7 years passed since Shindisi Battle
Friday, August 14
Seven years since the 2008 August War, the government members recalled the heroes of the Shindisi Battle once again. The President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli, Chief of the General Staff of GAF Major General Vakhtang Kapanadze and other members of the executive organs attended the event conducted in the village Shindisi, Gori region.
After laying wreaths on the Shindisi Heroes’ Memorial a Georgian state flag was erected on the place of battle for the first time and a state anthem performed. The shots from the films on 2008 August War and Shindisi Battle were screened on a specially installed monitor.
The military servicemen who fought in the Shindisi Battle and survived it - Tristan Chitadze, Mirza Malazonia, Tengiz Tsanava and Otar Kalmakhelidze, as well as Shindisi inhabitants and the family members of the deceased military attended the event. Towards the end of the event, the young people wrote the Shindisi Battle heroes` names with candles. Under the Initiative of the Ministry of Defence, roundabouts were installed at the battlefield as a symbol of continuation of life.
The Georgian President granted the medals “For Civil Devotion” to the Shindisi residents Badri (Akhmeta) Khutsishvili, Shalva Kvinikadze and Nukri Lagorashvili as nominated by Minister of Defence. They saved the lives of several troops during the fight with enemy.
In commemoration of the 7th anniversary of the Shindisi Battle, the presentation of the MoD web-site blog “August Heroes” was offered to the public within the frames of the event. The blog authored by the MoD employee Giga Abuladze narrated about the modern heroes of Georgia and about the well and less known stories related to the August War 2008.
In an interview with journalists, the Minister remarked that this blog is a part of the project implemented together with Ministry of Education and Science and aims at the popularization of the August war heroes.
The Chief of the General Staff also highlighted the contribution the Georgian heroes provided in developing the country. “We tried to pay due honour to the memory of our heroes. Heroism is not an inborn trait of an individual, but in the right moment he/she is capable of carrying out a heroic act. We have seen the heroes around us as who survived the war, as well as the civilians who were ready to save others at the expense of their lives. A country which has heroes has a future,” said Vakhtang Kapanadze.
The Shindidi Battle took place on 11 August 2008. 17 Georgian warriors died in action during the fight with enemy. They are: Aleksandre Oniani, Emzar Tsilosani, Vepkhvia Jishkariani, Zviad Katsadze, Teimuraz Beridze, Ilia Gabunia, Ilia Sheklashvili, Irakli Janelidze, Kakha Koshadze, Levan Melkadze, Marlen Baramia, Mikheil Dvalishvili, Nikoloz Porchkhidze, Roman Zoidze, Ruslan Tsuladze, Feliks Kakauridze and Shmagi Kupatadze.
