18 years ago, Russian troops invaded the territory of the sovereign state of Georgia, brutally violating the norms of international law and the provisions of the UN Charter.

The armed aggression of 2008, hundreds of deaths and hundreds of thousands of refugees, the occupation of the integral Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, the so-called “borderization”, forced passportization and displacement of indigenous inhabitants — all these are components of Moscow’s unified imperial policy aimed at the conquest and destruction of other countries and peoples.

The “Russian world” has brought death, destruction, lawlessness, and poverty to Georgian land — just like it has to everywhere else in the world where it has taken hold. Regions of Georgia that once had prospects for successful development have been transformed by the Russian aggressor and its proxies into a depressed zone where human rights are grossly ignored.

August 2008 was a turning point for the modern security architecture. The lack of a tough, consolidated, and strong response from the international community only whetted the appetites of the Russian invader and paved the way for the occupation of Ukrainian Crimea and Donbas in 2014, and later, a full-scale invasion to Ukraine.

The so-called "agreement on deepening allied cooperation" between the Kremlin and its puppet regime, signed in Tskhinvali on May 9, 2026, was clear evidence of Russia's consistent creeping absorption and annexation of Georgia's sovereign territories.

Ukraine consistently and unwaveringly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders. We will never recognize the occupation of Georgian land and will adhere to this policy until the Russian occupier leaves.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine once again emphasizes: the Russian Federation must withdraw its troops from the temporarily occupied territories of Georgia and Ukraine, fulfilling its international obligations. Crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the aggression have no statute of limitations, and Russian criminals must face national and international justice. Sustainable peace in Europe is possible only on condition of the deoccupation of all territories occupied by Russia and the restoration of the force of international law.

We call on the international community to increase pressure on Russia as an aggressor state, expand sanctions restrictions, and join efforts to hold the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation accountable for the crime of aggression, and Russian criminals accountable for all subsequent atrocities.