2008 Abkhazia bombings

Last updated
2008 Abkhazia bombings
Locationrailway outside Sukhumi,
Gagra,
Sukhumi,
Inguri River border crossing,
Gali
DateJune 18, 29 , 30 , July 2, 6 2008
Attack type
bombings
Deaths4
Injured18
PerpetratorsGeorgian Security Service (suspected)
Abkhazian criminal groups (suspected)

In June and July 2008 a series of bombings took place in Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia, killing 4 and injuring 18 people.

Contents

The bombings

June 18 Sukhumi railway bombings

On June 18, two bombs exploded within 5 minutes of each other on the railway tracks outside Sukhumi. No one was injured as a result, though the tracks sustained minor damage. [1]

June 29 Gagra bombings

On June 29, two bombs exploded within 5 minutes of each other in the centre of Gagra, injuring 6. The first explosion happened close to Gagra's market, the second explosion took place near a supermarket. [2] One 38-year-old woman received shrapnel wounds to her eye and had to be treated in a Sochi hospital. One other woman had to be taken to Gagra hospital with shrapnel wounds. [3]

June 30 Sukhumi bombings

On June 30, two bombs exploded within 5 minutes of each other in the centre of Sukhumi, injuring 6. Both explosions happened close to Sukhumi's market. According to Abkhazian law enforcement officers, the explosive devices did not contain shrapnel-generating objects, suggesting that the aim of the explosions was terrorising the population. [4] Four of the six injured had to be taken to the Sukhumi City Clinical Hospital. [5]

July 2 Inguri river border crossing bombing

On July 2, an unidentified vehicle passed the Georgian interior ministry post and approached Russian peacekeepers' post 301. At approximately 300 meter distance, an object was thrown out of the car which subsequently exploded. The vehicle then turned and drove back unhindered past the Georgian interior ministry post. No one was injured as a result of the explosion. [6]

July 6 Gali bombing

On July 6, at 10.58 pm, a bomb exploded in a cafe in Gali, killing 4 and injuring 6. The four people killed were Jansukh Muratia, acting chief of the Abkhazian security service's Gali department, Sukhran Gumba, employee of the border department of the Abkhazian security service, Anzor Lagvilava, interpreter of the UN Mission in Georgia in the Gali district and Iveta Toria, local resident. The six injured were taken to hospitals in Gali and Sukhumi. [7] [8] [9]

Aftermath

In response to the June 29 and 30 bombings, Abkhazia closed its border with Georgia on July 1. [10] Residents of the Gali district who were in Georgia at that moment received three days to return. [11]

Reactions

Abkhazia

The Abkhazian side accused Georgia of being behind all 7 bombings. [12] It described the June 18 bombings as a terrorist attack against the Russian Railway Forces in Abkhazia, who had recently started repairing the Sukhumi-Ochamchire section of the Abkhazian railway, to the detriment of Georgia. [1] The June 29 and 30 bombings were likewise described as terrorist attacks, perpetrated with the aim of destroying the tourism season in Abkhazia. [13] According to Ruslan Kishmaria, special representative of Abkhazian president Sergei Bagapsh to the Gali district:

I believe the person who ordered these terrorist acts paid well for them and we should look for this person in the security services of Georgia. When Tbilisi pretends to be insulted that the Abkhaz should falsely accuse it, it's just a game. [12]

In response to the July 6 Gali bombing, President Bagapsh accused Georgia of having chosen the way of state terrorism. [7]

Georgia

The Georgian side has vehemently denied the Abkhazian accusations, with Defence Minister David Kezerashvili stating that they were "not serious". Officials in Tbilisi and Georgian media offered as alternative explanation that the bombings were the result of a power struggle among different criminal groups in Abkhazia. Georgian MP Nika Rurua, a deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee for defense and security, said that the blasts were aimed at “terrorizing the local population” in order to increase anti-Georgian sentiment in the region. [7] [12] [13]

On July 7, the Georgian government released a statement in which it condemned the bombings and said:

Those acts of violence are in the interests of forces hoping to prolong the presence of illegally deployed Russian military forces in Georgia; of forces resisting demilitarization and peace in the region and of those who want to derail Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. [14]

Russian peacekeepers

In reaction to the July 2 bombing near the Russian peacekeepers' post, Aleksander Diordiev, aide to the commander of the peacekeeping troops, accused the Georgian side, saying:

The actions of the Georgian secret services are of a provocative nature, which aim at destabilizing the situation in the southern part of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone and also at provoking the peacekeepers [6]

Independent observers

In response to the Gagra bombings, Tbilisi based political analyst Paata Zakareishvili stated that she thought it unlikely that they were the result of a struggle between criminal groups. According to Zakareishvili it is plausible that the bombings were aimed to disrupt the tourist season:

This aim was basically achieved. I think that the tourist season in Abkhazia has been wrecked. I don't subscribe to the theory that it was some kind of business feud. If one businessman blows up another's business, his own business also suffers, because the tourist season is the main source of revenue there.

At the same time, Zakareishvili considered the Abkhazian decision to close their border with Georgia unwise, because it would only serve to alienate the Gali district population. [12]

Georgian call for an international police force

In its statement made on July 7 after the Gali bombing, the Georgian government renewed its call for an international police force in the Gali and Ochamchire districts. [14] This call found support with the United States Department of State, [15] but was immediately rejected by the Abkhazian side. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhumi</span> Capital city of Abkhazia

Sukhumi is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of the Republic of Abkhazia, a partially recognised state that most countries consider a part of Georgia. The city has been controlled by Abkhazia since the Abkhazian war in 1992–93. The city, which has an airport, is a port, major rail junction and a holiday resort because of its beaches, sanatoriums, mineral-water spas and semitropical climate. It is also a member of the International Black Sea Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia</span> 1992–1998 removal and flight of Georgians from Abkhazia

The ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia, also known in Georgia as the genocide of Georgians in Abkhazia, refers to the ethnic cleansing, massacres, and forced mass expulsion of thousands of ethnic Georgians living in Abkhazia during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict of 1992–1993 and 1998 at the hands of Abkhaz separatists and their allies. Armenians, Greeks, Russians, and opposing Abkhazians were also killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)</span> War between Georgia and Abkhaz separatists

The War in Abkhazia was fought between Georgian government forces for the most part and Abkhaz separatist forces, Russian government armed forces and North Caucasian militants between 1992 and 1993. Ethnic Georgians who lived in Abkhazia fought largely on the side of Georgian government forces. Ethnic Armenians and Russians within Abkhazia's population largely supported the Abkhazians and many fought on their side. The separatists received support from thousands of North Caucasus and Cossack militants and from the Russian Federation forces stationed in and near Abkhazia.

Football is a major sport in Abkhazia. During Soviet times, the main club within Abkhazia itself was FC Dinamo Sukhumi, but Abkhazian footballers were prominent in the Georgian team FC Dinamo Tbilisi and in other Soviet teams. In 1994, after its declaration of independence from Georgia, Abkhazia organised a nine-team amateur league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazian Armed Forces</span> Military of Abkhazia

The Abkhazian Armed Forces are the military forces of Abkhazia. The forces were officially created on 12 October 1992, after the outbreak of the 1992–1993 war with Georgia. The basis of the armed forces was formed by the ethnic Abkhaz National Guard. The Abkhaz military is primarily a ground force but includes small sea and air units. According to the authorities of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Abkhazian Land Forces are organised along the Swiss model – in time of peace they have personnel of 3,000 to 5,000 and in case of war further 40–50,000 reservists are called out. Georgia regards the Abkhaz armed forces as "unlawful military formations" and accuses Russia of supplying and training the Abkhaz troops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ochamchira District</span> District in Abkhazia, Georgia

Ochamchira District is a district of the partially recognised Abkhazia. Its capital is Ochamchire, the town by the same name. The district is smaller than the Ochamchire district in the de jure subdivision of Georgia, as some of its former territory is now part of Tkvarcheli District, formed by de facto Abkhaz authorities in 1995. The population of the Ochamchira district is 24,629 according to the 2003 census. Until the August 2008 Battle of the Kodori Valley, some mountainous parts of the district were still under Georgian control, as part of Upper Abkhazia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subdivisions of Abkhazia</span>

During the Soviet-era, the Abkhaz ASSR was divided into six raions (districts) named after their respective capitals.

Many inhabitants of Abkhazia are Orthodox Christians, With significant minorities adhering to Islam and the Abkhaz neopaganism, or the "Abkhazian traditional religion". The influence of this last has always remained strong and has been experiencing a revival through the 1990s and 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazian railway</span> State-owned railway company in Abkhazia

Abkhazian railway is a rail operator in the partially recognised state of Abkhazia. Under a monopoly agreement, it is fully managed and partially owned by Russian Railways for a ten year contract from 2009-2019.

Astamur Anton-ipa Adleiba is a former Minister of Youth, Sports, Tourism and Resorts of Abkhazia and a former mayor of Abkhazia's capital Sukhumi. He was dismissed from this last position for corruption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazia</span> Partially recognised state in the South Caucasus

Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It covers 8,665 square kilometres (3,346 sq mi) and has a population of around 245,000. Its capital and largest city is Sukhumi.

The Armenians in Abkhazia form the second largest ethnic group in Abkhazia after the native Abkhazians. Armenians settled in Abkhazia in late 19th and the early 20th centuries and are now the largest ethnic group in Sukhumi, Gulripsh and Gagra Districts forming 20% of the Abkhazian population with approximately 42,000 out of a total of 242,862.

The office of Minister for Defence has been one of the most important in the breakaway Republic of Abkhazia due to the ongoing conflict with Georgia. The person in the position heads the Ministry of Defence of Abkhazia, which controls the Abkhazian Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazian passport</span> Passport issued to citizens of Abkhazia

The Abkhazian passport is issued to citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia for the purpose of international travel and for the purpose of legal identification within Abkhazia. As Abkhazia is only recognised by Russia, Venezuela, Syria, Nicaragua and Nauru, for all other destinations Abkhazian citizens must use another passport for international travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirab Kishmaria</span>

Mirab Boris-ipa Kishmaria was an Abkhaz politician and army general who served as the Minister of Defence of the disputed Republic of Abkhazia from 2015 until 2020.

The War in Abkhazia from 1992 to 1993 was waged chiefly between Georgian government forces on one side, Russian military forces on other side supporting separatist forces demanding independence of Abkhazia from Georgia. http://www.historyorb.com/russia/georgia.php Ethnic Georgians, who lived in Abkhazia fought largely on the side of Georgian government forces. Ethnic Armenians and Russians within Abkhazia's population, largely supported Abkhazians and many fought on their side. The separatists were supported by thousands of the North Caucasus and Cossack militants and by the Russian Federation forces stationed in and near Abkhazia.

The Government of President Sergei Bagapsh was the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia from 2005 until 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elguja Gvazava</span> Georgian politician

Elguja "Gia" Gvazava is a Georgian politician. Being a native of Georgia's autonomous republic of Abkhazia and a member of the local legislature since 1991, Gvazava was forced, along with most of the region's Georgian population, to flee the secessionist victory in Abkhazia in 1993. From March 20, 2009, to April 8, 2019, he served a chairman of the Supreme Council of Abkhazia, based in exile in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Abkhazian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in the Republic of Abkhazia on 24 August 2014. The sixth such elections since the post of President of Abkhazia was created in 1994, they were held early due to the resignation of President Alexander Ankvab on 1 June 2014 following the 2014 Abkhazian political crisis. Four candidates contested the elections, which were won by Raul Khadjimba, who received just over 50% of the vote.

References

  1. 1 2 "Two Blasts Reported on Abkhaz Railway". Civil Georgia. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2008-07-04.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Six Injured in Abkhaz Blasts". Civil Georgia. 2008-06-29. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  3. ↑ "Администрация Гагрского района выделит материальную помощь пострадавшим во время взрыва 29 июня". Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия. 2008-07-02. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  4. ↑ "Reports: Sokhumi Blast Injures Six". Civil Georgia. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  5. ↑ "Состояние раненых в результате взрыва 30 июня в районе Сухумского рынка - удовлетворительное". Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия. 2008-07-02. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  6. 1 2 "Blast Close to Russian Peacekeeper Post". Civil Georgia. 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  7. 1 2 3 "Four Die in Gali Blast". Civil Georgia. 2008-07-07. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  8. ↑ "4 человека погибли в результате взрыва в центре города Гал". Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия. 2008-07-07. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  9. ↑ "Вице-президент Рауль Хаджимба призвал население Абхазии быть бдительными". Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия. 2008-07-07. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  10. ↑ "Sokhumi Closes Border". Civil Georgia. 2008-07-01. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  11. ↑ "Ситуация в приграничном Гальском районе - стабильная". Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия. 2008-07-02. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Abkhazia Blasts Scare Tourists". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. 2008-07-03. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  13. 1 2 "Four Blasts in Two Days Slightly Injure 12 in Abkhazia". Civil Georgia. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  14. 1 2 "Tbilisi Calls for Joint Police Force in Gali, Ochamchire". Civil Georgia. 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Calls for International Police Force in Abkhazia". Civil Georgia. 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  16. ↑ "Sokhumi Rules Out International Police Force". Civil Georgia. 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.