Photos Georgian Civil War (1991-1993)

[Иван Феоктистов]

Georgian forced were heavily under equiped, you would be lucky if you got gear such as helmet or vest, most Georgians went into fight with non combat clothing and a simple bad to carry their ammo
On other side Abkhazs were far better equiped and trained than Georgians, they mostly had fancy gear such as armor, vest, pouches, helmets and they also commonly had those green thing around their head i dunno what its called
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At this time, the Abkhazians:

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Well, very typical for 90s conflicts, not just in Georgia and also not just in that particular region.

Whatever was considered regular army or 'professionals' back then was a negligably small force. Maybe 5000 men who were somewhat professionaly trained by Russian troops and Soviet-Georgian veterans, but mostly internal forces, and somewhat decently equipped meant that half of them were relatively uniformely equipped, the other half not so much.

The vast majority was really badly trained ( or not at all ) like below subpar ad hoc militia and their 'equipment' was insulting even for the standarts of those days.

But with this I do not agree. On both sides there were a huge number of 30-50 year old men who at one time served in the Soviet army. And the reservists of the Soviet army are serious people - every few years men in the USSR went through military training, where they remembered the conditions of service, received a new registration specialty, and so on. It was the reservists with bellies and mustaches who entered Afghanistan, it was the reservists who filled Chernobyl.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

If we are talking about the Caucasus in the 1990s, then I want to share one of the cartoons of the genius Soviet and Armenian animator Robert Sahakyants. All the chaos and horror of what is happening on the territory of the former USSR in the 1990s is understandable without words. The collapse of the Union brought a lot of grief to our countries.

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[Gordus]

It was the reservists with bellies and mustaches who entered Afghanistan, it was the reservists who filled Chernobyl.

I hear you, but it evidently mattered little, because there was absence of cohesion, proper gear ( especialy communication ), coordination and planning, to name just a few. Really only the internal troops looked professional at the time. You can have many veterans, but when everything else is dysfunctional, in strife and generaly in an abysmal state, it just produces more problems, casualties and delays. It still seems that the vast majority were inexperienced. Some of the tactics, particularily to secure towns, heavily remind of 2014 Donbass convoy rushes, and they weren't very successfull except for few cases, when subterfuge was used.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

I hear you, but it evidently mattered little, because there was absence of cohesion, proper gear ( especialy communication ), coordination and planning, to name just a few. Really only the internal troops looked professional at the time. You can have many veterans, but when everything else is dysfunctional, in strife and generaly in an abysmal state, it just produces more problems, casualties and delays. It still seems that the vast majority were inexperienced. Some of the tactics, particularily to secure towns, heavily remind of 2014 Donbass convoy rushes, and they weren't very successfull except for few cases, when subterfuge was used.

Perhaps I did not express my idea that way. I think my main idea was that a large number of army veterans on both sides and a huge amount of weapons from Soviet warehouses added a new twist to the situation. Also, I do not quite understand what you mean by the term "internal troops". I immediately think about the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, which were in Georgia before the collapse of the USSR.

 

[Gordus]

Also, I do not quite understand what you mean by the term "internal troops". I immediately think about the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, which were in Georgia before the collapse of the USSR.

Well yes. Like others the Georgian was it's own regional branch and the country's first internal forces were formed from it's Soviet remnants, controlled by Georgian ex-kgb officers. Back then, it was like a smaller seperate armed force, even deployed some tanks. It was a trained, organised, somewhat decently equipped, but still a very small force, to make a difference. Especialy since it was mostly used to keep gov opposition in check. Today, the MIA is more akin to a regular law enforcement agency, less militarized. Though it is still evidently armed with armored vehicles and anti tank weapons.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Well yes. Like others the Georgian was it's own regional branch and the country's first internal forces were formed from it's Soviet remnants, controlled by Georgian ex-kgb officers. Back then, it was like a smaller seperate armed force, even deployed some tanks. It was a trained, organised, somewhat decently equipped, but still a very small force, to make a difference. Especialy since it was mostly used to keep gov opposition in check. Today, the MIA is more akin to a regular law enforcement agency, less militarized. Though it is still evidently armed with armored vehicles and anti tank weapons.

Comrade, I will quote Lermontov. "Horses and people mingled in a heap."

The troops of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs were sent to various "hot" spots after the emergence of interethnic conflicts in the late 1980s. They did not consist of national elements, did not occupy the parties to the conflict, they maintained law and order. They set up checkpoints, guarded trains, schools, theaters. Mobile detachments of the Internal Troops on armored vehicles (I hear about tanks from them for the first time) were involved in suppressing riots, destroying bandits.

Often the Internal Troops acted together with the ordinary militia. The Soviet militia (namely the militia, not the Internal Troops) was engaged only in the protection of law and order on ordinary days. They had almost no equipment, as well as heavy weapons.

After the collapse of the USSR and the withdrawal of the republics, units of the Internal Troops were withdrawn from hot spots. They were taken out of the Baltic states, from Sumgait, from Karabakh, from Andijan. The soldiers of the internal troops were conscripts from various regions and were not interested in participating in the conflict voluntarily, they were returned to Russia.

There was a mess in the country then, and I can assume that local authorities (Georgian and Abkhazian) could illegally buy weapons from leaving troops, and also invite some officers. But the regular units did not participate in this. In any case, I have not heard about it.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

About the activities of the Soviet internal troops in hot spots (on the example of Karabakh and Uzbekistan), the film "Balance of Trouble" was shot back in Soviet times. Here, if you are interested, shows the main activities of the internal troops to protect order. Then some complained that at times they acted too harshly, but after their withdrawal to Russia, the massacre became simply enormous.

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[Gordus]

Comrade, I will quote Lermontov. "Horses and people mingled in a heap."

The troops of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs were sent to various "hot" spots after the emergence of interethnic conflicts in the late 1980s. They did not consist of national elements, did not occupy the parties to the conflict, they maintained law and order. They set up checkpoints, guarded trains, schools, theaters. Mobile detachments of the Internal Troops on armored vehicles (I hear about tanks from them for the first time) were involved in suppressing riots, destroying bandits.

Often the Internal Troops acted together with the ordinary militia. The Soviet militia (namely the militia, not the Internal Troops) was engaged only in the protection of law and order on ordinary days. They had almost no equipment, as well as heavy weapons.

After the collapse of the USSR and the withdrawal of the republics, units of the Internal Troops were withdrawn from hot spots. They were taken out of the Baltic states, from Sumgait, from Karabakh, from Andijan. The soldiers of the internal troops were conscripts from various regions and were not interested in participating in the conflict voluntarily, they were returned to Russia.

There was a mess in the country then, and I can assume that local authorities (Georgian and Abkhazian) could illegally buy weapons from leaving troops, and also invite some officers. But the regular units did not participate in this. In any case, I have not heard about it.

I am talking about Georgian internal troops, not Russian ... Where do you think all the Georgians went ? they didn't go to Russia, they remained in their home ( or at least a number of them ), and some kgb officers like Giorgadze formed one of the country's first armed intervention units, that were used by Shevardnadze against armed opposition forces during the civil war. Though they managed to solve issues mostly without much bloodshed.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

If necessary, I can search for Russian-language materials on the activities of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs in Georgia. I have not researched this topic thoroughly before, it will be interesting for me myself.

In the photo: Checkpoint of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR in Georgia, 1989

Если я буду писать "ВВ МВД СССР" (VV MVD USSR) вместо "Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел СССР", Вы поймете? Просто немного сложно расписывать аббревиатуру целиком ?

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

I am talking about Georgian internal troops, not Russian ...

Oops! Sorry, so I read it wrong. My knowledge of English is far from perfect

 

[Gordus]

Oops! Sorry, so I read it wrong. My knowledge of English is far from perfect

All good.

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

All good.

I can, if necessary, attach a photo of VV MVD USSR in Georgia, in 1989. Or is it already outside the topic of discussion?

 

[Gordus]

I can, if necessary, attach a photo of VV MVD USSR in Georgia, in 1989. Or is it already outside the topic of discussion?

Sure, but why don't you just open a thread about Soviet internal troops ? you seem very eager to cover them. I don't think there is a thread specificaly deficated to that. Would be interesting.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Sure, but why don't you just open a thread about Soviet internal troops ? you seem very eager to cover them. I don't think there is a thread specificaly deficated to that. Would be interesting.

I've already created a thread about the Soviet Army in the Cold War. There I gave a superficial description of the history of the Soviet army, introduced in 1969 to the form (there are a lot of questions, some foreigners understand it poorly), told about certain types of troops. I posted a lot of photos. I did not write anything directly about the activities of the Internal Troops. You are right, it is better to make a separate topic. The situation when the country is “sold” in its details is frightening.

 

[BravoZulu]

Abkhaz separatist woman during an assault on the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, Sukhumi, controlled by Georgian government troops. September 1993.

 

[BravoZulu]

 

[BravoZulu]

Tbilisi 1991

 

[SamWell]

Georgian special-force guy and m-16

 

[Bennie]

A Abkhazian seperatist techincal based on a ZIL-MMZ-554, Sukhumi, 1992-1993