On August 8, on the territory of the Embassy of the Republic of South Ossetia in Moscow, the State flag of the Republic of South Ossetia was lowered. According to the press service of the diplomatic mission, the participants of the commemorative action honored the memory of the victims with a minute of silence.
The memory of civilians, militias and peacekeepers, killed during the Georgian military aggression against South Ossetia in 2008 was honored with a minute of silence on Saturday night, the Novosti Pridnestrovya news agency reported.
According to the agency, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev, representatives of departments and public organizations took part in the mourning event in front of the South Ossetian representation in the PMR.
President of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania visited the South Ossetian Embassy in Sukhum on Saturday and honored the memory of those killed during the Georgian aggression in August 2008, the press service of the President of the Republic reports.
"Today we are marking a tragic date in the history of the brotherly people of South Ossetia. 12 years ago, on August 8, 2008, under cover of night, Georgian troops invaded the sleeping peaceful Tskhinval. Innocent people died, including children, women and old people." - said the head of Abkhazia.
The action "Sacred Places of Our Memory" took place in South Ossetia. Representatives of the Republic's leadership led by President Anatoly Bibilov, heads of the law enforcement agencies, servicemen laid flowers and wreaths at the monuments to heroes, the places where the defenders of the Fatherland perished during the war in August 2008.
It was absolutely unacceptable to allow Transcaucasia to become a powder keg, said Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian security Council and leader of the United Russia party, speaking about the decision to protect Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008.
Medvedev on Saturday called "essentially a declaration of war on the Russian Federation" the events of 12 years ago in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, "when Russia responded to the criminal behavior of the then president of Georgia."