On the 15th anniversary of Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia, there are only two governments that put the blame on Georgia – those of Russia and Georgia itself.
The rest of the world and the opponents of the Georgian Dream believe that Russia is 100% responsible.
"This disaster, this tragedy, this war happened during the previous government, the previous government did nothing to prevent this war for our people and our country. And what did we get in return? 20% is occupied, Russian troops left the country's territory in 2007, who can we criticize and who can we condemn if not the infamous hostile power that ruled our country, as a result of its reckless policy [Russian armies] turned back in larger numbers," Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said in a statement on 8 August.
Georgian Dream leader Irakli Kobakhidze went even further, describing the previous government's conduct during the war as 'treasonous'.
While blaming the previous government for "failing to prevent" or even starting the war has been a key part of Georgian Dream's domestic agenda for years, the rhetoric has been ratcheted up since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement blaming Georgia’s previous Georgian government the then president Mikheil Saakashvili and the US for the war.
"The United States is deliberately turning the situation on its head. The aim is clear: to distort the truth about this tragedy and blame Russia. But the facts confirm that Saakashvili bears full responsibility for these developments.”
Both the Georgian and Russian governments also mark the start of the war on 8 August, while the Georgian opposition, civil society and, importantly, the international community, including the US and the EU, mark it on 7 August, when a large contingent of Russian troops crossed into Georgia.
The Russian government and Georgian Dream say that it was Georgia's actions on 8 August - which the rest of the world and the non-Georgian part of Georgian society believe were merely a response to the full-scale invasion that had begun a day earlier - that led to the escalation.
Numerous sources, both Georgian and even Russian from 2008, show that Russian armor had crossed Georgia's international border through the Roki tunnel on 7 August, with the Georgian Foreign Ministry issuing a statement claiming just that that day.
The Presidents of the European Council and the European Parliament, Charles Michel and Roberta Metsola, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and many world leaders issued statements marking the 15th anniversary of the aggression on 7 August, not 8 August. They also placed the entire responsibility for the war on Russia and reiterated backing for Georgia’s territorial integrity.
In contrast, the Georgian government and the Prime Minister's Office remained silent throughout the day, only issuing statements on the 8th condemning the previous government together with the Russian government.
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