Only through the joint efforts of the international community can the Russian Federation be forced to leave the temporarily occupied territories of Georgia and Ukraine, and bring Russian criminals to justice for crimes and atrocities, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the beginning of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Georgia.

"August 7 marks the 16th anniversary of the beginning of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Georgia, as a result of which Russia killed hundreds of innocent people, occupied Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia. The Russian occupation has turned these Georgian regions into a gray zone where lawlessness reigns, there are no prospects, and human rights are neglected," the statement says.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that Ukraine supports the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders and strongly condemns the Kremlin's aggressive policy.

"Russia should withdraw its troops from the sovereign territory of Georgia in accordance with the 2008 ceasefire agreement and revoke recognition of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as so-called ‘independent states,’" the ministry urged.

The Foreign Ministry also stressed that "Russian imperialism in the South Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe has remained unchanged for centuries and consists in deep-rooted chauvinism and disregard for other peoples, international law, internationally recognized borders, and the desire to restore imperial dominance."

The ministry stated that the Russian aggression against Georgia, and subsequently Ukraine, is "only an episode of this long-term imperial policy of Moscow, which has no place in the XXI century."

"We are convinced that only through the joint efforts of the international community can Russia's aggressive policy be prevented, forced to leave the temporarily occupied territories of Georgia and Ukraine, and bring Russian criminals to justice for all injustice, crimes and atrocities," the statement says.