During the War in Abkhazia, the Su-25 was used by the Georgian Air Force, the Abkhazian Air Force, and the Russian Air Force in a series of combat actions in the breakaway province. The Georgian Air Force flew as many as 215 combat missions in the Su-25 during the war. Russian Su-25s flying on the side of Abkhazian separatists performed numerous raids on Georgian positions near the besieged port city of Sukhumi, flying out of an airfield in Gudauta. On at least one occasion, a Russian Su-25 bombed a residential district of Sukhumi, killing a civilian and destroying numerous homes and other buildings. During the conflict, the Russian government asserted that Su-25s bombing Georgian positions were not Russian but, in fact, Georgian warplanes with painted Russian insignia, a claim that drew much doubt since many of these Su-25 aircraft were flying uninhibited through Russian airspace. On 6 January 1993, a Georgian Su-25 crashed in Abkhazia province with the pilot ejecting to safety. On 19 March 1993, a Russian Air Force Su-25 piloted by Major Vazlav Shipko was shot down by Georgian air defenses near Sukhumi, however some sources state he was flying a Su-27. On 4 July 1993, a Georgian Su-25 was struck by an Abkhazian surface-to-air missile, forcing the aircraft into the sea off Sukhumi and killing the pilot.