Georgia's opposition has sharply criticized Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze after he said the August 2008 war began on August 7, when Georgian forces attacked Tskhinvali. The Coalition for Change accused the prime minister of effectively repeating the Kremlin's narrative, while the United National Movement described his remarks as "a direct betrayal of Georgia's national interests."

Lawmakers from several Turkish political parties have jointly called on the government to establish direct transport links between Turkey and Abkhazia and to recognize Abkhaz passports as valid travel documents. According to the Turkish newspaper Jineps Gazetesi, this is the first time such demands have been publicly voiced at the interparty parliamentary level.

Georgia’s Foreign Ministry has called on Moscow to comply with the terms of the August 12, 2008 ceasefire agreement, withdraw its troops from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and ensure the return of people displaced by the conflict, as Georgia marks the 18th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war.
In a statement, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said Russia continues its “illegal occupation” of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia), which Tbilisi considers integral parts of Georgian territory.

The Supreme Court of Russia’s Republic of Ingushetia has sentenced 31-year-old Akromat Dourbekov to two years in a penal colony for a comment he posted on VKontakte in which an expert assessment found approval of violence committed by Adolf Hitler against Jews. The court also ordered that the mobile phone used to post the comment be transferred to state ownership.

Authorities in Russia’s Chechnya have allocated an additional 505 million rubles from the regional budget to provide payments to residents affected by devastating floods. The federal government has also allocated 320.7 million rubles to support agricultural producers who suffered losses. Recovery efforts following the spring floods have now continued for more than four months.

Six people were injured in a nighttime drone attack on the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, the head of the Seversky district, Andrei Cheverev, said. A fire broke out at the facility but had been fully extinguished by midday. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that the refinery had been targeted.

An 11-year-old girl who was severely injured in a drone strike on a beach in Arkhipo-Osipovka near Gelendzhik has been brought out of a medically induced coma. The girl regained consciousness before doctors began transporting her from Krasnodar to Moscow.
The girl, from Armavir, suffered multiple shrapnel wounds in the August 3 attack. After receiving first aid in Gelendzhik, she was taken to the Krasnodar Regional Children’s Hospital.

Armenia has begun a trial against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six senior members of the clergy. The proceedings are taking place amid a protracted conflict between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as his efforts to deepen ties with the European Union while maintaining Armenia’s commitments within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Rescuers have recovered the body of a 13-year-old boy who drowned in the Caspian Sea in the Karabudakhkentsky District of Dagestan. The regional branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) announced the news on the evening of August 7.

Britain, Germany, Italy and France have warned of the possible annexation of the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia by Russia. The four countries said their concerns had intensified following the signing of an agreement between Moscow and Tskhinvali and the effective transfer of control over the region to a Russian official.