Today, on August 8, 2025, it has been 17 years since Russia launched its invasion of Georgia on August 8, 2008. The assault was carried out by land, sea, air, and in the cyber domain – in clear violation of fundamental principles of international law, the UN Charter, and the Helsinki Final Act.
In August 2008, nine of Georgia’s twelve regions were bombed. More than 30 towns and villages, including Tbilisi and Kutaisi, were subjected to Russian airstrikes using cluster munitions and other prohibited weapons. Hundreds of civilians and military personnel were killed or injured, and thousands were forced to flee – adding tens of thousands to the number of internally displaced persons in Georgia.
In total, approximately 35,000 homes belonging to ethnic Georgians were burned. The abuse included systematic ethnic cleansing, with entire destruction in at least 53 villages around Tskhinvali/South Ossetia. Russia also took control of five valleys and 125 villages in Georgia.
Despite signing an EU-brokered ceasefire agreement on August 12 and pledging to withdraw troops to their original positions, Russia continued bombing Georgian territory. Two weeks later, the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia were recognized by the Kremlin – a blatant violation of the international order.
On January 21, 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia exercises effective control over Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia – and is responsible for violations of the European Convention on Human Rights, including killings, torture, arbitrary detentions, looting, and ethnic discrimination. On June 30, 2024, the International Criminal Court also issued arrest warrants for war crimes related to the 2008 military aggression, urging Russia to cooperate and comply with the rulings of the European Court.
Over the past 17 years, Georgia has been subjected to hybrid warfare: permanent military buildup and exercises in occupied territories, the construction of barbed-wire fences, barriers, and facilities reminiscent of a modern-day Berlin Wall. Russian FSB occupation forces have carried out illegal detentions, kidnappings, and torture based on ethnicity. Freedom of movement is severely restricted, education in the Georgian language is almost entirely banned, and systematic russification continues. Daily life is marked by insecurity, powerlessness, and human rights violations – further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic when humanitarian and medical aid was obstructed rather than supported.
Russia’s aggression in 2008 was not an isolated case – its demand for a new geopolitical order is well documented. The war against Georgia foreshadowed the annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The weak international response to Russia’s actions in Georgia effectively gave the Kremlin a green light for further acts of aggression, culminating in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The international community must intensify its scrutiny of Russia’s crimes against Georgia. The demands are clear:
• Full implementation of the ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008.
• Immediate withdrawal of recognition of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia.
• Safe return of all internally displaced persons and those forcibly displaced, in accordance with international law.
• Sustained pressure to ensure Russian accountability – legally, politically, and morally.
BJÖRN SÖDER (Sweden Democrats)
