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Abkhazia marks 20th anniversary of Georgian-Abkhaz war

The remembrance events will continue on August 15, Abkhazia’s Day of Volunteer

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

SUKHUMI, August 14 (Itar-Tass) — Abkhazia is marking the 20th anniversary of the Georgian-Abkhaz war. Georgian forces entered Abkhazia on August 14, 1992. This is the Day of Remembrance of Fatherland Defenders in Abkhazia now.

Every town and district of Abkhazia has erected a monument to commemorate the victims of that war. Flowers were laid to the monuments on Tuesday morning. Thousands of people came to the Glory Memorial in the Sukhumi center, where republic defenders were buried.

Flowers were also laid to the grave of Abkhazia’s first president Vladislav Ardzinba in his home village Nizhnaya Eshera in the Sukhumi region. The Abkhazians link their victory in the war with Georgia with Ardzinba.

Georgia said forces were sent to Abkhazia allegedly to protect the Psou-Inguri stretch of the railroad. The Abkhazian Supreme Council took the action as “an occupation of sovereign Abkhazia.”

That was one of the cruelest wars in the post-Soviet space. Official statistics says up to 12,000 Abkhazians took part in the war. The hostilities lasted for 413 days. Georgia lost. More than 2,700 Abkhazians died, over 5,000 were wounded and up to 200 were declared missing.

The remembrance events will continue on August 15, Abkhazia’s Day of Volunteer.

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