Near Kutaisi’s National Museum of Military Glory is this memorial to the Georgian servicemen killed during the Russo-Georgian War of August 2008. The conflict lasted only five days but caused substantial destruction, with fighting centred on South Ossetia before Russian forces advanced farther into Georgia. It marked a new phase in post-Soviet Russian foreign policy and has since been viewed as an early warning of Moscow’s willingness to use military force beyond its borders, most notably in Ukraine. The memorial was fully renovated in May 2026, when the composition was altered, a new sculpture installed and the surrounding square improved.
The new sculpture is the work of Giorgi Kikvadze and shows a soldier facing a woman in traditional dress, with the Georgian flag between them. I’m not sure whether the woman is intended to represent a mother, partner or Georgia itself, but it seemed more like a farewell or reunion than a celebration of war. Nine servicemen from Kutaisi were among the Georgians killed during the conflict.
The central wall displays the five-cross Georgian flag above long columns of names. The inscription translates approximately as “Memorial to the heroes who died in the 2008 war. Georgia blossoms with heroes.” I couldn’t read that while I was there, which will surprise nobody familiar with my progress in Georgian, but I thought the whole memorial was simple and dignified.