TSKHINVAL, August 8. /TASS/. More than 4,000 residents of South Ossetia attended a solemn event to honor the memory of those who defended the republic’s capital Tskhinval during the Georgian aggression in August 2008, a TASS correspondent reported.

Leading public figures, politicians and officials, as well as the country’s government led by President Alan Gagloyev gathered outside the memorial complex overnight into August 8, laying flowers and lighting candles.

"The night of August 7 and into August 8 will forever remain the black page in the history of our republic. Enemy artillery and missiles were deliberately fired at residential districts, the republican hospital, and apartment blocks with the goal of inflicting as much damage as possible. Peaceful civilians - women, children, the elderly - were killed by blasts, shell fragments or buried under the rubble of their homes. After the devastating bombing, the enemy send its tanks to attack Tskhinval," President Alan Gagloyev said during the event.

In his words, Georgia’s top brass was firmly convinced that success was at hand and that seizing full control over South Ossetia was a matter of hours. He emphasized that although the attack came as a total surprise, South Ossetian warriors acted with valor, initiative and precision, preventing the enemy from achieving its military goals.

"The heroism of Tskhinval’s defenders in August 2008 allowed to win time, and the situation unfolded not the way our enemies predicted. The political will of the Russian Federation’s supreme leadership, timely and decisive actions of the Russian military command, courage and valor of Russian soldiers and officers thwarted the Georgian aggressor’s plans. They had to retreat to where they came from, leaving behind weapons and military equipment. The war was over, and our people entered the era of calmness, peace and revival," Gagloyev said.

Memorial events will continue on the morning of August 8. All churches of the republic will hold commemoration services for the victims. Flowers and wreaths will be laid to various monuments and memorial sites.

On the night of August 8, 2008, Georgia launched an armed attack on South Ossetia. Russia stood up to defend the republic's citizens, many of whom had taken Russian citizenship by then, as well as its peacekeepers, who had worked in the region since 1992. More than 1,000 people were killed as a result of the five-day military conflict, 72 of whom were Russian servicemen. On August 26, 2008, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another former Georgian autonomous region.