Battle of the Kodori Valley The Battle of Kodori Valley was a military operation in the Upper Kodori Valley , during the 2008 South Ossetia war , the only part of Abkhazia , which remained under Georgian control after the War in Abkhazia from 1992 to 1993 . Hostilities started , during the 2008 South Ossetia war , the Abkhazian military launched an operation to remove the remaining Georgian troops from the disputed gorge . The Georgian side denied an all - out Abkhazian attack and said , they were ready to stop any attacks . On August 9 , 2008 , the Abkhazian Air Force began a sortie against Georgian positions , while Abkhazian ground forces moved to invest the valley . Abkhazian and Russian army mobilization . Russia also sent a naval squadron to blockade Georgia ' s Black Sea coast . According to the Georgian government , 6 , 000 Russian troops rolled into South Ossetia from the neighbouring Russian province of North Ossetia and 4 , 000 more landed in Abkhazia . According to the commander of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia , Alexander Novitsky , Russia has boosted its forces in Abkhazia and now deploys more than 9 , 000 paratrooper s and 350 armoured vehicles . Ultimatum to Georgia . The president of Abkhazia , Sergei Bagapsh , gave Georgia a deadline for removing its troops from the Upper Kodori Gorge , a part of the region controlled by Georgia . Fighting . Abkhaz warplanes and artillery continued to pound Georgian positions for a second day in a row . The president of Abkhazia said , that " around 1 , 000 special Abkhaz troops " were involved in operations against Georgian forces . " They were attacking Georgian positions using warplanes , multiple rocket launchers and artillery . The operation will enter the next phase as planned and you will learn about that " , he said , adding " that he would create a humanitarian corridor " , allowing residents in the district to flee . A report from Interfax cited the Abkhaz defense headquarters as saying Abkhaz troops had launched an operation on August 12 , 2008 , to push Georgian forces out of the northern part of the Kodori Gorge . A Georgian government report said , Abkhaz infantry and armor had begun attacking Georgian defense . Abkhazia ' s president said " Russian troops were not involved in the operation . " Sergei Bagapsh , the president of Abkhazia , said Abkhaz forces had taken the villages of Azhara and Chkhalta and were advancing to the Georgian border . He said , Abkhazia controls most of the Upper Kodori Gorge . A group of 250 Abkhaz soldiers was reported to have clashed with Georgian forces in the gorge at the edge of Abkhazia . Georgia ' s Deputy Interior Minister Eka Zhguladze said " Georgian troops had withdrawn from the Kodori Gorge as a gesture of goodwill . " Casualties and damage . Before the war the around 2000 people lived in the upper Kodori Valley , most of which fled during the Georgian retreat . The Abkhazian authorities have appealed for the refugees to return , but by late March 2009 only 130 people continued to live in the upper Kodori Valley . According to visitors to Azhara , military posts had been damaged and shops looted , but houses were almost unharmed . Operations outside Kodori Gorge . Russian troops moved into undisputed Georgian territory from Abkhazia . Russian forces launched a raid on the town of Senaki to stop Georgia from attacking Russian forces in South Ossetia . The Assistant Commander of Russian forces Alexander Novitsky claimed , that , during a reconnaissance mission the Russian Air Force shot down two Georgian helicopters at the Senaki airbase . The helicopters were purportedly identified as a MI - 8 and a MI - 24 , belonging to the Georgian Air Force . According to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the Abkhaz moved the border of their state in direction to the Inguri river . The troops occupied two villages near Zugdidi , 13 villages in the region of Tsalenjikha and the surrounding area of the water power station near the Inguri river . The Ministry said , that it was hard to estimate , how far the military actions had gone .