The Battle of Gagra was fought between Georgian forces and the Abkhaz secessionists aided by the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus (CMPC) militants from October 1 to October 6, 1992 during the War in Abkhazia. The allies, commanded by the Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, captured the town of Gagra from the undermanned Georgian forces (which were fewer in numbers but allegedly possessed more tanks and armed personnel carriers)^[2] in a surprise attack, leading to an outbreak of ethnic cleansing of local Georgian population. The battle proved to be one of the bloodiest in the war and is widely considered to be a turning point in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. The action, in which Russian commanders were suspected to have aided to the attackers, also resulted in a significant deterioration of the Georgian-Russian relations. Combatants Abkhaz separatists Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus Russian Cossacks Russian Forces1 Georgian Interior and Defense Ministry forces Paramilitary groups and volunteer battalions Commanders Iysuph Soslanbekov, Musa Shanibov, Shamil Basaev, Beslan Barghandjia, Anri Djergenia Geno Adamia, Guram Gubelashvili, Gia Kharkharashvili, Davit Tevzadze, Soso Akhalaia Casualties ~2,500-4... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Gagra, View from the Black Sea Gagra is a city in the Abkhazia region of western Georgia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. ... Capital Sokhumi Official languages Abkhaz, Georgian Government  -  Chairman, Cabinet of Ministers  -  Chairman, Supreme Council Temur Mzhavia Autonomous republic of Georgia  -  Georgian independence Declared Recognised 9 April 1991 25 December 1991  Currency Georgian lari (GEL) Anthem Aiaaira Capital Sukhumi Official languages Abkhaz, Russian1 Government  -  President Sergei Bagapsh  -  Prime Minister Alexander Ankvab... Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus (Russian: Конфедерация горских народов Кавказа) is a militarized political organization composed of militants from the North Caucasian republics of the Russian Federation. ... Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Ottoman Empire. ... The Abkhazians or Abkhaz (Abkhaz: , Georgian: აფხაზები, Turkish: Abhazlar) are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, de jure an autonomous republic of Georgia. ... Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus (Russian: Конфедерация горских народов Кавказа) is a militarized political organization composed of militants from the North Caucasian republics of the Russian Federation. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Combatants Abkhaz separatists Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus Russian Cossacks Russian Forces1 Georgian Interior and Defense Ministry forces Paramilitary groups and volunteer battalions Commanders Iysuph Soslanbekov, Musa Shanibov, Shamil Basaev, Beslan Barghandjia, Anri Djergenia Geno Adamia, Guram Gubelashvili, Gia Kharkharashvili, Davit Tevzadze, Soso Akhalaia Casualties ~2,500-4... // Geography The Chechen people are mainly inhabitants of Chechnya, which is internationally recognized as part of Russia. ... Shamil Basayev in Dagestan, 1999 Shamil Salmanovich Basayev (Russian: Шамиль Салманович Басаев) (January 14, 1965 – July 10, 2006) was a Vice-President of the internationally unrecognized separatist government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Islamist guerrilla leader, self-admitted terrorist and a national hero for many Chechens. ... Gagra, View from the Black Sea Gagra is a city in the Abkhazia region of western Georgia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. ... Dead Georgian civilian with his dog on the streets of Sukhumi, September 27, 1993 The Ethnic Cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia, also known as the Genocide of Georgians in Abkhazia (Georgian: , Russian: ) or the Massacre of Georgians in Abkhazia [1][2] — refers to the massacres [3] and forced mass expulsion... Combatants Abkhaz separatists Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus Russian Cossacks Russian Forces1 Georgian Interior and Defense Ministry forces Paramilitary groups and volunteer batallions Commanders Iysuph Soslanbekov, Musa Shanibov, Shamil Basaev, Beslan Barghandjia, Anri Djergenia Geno Adamia, Guram Gubelashvili, Gia Kharkharashvili, Davit Tevzadze, Soso Akhalaia Casualties ~2,500-4... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Background

Gagra is a Black Sea resort town in northwest Abkhazia, near the international border between Georgia and the Russian Federation. Georgian forces took control of the town from the Abkhaz insurgent militia in the August 1992 amphibious operation in an effort to push an offensive southward against the rebel-held enclave around Gudauta, where the Abkhaz secessionist leadership had taken refuge after the Georgian government forces had entered the regional capital of Sukhumi. Gudauta was also a home to the Soviet-era Russian military base, consisting of the 643rd anti-aircraft missile regiment and a supply unit, which were used to funnel arms to the Abkhaz.^[3] After initial military setback, Abkhaz leaders urged Russia and the CMPC to intervene in the conflict. The Confederation responded by declaring war on Georgia and by sending hundreds of its fighters to the Abkhaz side. Meanwhile, the Russian government arranged, on September 3 1992, a truce which left Georgian government in control of most of Abkhazia but obliged it to withdraw a large part of its troops and hardware from Gagra and its environs. The conflicting sides resumed the negotiations concerning Abkhazia’s status within Georgia whose inviolable territorial integrity was emphasized in the ceasefire agreement.^[4] Gudauta is a town in Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia. ... Destroyed shop in Sukhumi Sukhumi (Georgian: , Sokhumi; Abkhaz: , Aqwa; Russian: , Sukhumi) is the capital of Abkhazia, a de facto independent republic, which is internationally recognized as being an autonomous republic within Georgia. ... Soviet redirects here. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ...

Assault on Gagra

Map of Abkhazia

The truce was not to last long, however. Shortly thereafter, the Abkhaz side declared that the Georgian government had failed to complete the withdrawal of its troops from the Gagra zone. However, according to Russian army Lieutenant General Sufiyan Bepayev, deputy commander of the Transcaucasian Military District, Georgians had complied with the September 3 accords, and by September 30 1,200 Georgian troops and corresponding equipment had been withdrawn from the area.^[5] Map of Abkhazia Adapted from http://www. ... Map of Abkhazia Adapted from http://www. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Transcaucasian Front or Transcaucasus Front (Russian: Закавказский Фронт) was a Front (military subdivision) of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. ...

On October 1, one week after the Russian Supreme Soviet had passed a motion condemning Georgia’s policy in Abkhazia and demanding Russian peacekeepers,^[6] the combined Abkhaz and North Caucasian forces resumed hostilities and launched an offensive against Gagra. They were commanded by the then little known Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev^[7] who had been appointed Deputy Minister of Defense in the Abkhaz secessionist government and put in charge of the Gagra front.^[8] The offensive included T-72 tanks, Grad rocket launchers, and other heavy equipment that the Abkhaz had not previously possessed. The allies were aided by combat helicopters and Su-25 bombers.^[9] The type and quantity of equipment that helped advance the Abkhaz offensive was the first and primary cause of Georgian suspicions of Russian assistance to the secessionists.^[10] The Russian border guards were accused of at least not preventing the North Caucasian militants from crossing into Abkhazia.^[11] The Georgian side also accused Russians of assisting the attackers by imposing a naval blockade of the coastline and claimed that Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, G. Kolesnikov, was directly responsible for planning the operation.^[12] The Supreme Soviet (Russian: , Verhovniy Sovet, literally the Supreme Council) comprised the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. ... Shamil Basayev in Dagestan, 1999 Shamil Salmanovich Basayev (Russian: Шамиль Салманович Басаев) (January 14, 1965 – July 10, 2006) was a Vice-President of the internationally unrecognized separatist government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Islamist guerrilla leader, self-admitted terrorist and a national hero for many Chechens. ... The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1971. ... BM-21 battery. ... The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a battlefield attack, close air support, and anti-tank aircraft designed by the Soviet Union. ... A defence minister ( Commonwealth English) or defense minister ( American English) is a cabinet portfolio (position) which regulates the armed forces in a sovereign nation. ...

Caught in surprise, a small Georgian force, remaining in the town, was forced on the defensive and retreated, but quickly recovered and within hours reestablished the original front lines. The Abkhaz-North Caucasian forces reconsolidated, launched another attack on Gagra and captured the town on October 2.^[13] As it became apparent that Georgian forces would not hold Gagra, thousands of Georgian civilians fled to the villages of Gantiadi and Leselidze, immediately north of the town. Within the days that followed, the villages too fell compounded by the flight of refugees to the Russian border. The Russian border guards allowed part of Georgian civilians and military personnel to cross the border, and then transported them to Georgia proper.^[14] Those Georgians who remained in Gagra and the surrounding villages were subjected to a violent reprisal campaign orchestrated by Basayev and Abkhaz militants. According to several accounts, one hundred Georgians were herded into the central stadium in Gagra where they were decapitated and their heads used as footballs in a soccer match.^[15] Official Georgian sources put 429 as the number of civilians who were killed during the battle or in its immediate aftermath. Mikheil Jincharadze, an influential Georgian politician from Gagra who served as Deputy Chairman of Supreme Council of Abkhazia was captured in his house and executed by the decision of his Abkhazian friends. ^[16] Gyachripsh (Russian: ) is a village in Abkhazia. ...

My husband Sergo was dragged and tightened to the tree. Abkhaz woman named Zoya Tsvizba brought a tray with lots of salt on it. She took the knife and started to inflict wounds on my husband. After, she threw salt onto my husbands exposed wounds. They tortured him like that for ten minutes. After, they forced a young Georgian boy (they killed him after) to dig a whole with the tractor. They placed my husband in this whole and buried him alive. The only thing I remember him saying before he was covered with the gravel and sand was: “Dali take care of the kids!^[17]

The battle of Gagra triggered the first allegations of Russian aid to the separatists and marked the beginning of a quick worsening of Georgia’s relations with Russia. By the end of October, the head of the Georgian government, Eduard Shevardnadze, had halted talks on the Russian mediation, declaring that because of Russia’s "undisguised interference, including military interference,… in the internal affairs of sovereign Georgia, we have no other choice."^[18] This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The see-saw fighting around Gagra continued until October 6 1992. After the capture of Gagra, the Abkhaz-CMPC forces quickly gained control of the strategic area along the Russian border, and made steady progress, moving down the coast from Gagra to the Gumista River, north-west to Sukhumi, placing the regional capital itself at risk.^[19]

Notes

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Chechen Republic (IPA: ; Russian: , Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; Russian: ; Chechen: , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). ... Ruslan Gelaev (b. ... Karachay-Cherkess Republic (Russian: , or, less formal, Karachay-Cherkessia ) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). ... A member of a Russian special purpose police team (OMSN), equipped with a 9A91 submachine gun. ... This article is on the private, non-profit university in Memphis, for the chain of for-profit colleges, go to Rhodes Colleges, Inc. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Coordinates: Government  - Governing Mayor Giorgi Gigi Ugulava Area  - City 372 km²  (143. ...

References

• Aybak, Tunç (2001), Politics of the Black Sea: Dynamics of Cooperation and Conflict. I.B.Tauris, ISBN 1860644546.
• Duffy Toft, Monica (2003), The Geography of Ethnic Violence: Identity, Interests, and the Indivisibility of Territory. Princeton University Press, ISBN 0691113548.
• Ekedahl, Carolyn M, and Goodman, Melvin A (2001), The Wars of Eduard Shevardnadze: Second Edition. Brassey's, ISBN 1574884042.
• MacKinlay, John (2003), Regional Peacekeepers: The Paradox of Russian Peacekeeping. United Nations University Press, ISBN 9280810790.
• Murphy, Paul J. (2004), The Wolves of Islam: Russia and the Faces of Chechen Terror. Brassey's, ISBN 1574888307.
• Seely, Robert (2001), Russo-Chechen Conflict, 1800-2000: A Deadly Embrace. Routledge (UK), ISBN 0714649929.
• Human Rights Watch Arms Project. Human Rights Watch/Helsinki. March 1995 Vol. 7, No. 7. Georgia/Abkhazia: Violations of the Laws of War and Russia’s Role in the Conflict.

The Princeton University Press is a publishing house, a division of Princeton University, that is highly respected in academic publishing. ... Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-government organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ... Founded 1550 Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Area[1] - Of which land - Rank 185. ...

External links

• EPISODE 9 - BATTLE FOR GAGRA Interview with Shamil Basayev.