Battle of Ochamchire

The Battle of Ochamchire was held between Abkhaz separatists and Georgia for the town of Ochamchire during War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) on October 26, 1992.

Battle of Ochamchire
War in Abkhazia (1992-1993)
Date 26 October, 1992 Location Ochamchire, Abkhazia Result Georgian victory
Belligerents
Georgia	Abkhaz Separatists Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus
Commanders and leaders
Giorgi Vashakidze	Boris Pachulia †
Units involved
Mkhedrioni Military police Zviadists	Abkhazian Armed Forces
Strength
Unknown	310
Casualties and losses
Less	More than 40 dead

Background

After the successful attack on Gagra in early October 1992, the Abkhazians turned their efforts to

the "Eastern Front" (Eastern Abkhazia). By the end of October, they had launched attacks in the Ochamchire region, with villages passing from hand to hand. The fighting continued in the fall of 1992 and the winter of 1993. In response, Georgian forces besieged the town of Tkvarcheli, occupied by the separatists.

Preparation

At the end of October 1992, Abkhazian forces prepared an attack on the city of Ochamchire. They have already tried to take over the city once to disrupt the 1992 Georgian legislative elections there. On October 11, about 250 separatists with two BMPs and one armored personnel carrier launched an attack on the city under the command of Givi Adleiba, but the operation failed because Tkvarcheli's battalion was ambushed at Beslakhuba turn.

Giorgi Vashakidze

The second operation was planned in the general headquarters of the armed forces of separatist Abkhazia in Gudauta. It had to start early in the morning from three directions: by landing from the south, from the north, and from the direction of the city of Tkvarcheli. A landing was to be made near the village of Gudava, south of Ochamchire, and an attack was to be launched from the river Ghalidzgi. They would have joined the special group of Boris Pachulia and N.Kvarchia.

The second group, with 250 men, was to march under the leadership of Lakut Zarandiya from the village of Merkula, north of Ochamchire. They were to be joined by a group of 75 people led by Kakubawa.

The third group, numbering 200 people, was to be involved in the battle under the leadership of Kakoba and J. Gogia.

Battle

Due to a big storm, the landing operation of 250 people failed. Pachulia received instructions from Tvarcheli to continue the operation anyway and crossed the Ghalidzga river with 35 men. They occupied the district militia building with a fight. 75 of Kakubava's men entered Ochamchire from the other side, but Zarandia and his soldiers did not join the battle. Abkhazian forces were fought in the city by Georgian units using armored vehicles and inflicted significant losses on the enemy. Pachulia's forces were almost completely destroyed, and Pachulia himself was killed in battle. Kakoba and Gogia's 200-man battalion later joined the battle, but since Pachulia's forces were almost completely destroyed and Kakubawa was also retreating, they did not attack again. By noon, the separatists launched another assault on Ochamchire. They attacked from three directions: from the village of Anuarkhu, from the side of the central highway, and from the forest, in the direction of the poultry factory. Despite some success, they retreated and lost only one man. The battle ended with the victory of the Georgians.

Material used

• Неудавшийся штурм, который «навел шороху»
• მემატიანე