30 Years Ago: A Meeting on the Kodor Bridge and Two Liters of Ingur Water, by Vitaly Sharia
This article was published by Ekho Kavkaza and is translated from Russian.
Abkhazia celebrates its Victory and Independence Day on September 30th. The final episodes of the Georgian-Abkhazian war have been retold on numerous occasions, including by the author of this piece in "Ekho Kavkaza (Echo of the Caucasus)".
A brief recap of the events following the liberation of Sukhum by the Abkhazian forces on September 27th: At 11:30 AM on September 29th, the vanguard of the Abkhazian Armed Forces, after breaching the Georgian troops' defence at the Machara River in the Gudauta region, secured Sukhum Airport (located in the village of Babushara). Another division, upon reaching the Kodor River, merged with troops from the Eastern Front. This breakthrough ended the 13-month blockade of the Ochamchira-Tquarchal region in Abkhazia. Several Georgian troops, leaving behind their vehicles and weaponry, retreated towards the village of Lata. Their subsequent movements were marked by chaotic retreats.