Today we are honoring our special, glorious heroes of Shindisi. 15 years have passed since their heroic deaths. They sacrificed their lives for the homeland and gave us examples of great heroism, selflessness, and self-sacrifice, stories that must nourish our future generation, Georgian Prime Minister stated at the memorial of the Georgian service members fallen heroically near the village of Shindisi during the August 2008 war.

Irakli Garibashvili pointed out, this battle exemplifies self-sacrifice, Georgian character, the unbreakable spirit, courage, valiance, and love for our country.

“You know that, since this Battle of Shindisi, many details have surfaced about the selflessness exhibited by our heroic youth. Once again, I bow before their memory and, on behalf of our Government, I once again thank their families for raising such heroes.

“You know that there was information circulating that the enemies thought it was a whole division fighting on our side. And yet these were just 17 people, a small platoon. This is an example of Georgian character, the unbreakable spirit, courage, valiance, and love for our country”, - said the Prime Minister.

According to him, as these heroic young men fought selflessly and self-sacrificially, the country had a traitorous, treacherous, embarrassing, and cowardly man at the helm.

“Unfortunately, on the same day-unfortunately, and it is our shame-on the day of this heroism, unprecedented cowardice was exhibited by our former commander-in-chief, so-called commander-in-chief. You remember Saakashvili fleeing from the sounds of an airplane on the same day, August 11, 2008. He had a guest visiting at that time, Foreign Minister of France; and, as our heroes were sacrificing their lives, the ex-president fled, and the whole world saw the petrified expression on his face as he sprawled on the ground. What does this tell us, friends? It tells us that our lion-hearts, our army of lion-hearts, as they say, fought selflessly and self-sacrificially, while the country had a traitorous, treacherous, embarrassing, and cowardly man at the helm. Fortunately, the Georgian nation drew the right conclusions. Of course, this occupation is a dire legacy. Considerable portions of our ancestral lands, both regions, are occupied temporarily-and I emphasize the last word. But we, through our prudence, reason, and consistent steps, must succeed in restoring our country’s territorial integrity. This is our key goal. Once again, glory to our heroes! I bow before their memory”, - said Irakli Garibashvili.

Georgian Prime Minister honored the memory of the Georgian service members fallen heroically near the village of Shindisi during the August 2008 war, and laid a wreath at their memorial. The Head of Government spoke with the family members of the heroes killed in action.

To immortalize the memory of the 17 service members of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of Georgia’s Defense Forces fallen heroically in the territory adjacent to the Shindisi Railroad Station on August 11, 2008, a composition combining portrait statues of 17 figures was created in Shindisi. The memorial was installed in the territory adjacent to the Shindisi Railroad Station. Authored by sculptor Nugzar Chavchavadze, the monument consists of 17 bronze statues.