Bagramyan Battalion

The Bagramyan Battalion (Armenian: Բաղրամյանի անվան գումարտակ) was a battalion formed in Abkhazia, Georgia and predominantly composed of ethnic Armenians living in Abkhazia that fought together with separatist Abkhaz forces during the War in Abkhazia (1992–93).^[1] Named in honor of the Soviet Armenian Marshal Ivan Bagramyan, the battalion's declared purpose was to withdraw Georgian forces from Georgian territory and support Russo-Abkhazian forces.^[2]

On 10 May 1998, during hostilities leading to Six-Day War in Abkhazia (20–26 May 1998), there was a fire initiated on one of administrative buildings of the power grid in Mziuri. No one was injured in the attack. The Tbilisi-based Prime-News agency reported it was done by the members of the battalion.^[3] According to the official Georgian reports, the battalion was dispatched by the de facto Abkhaz authorities to the predominantly Georgian-populated Gali district specifically for punitive operations.^[4]

References

Georgian–Abkhazian conflict
Timeline	Abkhazian side	Georgian side
1989 Sukhumi riots 1991 Abkhazian New Union Treaty referendum 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia 1992 Battle of Sukhumi October 1992 Battle of Gagra 1992–1993 Siege of Tkvarcheli July 1993 Massacre in Kamani September 1993 Transair Georgia airliner shootdowns September 1993 Massacre in Sukhumi Ethnic cleansing of Georgians 1994 Moscow agreement 1998 War in Abkhazia 2001 Kodori crisis 2006 Kodori crisis 2007 Georgia helicopter incident 2007 Georgia plane downing incident 2007 Bokhundjara incident 2008 Georgian spy plane shootdowns 2008 Khurcha incident 2008 Abkhazia bombings 2008 Achamkhara incident 2008 Russo-Georgian diplomatic crisis 2008 Russo-Georgian war Battle off the coast of Abkhazia Battle of the Kodori Valley 2008 Post-war events 2009 Russo-Georgian relations	Military forces: Military of Abkhazia Abkhazian Air Force Bagramyan Battalion Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus Key leaders: Vladislav Ardzinba Sergei Bagapsh Alexander Ankvab Valeri Bganba Raul Khajimba	Military forces: Military of Georgia Military of Georgia Georgian Air Force Georgian Navy Mkhedrioni White Legion Forest Brothers Key leaders: Zhiuli Shartava † Zviad Gamsakhurdia † Eduard Shevardnadze Mikheil Saakashvili Giorgi Margvelashvili