Siege of Tkvarcheli The Siege of Tkvarcheli refers to the eventually unsuccessful siege of the Abkhazian town of Tkvarcheli during the 1992 – 93 War in Abkhazia by the National Guard of Georgia . The siege lasted from October 1992 to September 1993 , covering almost the entire duration of the war . It was accompanied by inconclusive fighting in surrounding villages . Russia n aid , both humanitarian and military , was critical for the defence of the town which suffered a severe humanitarian crisis during the siege . 1992 . Tkvarcheli is located in the eastern part of Abkhazia , which after the war became de facto independent , but is still generally recognised as de jure part of Georgia . According to the last pre - war census ( 1989 ) , it had a population of 21 , 744 , with ethnic Abkhaz ( 42 . 3 % ) , Russian ( 24 . 5 % ) and Georgian ( 23 . 4 % ) communities but a bulk of the Georgian population left the town shortly after the Georgian - Abkhazian fighting erupted in August 1992 . Along with Gudauta on the Black Sea , Tkvarcheli became the main Abkhazian stronghold throughout the war . In October 1992 , a Georgian contingent began to lay siege to the town , creating a severe humanitarian crisis in that region . Since the town had a sizeable Russian community , the Russian military actively intervened in the crisis , delivering both humanitarian and military support to besieged Tkvarcheli . Russia military helicopters regularly flew to the town , supplying it with food and medicine , evacuated many civilians and assisting the defenders against the Georgian forces . Many Russian - trained and Russian - paid fighters were transported to the area to take part in the fighting . As several cease - fire agreements failed , the hostilities intensified towards December 1992 . The fighting was marked by extreme confusion and frequently indiscriminate fire on all sides . Following the loss of Gagra to Abkhazian forces commanded by Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev , Georgian troops retaliated by shelling Tkvarcheli . The Russian army attempted to re - establish an air bridge , but on December 14 , 1992 it suffered the loss of a Mi - 8 helicopter carrying evacuees , which resulted in 52 to 64 deaths ( including 25 children ) . Although Georgian authorities denied any responsibility , many believed the helicopter had been shot down by Georgian forces . On 16 December , the government of Georgia requested the Russians to evacuate their nationals from Abkhazia via other routes , foremost the Black Sea , but also to limit the number of missions flown from Gudauta , the main Russian air base in the area . 1993 . The helicopter incident catalysed more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of the Abkhazian side . As the Abkhazian troops intensified their efforts to take hold of the zone around Abkhazia ' s capital Sukhumi in early 1993 , the fighting for Tkvarcheli also became fiercer and spilled over into the neighbouring villages when the besieged Abkhazian troops attempted several sorties . In February 1993 , Abkhaz fighters attacked the Georgian village of Kvirauri , just outside Tkvarcheli , and took some 500 civilians hostage , threatening to kill them unless Georgian forces ended their offensive in the neighbouring Ochamchira district . A temporary ceasefire allowed the Russians to carry out the largest humanitarian operation in Tkvarcheli on June 16 , 1993 , evacuating several hundreds of civilians with 30 Kamaz trucks and 2 buses through the corridor offered by the Georgian army . The Georgians claimed , however , that a great deal of weaponry and ammunitions were simultaneously delivered to Tkvarcheli . A turning point in the battle occurred July 14 , 1993 , when a Russian landing group ousted Georgian units from the dominant heights around Tkvarcheli . Abkhazian forces failed to relieve the siege , but the town became much less vulnerable to Georgian fire from then on . On the morning of September 16 , 1993 , Abkhazian forces , supported by strong reinforcements from the North Caucasus , broke a Russian - brokered ceasefire and launched simultaneous attacks against Sukhumi , Ochamchira and Georgian forces blockading Tkvarcheli . The Georgians were caught by surprise and , after several days of intense fighting , Sukhumi fell to Abkhazian troops September 27 , 1993 . Now , the Georgian troops at Tkvarcheli themselves came under the threat of being besieged and retreated . By September 29 , 1993 , the siege had been lifted .