GD Official in NYT Piece Says Russians ‘Came as Peacekeepers' in 2008
article
, Davit Razmadze, Georgian Dream chairman of the Gori Municipal Assembly (Sakrebulo), is quoted as blaming former President Mikheil Saakashvili for the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War and saying that Russians 'came here as peacekeepers.' As the piece fueled public backlash, Razmadze denied the quotes.
'It was all Misha's fault,' Razmadze said, reportedly, referring to Saakashvili. 'He deliberately provoked the situation,' he added, blaming the former president and his government for starting the war – a stance in line with the ruling Georgian Dream party's stated position.
Razmadze, who now represents the ruling party in Gori, which was shelled by Russian troops in 2008, called those troops 'peacekeepers,' according to the New York Times.
'They came here as peacekeepers, and thank God they did, because Misha's hooligans were looting across the city,' he said. 'They even stole a priest's car, if you can believe it. If the Russians hadn't come, who knows how much more damage they would have caused.'
As the NY Times article drew public backlash, Razmadze denied the quotes, calling them 'defamation' and 'lies.'
'Never in my life have I said anything good about Russia,' Razmadze
told
TV Pirveli in an August 21 phone call, saying he never referred in the interview to 'Saakashvili's hooligans.' 'I said that Saakashvili's government left the town,' he added, noting he may file a lawsuit against New York Times journalist Scott Anderson, the article's author. Razmadze also said he does not blame Saakashvili for 'starting' the war, but for 'supporting the annexation of Georgian territories.'
In the article, Razmadze is also quoted as saying he does not want Georgia to join the European Union, 'and have them tell us what to do.' He also reportedly said, 'Just as the Soviet Union collapsed, I now want to see the EU fall down because it's against us.'
'The reason we have always been careful about joining the EU is because we know it is full of KGB agents.'
Razmadze denied making those remarks as well. 'I am a Georgian Dream member. Is Georgian Dream saying we are against EU integration?!' he said.
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According to him, what's needed is not only policy change but a shift in mindset: 'People need to stop fearing what is the fruit of previous centuries — that Islam is inherently foreign or hostile. These threats do not exist anymore. This is, first of all, the state's responsibility. Now, we must build a democratic and open country together'. Still, there are glimmers of hope. Hurie Abashidze, another co-founder of the Solidarity Community, shared that after years of pressure, the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia finally approved the tender for the restoration of the Zvare and Dzentsmani mosques. 'The Dzentsmani mosque has already been demolished and is being rebuilt. I don't know yet what the final appearance will be, but the process is underway', she says. Hurie Abashidze. Photo via Civil Georgia. But progress remains uneven, and activists say more is needed. 'The biggest problem is the lack of political will', Rizhvadze emphasises again. 'We can't keep treating minorities with tokenism. If we want to be a democratic country, then everyone's rights must be respected. A second mosque in Batumi would be more than a building — it would be a sign that Georgia is ready to embrace its diversity with real action, not just words'. The deeper question, then, is not architectural — it's political and ethical: 'What kind of history does Georgia choose to protect?' asks Ananidze. 'Whose stories is it willing to tell?' In the often-overlooked highlands of Adjara, wooden mosques still echo with prayers and community. They carry centuries of coexistence, art, and faith. Their future, however, hangs in the balance — a test of whether Georgia can embrace its full, diverse self.
