 Following an unsuccessful August war in South Ossetia, in which Georgian troops had been quickly repulsed by Russian forces, Targamadze headed negotiations for the release of Georgian prisoners.In November, when Erosi Kitsmarishvili, a former Georgian ambassador to Russia, testified before a parliamentary committee that Georgia had been responsible for the war, Targamadze threw his pen at the man and had to be restrained from attacking him.Targamadze joined his party in November 2007 in criticizing former defense minister Irakli Okruashvili, who accused Saakashvili of corruption after leaving office.