Just days before the anniversary of the August 2008 war, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze published a lengthy social media statement on what he described as “Russophobia”. He argues that the “Global War Party” needed the war in Ukraine to “fuel Russophobia among its agents worldwide, including in Georgia.” One of the central arguments in Kobakhidze’s statement is that Georgia’s opposition groups did not adopt a hardline stance towards Russia after the 2008 war. Kobakhidze notes that after the August 2008 war, Mikheil Saakashvili’s government chose to maintain economic, tourism and cultural ties with Russia. Timing of the statementKobakhidze published his statement just a few days before the 18th anniversary of the August 2008 war.