August 18 marks the birthday of Giorgi Antsukhelidze, a Georgian soldier and National Hero who was captured and killed during the August 2008 Russia-Georgia War.
Junior Sergeant Antsukhelidze was captured by enemy forces on August 9, 2008. He was subjected to torture and later beaten to death near School No. 5 in Tskhinvali, close to a mass burial site.
Footage recorded on a mobile phone showing Antsukhelidze being tortured while in captivity emerged online in January 2009. He had been considered missing until November 2008, when his identity was established through DNA testing of the remains of Georgian servicemen handed over to the Georgian side.
On April 15, 2013, Antsukhelidze was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Georgia. He was also posthumously awarded the Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali, First Class, and the Georgian Defense Ministry’s departmental medal “Devoted to the Homeland.”
In 2013, the Tusheti community organization TushTa Sadrosho named Antsukhelidze a “Tushetian People’s Hero.” A memorial dedicated to him was also unveiled in the village of Kvemo Alvani.
Since 2013, the Georgian Armed Forces’ Sergeants Academy has borne Giorgi Antsukhelidze’s name.
Born on August 18, 1984, Giorgi Antsukhelidze would have turned 42 today. His name has become one of the most enduring symbols of courage and resilience associated with the August 2008 war.
