Georgia marks 18 years since the death of national hero Zaza Damenia, who died during hostilities in the Tskhinvali region in August 2004.

Paying tribute to Damenia’s memory in Ozurgeti, representatives of the Defence Ministry and the Georgian Defence Forces offered praises of the “heroism and dedication” of the fallen soldier.

Damenia served during the 1992-1993 conflict in Abkhazia in a reconnaissance unit of the armed forces. In 2004, as part of the Commando Battalion, he was sent to Tskhinvali region, to protect Georgian villages during tensions in early August of that year.

Despite injuries, he decided to stay on the battlefield and later used his body to cover the blast of a grenade thrown into his foxhole, saving his fellow servicemembers with the action.