On yesterday the President Salome Zurabishvili of the Republic of Georgia handed over the National Hero Award to Aleksandre Oniani’s family. Aleksandre Oniani died in the 2008 Shindisi battle against Russian aggression.
It is to be added that President Salome Zurabishvili on Thursday handed over this award to Aleksandre Oniani’s family members posthumously. The highest award also known as the “Order of the National Hero of Georgia ” was handed over posthumously to his family members.
Aleksandre Oniani’s family is currently living in Zhakhunderi village which is in the Lentekhi district of the country. The office of the Georgian President released a statement in this regard. He was awarded for his bravery, outstanding heroism and self-sacrifice. The government honored him for his sacrifice to protect the integrity, sovereignty and unity of the Motherland Georgia.
The president while underlining the scarify of Aleksandre Oniani said that this is a very proud moment for our country that we have such great people who are always ready to fight against the enemy. These people do not care even for their own lives when it comes to the national pride of the country.
It is worth noting that the war of Shindisi was fought on August 11, 2008 when forces of the Russian Federation invaded Georgia. This was a sudden attack by Russian occupational forces. However the Georgian soldiers fought with extreme bravery to defend the country. Unfortunately in this war, seventeen soldiers lost their lives but the Russian forces never entered the country.
The actual place of this unequal war was Shindisi railway station. The 17 soldiers of the Second Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Georgia locked horns with Russian forces. The number of Russian soldiers was much greater than that of the Georgian side; moreover they were equipped with heavy weapons. The one-hour battle is one of the historic battles. Although 17 Georgian soldiers lost their lives, they gave a tough fight to Russian forces who called reinforcements twice due to Georgian resistance.
