- Navy:
- Abkhazian Navy, 1992-2008
- Name:
- Военно-морской флот Абхазии
- Career:
The Abkhazia conflict began in August 1992 when Georgian troops entered the region and were confronted by the Abkhazian Guards. The local government withdrew to the mountains and organized the resistance with the help of volunteers from the Northern Caucasus and the support of Russia. In September 1992 Abkhazia began to build up a navy by transforming several tourist boats and barges (Komsomolets Abjazii, Sujum, Raduga-5, Raduga-7, Guma) into warships armed with machine guns and rocket launchers, under Captain Lev Katiba. The new Abkhazian naval forces also included a naval commando unit. In January 1993 Katiba was replaced by Captain Yu Achba.
The Abkhazian Navy performed impressively during the war with Georgia and proved a decisive factor in the battle of Sukhumi in 1993. Abkhazian warships armed with surface-to-air missiles blocked the airport and downed three Georgian aircraft. The war ended in September 1993 with the defeat of the Georgians and the de facto independence of Abkhazia. From then on, Abkhazia received two Stenka, four Shmel, eight Gryf type patrol boats and some auxiliaries from Russia. After Georgian aggression against South Ossetia was rebuffed in August 2008, the independence of Abkhazia was recognized by Russia and some other countries.
