On August 11, 2023, Major General Koba Kobaladze, Director of the State Service of Veterans Affairs, together with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, laid wreaths at the memorial of Georgian heroes who died heroically in the 2008 Russo-Georgia war in the vicinity of village Shindisi, and once again honored their memory on the 15th anniversary of Shindisi Battle.
Nikoloz Kvezereli, First Deputy Director of the State Service of Veterans Affairs, Deputy Director Miron Chigogidze, Jandri Ubiria, Advisor to the Director, Vladimer Imnadze, employees of the Service, members of the government and parliament, veterans, family members and relatives of the fallen soldiers were also present in Shindisi to pay their respects to the heroes.
“This is the history of the dedication and heroism that preserved the image of our country and motherland. Despite the fact that there was no governance, these men were the ones who managed to preserve the image of our country at the cost of their lives and continued struggling for freedom. This country will definitely be strong and free.” – said Koba Kobaladze.
On August 11, 2008, the battle between the Georgian military and Russian regular army soldiers in the vicinity of Village Shindi is one of the most outstanding episodes of the 2008 Russo-Georgia war.
The engineering platoon of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces was moving from Nikozi to Gori, following the train tracks in Shindisi. Georgian fighters noticed the Georgian flag on the approaching tank from the opposite side. Suddenly, a deafening sound was heard near the railway, the first and last car of the convoy burst into flames, the people sitting in the cars failed to get out of the cares and 5 Georgian fighters died on the spot… The tanks were Russian, and the flag was a decoy. The local population remembers how Russian tanks with Georgian flags appeared 2 hours before the clash, how they ambushed our soldiers, 200-250 meters from the railway, blocked the exits and blew up the vehicles of the Georgian combat unit. The engineering platoon of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces engaged in an unequal battle with the Russian motorized rifle company near the railway station. The commander of the Russian combat unit was surprised by the resistance of the Georgians and decided that their forces were not enough, so he called for a support group and heavy equipment through radio communication. The battle lasted for about an hour. The Russians were firing almost every type of weapon, including tanks and rocket launchers.
Georgian soldiers fought to the last drop of blood, but the numerical advantage still took its toll, and 17 Georgian fighters added another page of heroism to the history of Georgia with their own blood and self-sacrifice! Before the enemy found them, a local resident, Akhmeta Khutsishvili, hid them in the forest and provided them with first aid. The burnt and mutilated bodies of the dead Georgian soldiers were returned to their families only a few days later, after the intervention of the Patriarch of Georgia and the clergy.
In the aftermath of the happenings on August 11, 2008, the place where Georgian soldiers died in Shindisi became a memorial of heroes. In 2020, Shindisi Battle Heroes Memorial was granted the status of an immovable monument.
On August 11, 2008, they were born again as heroes for Georgia in Shindisi! 17 Georgian fighters_ Alexander Oniani, Roman Zoidze, Vepkhia Jishkariani, Mikheil Dvalishvili, Irakli Janelidze, Ilia Sheklashvili, Marlen Baramia, Emzar Tsilosani, Ruslan Tsuladze, Shmagi Kupatadze, Feliks Kakauridze, Nikoloz Porchkhidze, Levan Melkadze, Ilia Gabunia, Teimuraz Beridze, Zviad Katsadze , Kakha Koshadze.
