Shortly after arriving in Moscow, however, Bartsyts heard that war in Abkhazia had broken out. She returned to Abkahzia in September 1992 to join the conflict, first arriving in Gudauta to work with Vladislav Ardzinba. By October, Bartsyts had joined the frontline and was with the 2nd Verkhneeshersky Battalion. Bartsyts trained as a medic and served as a medical instructor on the Gumistinsky Front. During the war, Bartsyts took many photographs on a World War 2 era Soviet camera: her collection is one of the most important records of life during the war.