008 War with Russia

TBILISI (Reuters) – Bidzina Ivanishvili, a prominent political figure in Georgia, has indicated that the nation might consider apologizing to the Ossetian people for the war with Russia in 2008, according to reports from Georgian media.

Following a brief military conflict in August 2008, which was initiated by a Georgian attempt to reclaim the separatist region of South Ossetia, Russia recognized South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, as independent states. The international community, however, predominantly views both regions as part of Georgia.

Ivanishvili, a billionaire and former prime minister who is the leading candidate for the ruling Georgian Dream party in the upcoming elections on October 26, stated that the conflict was incited by the “criminal regime” of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, allegedly on the orders of foreign powers. At a campaign event in Gori, a town that experienced Russian occupation during the 2008 war, Ivanishvili asserted that those responsible for instigating the war would be held accountable after the elections, and he suggested that Georgians would then “apologize” for the conflict.

Saakashvili is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for abuse of power and was unavailable for immediate comment regarding Ivanishvili’s claims.

The United National Movement (UNM), Saakashvili’s political party, condemned Ivanishvili’s statements as a disgrace to the nation, claiming that they aligned with Russian interests and labeling them as treacherous.

Georgia, a small mountainous nation that gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, is currently navigating a complex geopolitical landscape, as it seeks relationships with the West, Russia, and China. Many citizens feel the country stands at a critical juncture ahead of the upcoming elections.

South Ossetia, located approximately 100 kilometers north of the capital Tbilisi, declared independence from Georgia during the violent conflict of 1991-92, which resulted in thousands of deaths and the expulsion of the ethnic Georgian population from the region.

Today, the majority of South Ossetia’s residents are ethnically distinct from Georgians and claim they were forcefully incorporated into Georgia during Soviet times.

A report commissioned by the EU and published in 2009 stated that Georgia provoked the war by attacking South Ossetia’s capital, Tskhinvali, with heavy artillery on the night of August 7-8, 2008. Russia’s subsequent military response was characterized as excessive according to the same report.