On the 105th anniversary of the Soviet occupation of Georgia, Sweden’s Ambassador to Georgia, Anna Lyberg, joined fellow diplomats at the Kojori Junkers Memorial outside Tbilisi to honor the young military cadets who gave their lives resisting the Red Army in February 1921.
The ceremony remembered the Georgian junkers, cadets from the country’s military academy, who fought bravely despite being heavily outnumbered. Their resistance in the hills around Kojori and Tabakhmela delayed the Red Army’s advance, but ultimately, Tbilisi fell on February 25, 1921, marking the end of Georgia’s brief independence and the start of seven decades of Soviet rule. For Georgians, the day is a solemn reminder of the fragility of freedom and the cost of defending it.
Joining Ambassador Lyberg were other European diplomats, including Marge Mardisalu, Ambassador of Estonia; Edīte Medne, Ambassador of Latvia; Darius Vitkauskas, Ambassador of Lithuania; Veselin Valkanov, Ambassador of Bulgaria; Bergliot Hovland, Ambassador of Norway; Artur Hebal, Ambassador of Poland; Petr Kubernat, Ambassador of the Czech Republic; and representatives from the embassies of Germany and Hungary.
Ambassador Lyberg reaffirmed Sweden’s unwavering support for Georgia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, emphasizing the continued importance of international solidarity in defending democratic values. The gathering was both a tribute to those who fought a century ago and a reminder that the principles they defended remain vital today.
The junkers have come to symbolize the courage and determination of a young nation standing up against overwhelming odds. Each year, their memory serves as an inspiration, a call to honor Georgia’s history while continuing to safeguard its freedom.
