149:
325:, Tkvarcheli became the main Abkhazian stronghold throughout the war. In October 1992, a Georgian contingent began to lay siege to the town, creating a severe humanitarian crisis in that region. Since the town had a sizeable Russian community, the Russian military actively intervened in the crisis, delivering both humanitarian and military support to besieged Tkvarcheli. Russian military helicopters regularly flew to the town, supplying it with food and medicine, evacuated many civilians and assisting the defenders against the Georgian forces. Many Russian-trained and Russian-paid fighters were transported to the area to take part in the fighting.
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378:, broke a Russian-brokered ceasefire and launched simultaneous attacks against Sukhumi, Ochamchira and Georgian forces blockading Tkvarcheli. The Georgians were caught by surprise and, after several days of intense fighting, Sukhumi fell to Abkhazian troops September 27, 1993. Now, the Georgian troops at Tkvarcheli themselves came under the threat of being besieged and retreated. By September 29, 1993, the siege had been lifted.
37:
314:, which after the war became de facto independent, but is still generally recognised as de jure part of Georgia. According to the last pre-war census (1989), it had a population of 21,744, with ethnic Abkhaz (42.3%), Russian (24.5%) and Georgian (23.4%) communities but a bulk of the Georgian population left the town shortly after the Georgian-Abkhazian fighting erupted in August 1992.
344:
carrying evacuees, which resulted in 52 to 64 deaths (including 25 children). Although
Georgian authorities denied any responsibility, many believed the helicopter had been shot down by Georgian forces. On 16 December, the government of Georgia requested the Russians to evacuate their nationals from
370:
trucks and 2 buses through the corridor offered by the
Georgian army. The Georgians claimed, however, that a great deal of weaponry and ammunitions were simultaneously delivered to Tkvarcheli. A turning point in the battle occurred July 14, 1993, when a Russian landing group ousted Georgian units
358:
in early 1993, the fighting for
Tkvarcheli also became fiercer and spilled over into the neighbouring villages when the besieged Abkhazian troops attempted several sorties. In February 1993, Abkhaz fighters attacked the Georgian village of Kvirauri, just outside Tkvarcheli, and took some 500
353:
The helicopter incident catalysed more concerted
Russian military intervention on behalf of the Abkhazian side. As the Abkhazian troops intensified their efforts to take hold of the zone around Abkhazia's capital
328:
As several cease-fire agreements failed, the hostilities intensified towards
December 1992. The fighting was marked by extreme confusion and frequently indiscriminate fire on all sides. Following the
205:. The siege lasted from October 1992 to September 1993, almost the entire duration of the war, but was eventually unsuccessful. It was accompanied by inconclusive fighting in surrounding villages.
922:
366:
A temporary ceasefire allowed the
Russians to carry out the largest humanitarian operation in Tkvarcheli on June 16, 1993, evacuating several hundreds of civilians with 30
481:
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from the dominant heights around
Tkvarcheli. Abkhazian forces failed to relieve the siege, but the town became much less vulnerable to Georgian fire from then on.
340:, Georgian troops retaliated by shelling Tkvarcheli. The Russian army attempted to re-establish an air bridge, but on December 14, 1992, it suffered the loss of a
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Abkhazia via other routes, foremost the Black Sea, but also to limit the number of missions flown from
Gudauta, the main Russian air base in the area.
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The town's power plant was bombed in the first days of the siege and the town had to live without electricity for nearly a year
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Vakhtang
Kholbaia, Raphiel Gelantia, David Latsuzbaia, Teimuraz Chakhrakia (trans. Nana Japaridze-Chkhoidze; 1999),
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civilians hostage, threatening to kill them unless
Georgian forces ended their offensive in the neighbouring
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aid, both humanitarian and military, was critical for the defence of the town which suffered a severe
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On the morning of September 16, 1993, Abkhazian forces, supported by strong reinforcements from the
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Georgia/Abkhazia: Violations of the Laws of War and Russia's Role in the Conflict
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The Dynamics and Challenges of Ethnic Cleansing: The Georgia-Abkhazia Case
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September 1993 Transair Georgia airliner shootdowns
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Georgia and Abkhazia, 1992-1993: the War of Datchas
775:Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus
154:Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus
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310:Tkvarcheli is located in the eastern part of
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583:1991 Abkhazian New Union Treaty referendum
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644:1993–2009 United Nations observer mission
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16:Battle during the 1992–93 War in Abkhazia
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521:Arms Project Vol. 7, No. 7 (March 1995)
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423:1997, Volume 16, Number 3, pp. 77–109
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676:2007 Georgia plane downing incident
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964:Sieges involving Georgia (country)
686:2008 Georgian spy plane shootdowns
112:Abkhazian-North Caucasian victory
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332:to Abkhazian forces commanded by
53:October 1992 – 29 September 1993
918:Abkhazia–Georgia separation line
713:Battle off the coast of Abkhazia
671:2007 Georgia helicopter incident
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627:September 1993 Sukhumi massacre
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730:2009 Russo-Georgian relations
632:Ethnic cleansing of Georgians
612:1992–1993 Siege of Tkvarcheli
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923:Tatunashvili–Otkhozoria List
607:October 1992 Battle of Gagra
589:1991–1993 Georgian Civil War
454:Air Combat Information Group
7:
718:Battle of the Kodori Valley
197:was put under siege by the
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959:Battles involving Chechnya
178:National Guard of Abkhazia
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735:2014 Abkhazian revolution
681:2007 Bokhundjara incident
617:July 1993 Kamani massacre
596:1992–1993 War in Abkhazia
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29:1992–1993 War in Abkhazia
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954:Abkhaz–Georgian conflict
701:2008 Achamkhara incident
559:Abkhaz–Georgian conflict
421:Refugee Survey Quarterly
969:Sieges involving Russia
707:2008 Russo-Georgian War
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203:1992–93 War in Abkhazia
199:Georgian National Guard
182:Georgian National Guard
844:Coast Guard of Georgia
696:2008 Abkhazia bombings
602:1992 Battle of Sukhumi
403:HRW (1995), pp. 7, 51.
893:Giorgi Margvelashvili
834:Georgian Armed Forces
691:2008 Khurcha incident
649:1994 Moscow agreement
490:Parliament of Georgia
479:Labyrinth of Abkhazia
456:. September 29, 2003.
898:Salome Zourabichvili
758:Military of Abkhazia
725:2008 Post-war events
655:1998 War in Abkhazia
639:1993 Sochi agreement
984:20th-century sieges
888:Mikheil Saakashvili
883:Eduard Shevardnadze
768:Bagramyan Battalion
763:Abkhazian Air Force
361:Ochamchira District
211:humanitarian crisis
88: /
22:Siege of Tkvarcheli
877:Zviad Gamsakhurdia
839:Georgian Air Force
791:Vladislav Ardzinba
666:2006 Kodori crisis
661:2001 Kodori crisis
578:1989 Sukhumi riots
519:Human Rights Watch
505:HRW (1995), p. 41.
484:2007-09-30 at the
465:HRW (1995), p. 28.
437:HRW (1995), p. 31.
213:during the siege.
949:Conflicts in 1993
944:Conflicts in 1992
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394:HRW (1995), p. 7.
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92:42.850°N 41.683°E
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974:1993 in Abkhazia
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127:Belligerents
116:Siege lifted
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27:Part of the
870:Key leaders
784:Key leaders
317:Along with
299:2nd Sukhumi
267:1st Sukhumi
201:during the
95: /
938:Categories
851:Mkhedrioni
566:Key events
419:, also in
382:References
282:Ochamchire
277:Tkvarcheli
195:Tkvarcheli
63:Tkvarcheli
323:Black Sea
191:Abkhazian
911:See also
482:Archived
336:warlord
312:Abkhazia
293:massacre
291:Kamani (
193:town of
142:Abkhazia
67:Abkhazia
58:Location
494:Tbilisi
356:Sukhumi
334:Chechen
321:on the
319:Gudauta
287:Gumista
207:Russian
167:Georgia
83:41°41′E
80:42°51′N
71:Georgia
517:. The
488:. The
164:
139:
108:Result
413:UNHCR
368:Kamaz
272:Gagra
349:1993
217:1992
189:The
50:Date
940::
492:,
470:^
442:^
428:^
415:,
363:.
69:,
65:,
879:â€
798:â€
551:e
544:t
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496:.
295:)
244:e
237:t
230:v
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