Georgia is marking the Day of Soviet Occupation on February 25, with the national flag lowered on the building of the Government Administration in Tbilisi and on administrative buildings across the country.
The Georgian government announced that flags have also been lowered at Georgia’s diplomatic missions abroad in remembrance of the events of 1921.
The Day of Soviet Occupation was officially established by a resolution of the Parliament of Georgia on July 21, 2010. The resolution designates February 25 as a day of remembrance for the loss of Georgia’s independence following the Red Army’s invasion.
On February 25, 1921, units of the Russian Red Army entered Tbilisi and overthrew the government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, which had been elected through universal and free elections. As a result of the invasion, Georgia — then recognized as a subject of international law — was annexed by Soviet Russia.
The date is observed annually to honor the victims of the occupation and to reflect on the country’s struggle for independence and sovereignty.
Header image: The Bolshevik’s Red Army parade in Tbilisi, February, 1921. A Georgian Bolshevik Sergo Orjonikidze led the Red Army’s invasion of Georgia ninety one years ago. Photo: courtesy of Photomuseum.org.ge
