Tensions had long existed between Abkhaz nationalists and ethnic Georgians under Soviet rule, leading to the 1989 Sukhumi riots. In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Abkhazia remained as part of newly-independent Georgia. Tensions over autonomy demands led to the Abkhazian government proclaiming the independence of the region on 23 July 1992. On 14 August, Georgian police and National Guard units were dispatched to restore government control over Abkhazia, which marked the commencement of the war in Abkhazia. On 15 August, a marine tugboat was sent from Novorossiysk, Russia to Ochamchire to tow a decommissioned ship that had been sold to Turkey for scrap. As Georgian forces occupied Ochamchire, the tug was seized and incorporated into the Georgian Navy.