Victory Day Address by Anas Kishmariya
30 September 2023
On September 30, Abkhazia celebrates Independence Day and the 30th anniversary of the Victory in the 1992-1993 Patriotic War. On August 14, 1992, the troops of the State Council of Georgia entered the territory of Abkhazia without warning, under the pretext of protecting the railway. The Georgian leadership developed an operation for the lightning capture of Abkhazia under the code name "Sword". From the first day, the Georgian armed formations received a decisive rebuff from the fighters of the Abkhazian Guard and the population of the republic.
Already on August 15, 1992, the first group of volunteers from the North Caucasus, led by General Sultan Sosnaliev, arrived in Gudauta to help the fraternal people.
Volunteers from the South of Russia, the Cossacks, representatives of the Abkhaz-Adyghe diasporas of Turkey and Syria came to Abkhazia. Faced with the unwillingness of the Georgian side to comply with the provisions of the Sochi agreements, in September 1993, the Abkhaz detachments went on the offensive along the entire line of contact between the sides on the Western and Eastern fronts. On September 27, 1993, the Abkhaz troops liberated the capital of the republic, the city of Sukhum. The liberation of Sukhum predetermined the outcome of the war. On September 30, 1993, the fighting ended on the state border with Georgia along the Ingur River. The Georgian-Abkhazian war lasted 413 days. It took the lives, maimed and broke the fate of thousands of people – not only combatants, but civilians of Abkhazia. We are still feeling the consequences of those tragic events. There is not a single family in Abkhazia that did not suffer in one way or another in those years.
September 30 is not just Victory and Independence Day, it is a symbol of hope for a peaceful life, creation and development. With gratitude to our ancestors and for the edification of our descendants, let this holiday become a symbol of the dream of our people for freedom, peace and prosperity that has come true!
Already on August 15, 1992, the first group of volunteers from the North Caucasus, led by General Sultan Sosnaliev, arrived in Gudauta to help the fraternal people.
Volunteers from the South of Russia, the Cossacks, representatives of the Abkhaz-Adyghe diasporas of Turkey and Syria came to Abkhazia. Faced with the unwillingness of the Georgian side to comply with the provisions of the Sochi agreements, in September 1993, the Abkhaz detachments went on the offensive along the entire line of contact between the sides on the Western and Eastern fronts. On September 27, 1993, the Abkhaz troops liberated the capital of the republic, the city of Sukhum. The liberation of Sukhum predetermined the outcome of the war. On September 30, 1993, the fighting ended on the state border with Georgia along the Ingur River. The Georgian-Abkhazian war lasted 413 days. It took the lives, maimed and broke the fate of thousands of people – not only combatants, but civilians of Abkhazia. We are still feeling the consequences of those tragic events. There is not a single family in Abkhazia that did not suffer in one way or another in those years.
September 30 is not just Victory and Independence Day, it is a symbol of hope for a peaceful life, creation and development. With gratitude to our ancestors and for the edification of our descendants, let this holiday become a symbol of the dream of our people for freedom, peace and prosperity that has come true!