Georgia is commemorating the events of 34 years ago, marking the date traditionally considered the starting point of the armed conflict in Abkhazia.
On August 14, 1992, a column of the Georgian National Guard crossed the administrative boundary over the Enguri River and entered the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia. Tbilisi cited the need to secure the railway line as the objective of the operation. The column met armed resistance from Abkhaz separatists.
Thus began an armed conflict that claimed the lives of approximately 10,000 people on both sides and displaced around 300,000 residents of the region as refugees.
The war lasted 13 months. On September 27, 1993, Sukhumi fell.