On this day in 2008, when I was doing groceries, Russia invaded Georgia. As the news on Georgian radio were nervously reporting about Russia’s bombing and killing civilians, I was already running to my parents’, with the only thought to see them. 1/9 
I was listening to the radio on my smartphone, because along with Russia’s advance in Georgia, Moscow was targeting Georgian government & media websites with cyberattacks. It was my first time I witnessed disinfo campaigns, which were causing chaos & panic in real life. 2/9
Then, during the war, I saw the footages I will never forget - the footage that gave me hope we were not alone: Georgia’s friends came to Tbilisi to stand physically with Georgian people. The leaders of Estonia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, & Latvia in the heart of Tbilisi. 3/9
One of the footages that haunts me till today is the video of Russian soldiers torturing Georgian military officer Giorgi Antsukhelidze. 4/9
Back then many in the West didn’t want to recognize that it wasn’t because of Georgia’s NATO aspirations that Russia invaded the country, but that the Kremlin just couldn’t stand to see independent and democratic Georgia. 5/9
Some in the West continued business as usual with Russia, neglecting Russia’s war crimes in and cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns against Georgia. Because of this, Russia was encouraged to invade Ukraine in 2014. 6/9
Then we witnessed the vicious circle of neglecting 2014 Ukraine invasion and doing business as usual with Russia, leading to Russia’s re-invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The reason of invading Ukraine twice was the same as Georgia - targeting Ukraine’s independence and democracy. 7/9
It is the last chance for the democratic world to stand up for freedom and democracy. It is the last chance to stop Russia’s imperial plans through helping Ukraine with all the means we can. 8/9
The history of freedom is the history of resistance. Nobody said it would be easy to defend our freedom. But we must. We, in Georgia and Ukraine, will never surrender. 9/9
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