GEORGIAN CIVIL WAR

(1991–1993)

As the Soviet Union unraveled in 1990–1991,Georgiawas in the vanguard of the independence movement. The pro-Moscow orientation of certain autonomous regions of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, however, created a volatile situation in the South Caucasian republic. In September 1990, relations between the central government and the South OssetianAutonomous Soviet Socialist Republic(ASSR) deteriorated rapidly, particularly after leaders in the regional capital Tskhinvali declared aSouth OssetianDemocratic Soviet Republic and appealed toMoscowfor help against Georgian nationalists. In December, Georgian politicians negated South Ossetian autonomy. Fighting between South Ossetian and government forces broke out in early 1991, reaching its peak in April before a respite in the summer months.

Soviet PremierMikhail Gorbachevattempted to calm the violence, but political challenges in theBaltic Statesand the ongoing conflict betweenArmeniaandAzerbaijanweakened the position of the federal government. The presence of Soviet troops in South Ossetia did constrain Georgian military action against its breakaway region but proved ineffective against roaming bands of paramilitaries. The violence claimed nearly 1,000 lives and resulted in mass emigration ofOssetiansacross the Russian border toNorth Ossetiya. In April 1991, in the midst of the conflict with South Ossetia, the Georgian Supreme Council unanimously passed the declaration of independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).On 26 May 1991, the formerdissidentand Georgian nationalist Zviad Gamsakhurdia was elected as president, winning 86 percent of the vote. However, his authoritarian style and refusal to address economic issues, as well as continued ethnic tensions, led to further instability across Georgia. Gamsakhurdia’s ambiguous position on theAugust Coupand imprisonment of opposition leaders further sapped his popularity among reformists. Ready access to Soviet military hardware and the rising strength of paramilitary groups operating in the country came to a head in December when a group of military personnel, including the leader of the Georgian National Guard, Tengiz Kitovani, launched a coup against Gamsakhurdia. By the end of January 1992, the president had gone into exile, first fleeing to Armenia, then toChechnya.Mediareports suggested that Russian forces had assisted the plotters and aided anti-Gamsakhurdia activists to gain control of state television.

In March,Eduard Shevardnadze, who had been first secretary of the Georgian Communist Party from 1972 until 1985, returned to the country and was soon elected head of state. Shortly after coming to power, Shevardnadze was confronted with a newseparatistchallenge from theBlack Searegion ofAbkhazia. An ASSR during Soviet times, the region clamored for union with theRussian Soviet Federative Socialist Republicfrom the mid-1980s onward. As Georgia slipped into civil war, the Abkhaz, supported by localArmeniansandethnic Russians, turned against Georgia. In the summer of 1992, Abkhazian separatists attacked government buildings in Sukhumi, the regional capital. In an environment of threats and counterthreats,Cossacksfrom Russia and various volunteers from theConfederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasusrallied to defend theMuslimAbkhaz from Georgian aggression. Russian forces were ostensibly neutral in the conflict but supplied battlefield intelligence and weapons (missiles and SU-25 fighters) to the Abkhazians, and were found to have participated in the aerial bombing of Georgian-held Sukhumi in 1993. A number of Russian politicians including Vice PresidentAleksandr Rutskoyvocally supported the Abkhazians. Russian border guards also allowed theChechenfighters, includingShamil Basayev, to cross into Abkhazia. Ethnic cleansing reached epic levels, with some 200,000 Georgians being forced out of the region. Increasingly, Russia assumed the ambiguous role ofpeacekeeperin the region, but conflicting loyalties and reticence to send soldiers into harm’s way actually contributed to a worsening of the security situation. Ultimately, Abkhaz forces were able to secure most of the region, with the exception of the Kodori Gorge, which remained under government control. From 1992 to 1993, pitched battles between the security forces, assisted byMkhedrioni(Georgian: “Horsemen”) paramilitaries, and Gamsakhurdia loyalists known as Zviadists wracked the country. Supporters of the ousted president were able to establish effective control over his home region, Samegrelo. This gave Gamsakhurdia the ability to launch an offensive against Shevardnadze’s forces from the city of Zugdidi in the west of the country.

Under intense pressure, Shevardnadze begged Moscow for help, which came in the form of Russian support from the Black Sea. Gamsakhurdia’s units were routed, and the ex-president died shortly thereafter under mysterious circumstances. In the midst of the strife, Aslan Abashidze sealed the borders toAjaria, creating a semi-autonomous fiefdom that he would control for more than a decade. In addition to losing control of Ajaria, Shevardnadze was forced to join theCommonwealth of Independent Statesand accept long-term Russian deployments in his country and (temporary) subjugation of its foreign policy to Moscow. Other aftereffects of the civil war included long-term economic debilitation, frozen conflicts with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and lingering social conflict.

See alsoForeign relations; Immigration.