War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)
War between Georgia and Abkhaz separatists / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The War in Abkhazia was fought between Georgian government forces for the most part and Abkhaz separatist forces, Russian government armed forces and North Caucasian militants between 1992 and 1993. Ethnic Georgians who lived in Abkhazia fought largely on the side of Georgian government forces. Ethnic Armenians (Bagramyan Battalion ) and Russians[18] within Abkhazia's population largely supported the Abkhazians[19][20][21] and many fought on their side. The separatists received support from thousands of North Caucasus and Cossack militants and from the Russian Federation forces stationed in and near Abkhazia.[22][23]
War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) | |||||||
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Part of Georgian–Abkhazian conflict and Georgian Civil War | |||||||
A map of the conflict region | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus Russia (unofficially)[lower-alpha 2] | UNA-UNSO[2] | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Vladislav Ardzinba Vladimir Arshba Sergei Dbar Vagharshak Kosyan Sergei Matosyan Yassin Zelimkhanov † Aslambek Abdulkhadzhiev Sultan Sosnaliyev Shamil Basayev Ruslan Gelayev Turpal-Ali Atgeriyev Mushniy Khvartskiya † |
Eduard Shevardnadze Tengiz Kitovani Tengiz Sigua Jaba Ioseliani Giorgi Karkarashvili Geno Adamia † David Tevzadze Gujar Kurashvili Loti Kobalia Zhiuli Shartava † Valery Bobrovich | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
North Caucasian national detachments
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Georgian Defense Ministry forces
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Strength | |||||||
Abkhaz National Guard: 4,000-5,000 Abkhazians[5][6]
Bagramyan Battalion: 1,500 Armenians[7][8]
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~ 10,000 soldiers[citation needed] ~ 20 tanks[citation needed] ~ 20 armored vehicles[citation needed] 150 Ukrainians[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2,220 combatants killed ~8,000 wounded 122 missing in action[12] 1,820 civilians killed[12] |
4,000 combatants and civilians killed[12] 10,000 wounded[12] 1,000 missing[12] 250,000 ethnic Georgians displaced[13][14][15][16] | ||||||
25,000–30,000 total killed[17] |
The handling of this conflict was aggravated by the civil strife in Georgia proper (between the supporters of the ousted Georgian president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia – in office 1991–1992 – and the post-coup government headed by Eduard Shevardnadze) as well as by the Georgian–Ossetian conflict of 1989 onwards.[citation needed]
Significant human rights violations and atrocities were reported on all sides, peaking in the aftermath of the Abkhaz capture of Sukhumi on 27 September 1993, which (according to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) was followed by a large-scale campaign of ethnic cleansing against the ethnic Georgian population.[24] A fact-finding mission dispatched by the UN Secretary General in October 1993 reported numerous and serious human rights violations committed both by Abkhazians and by Georgians.[25] Approximately 5,000 ethnic Georgians and 4,000 Abkhaz were reported killed or missing, and 250,000 Georgians became internally displaced or refugees.[12][13]
The war heavily affected post-Soviet Georgia, which suffered considerable financial, human and psychological damage. The fighting and subsequent continued sporadic conflict have devastated Abkhazia. In Abkhazia the conflict is officially named Patriotic War of the People of Abkhazia.[26]