Bagramyan Battalion
| Bagramyan Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Participant in War in Abkhazia (1992–93) | |
| Active | 1990–1995 |
| Leaders |
Vagharshak Kosyan Sergei Matosyan |
| Strength | 1,500 |
| Part of | Abkhazia |
| Opponents | Georgia |
| Battles and wars | Battle of Sukhumi |
The Bagramyan Battalion (Armenian: Բաղրամյանի անվան գումարտակ) was a battalion formed in Abkhazia and predominantly composed of ethnic Armenians living in Abkhazia that fought together with Russia backed separatist Abkhaz forces during the War in Abkhazia (1992–93). Named in honour of the Soviet Armenian Marshal Ivan Bagramyan, the battalion fought against the forces of Georgia. It was subsequently disbanded.
A total of 1,500 Armenians participated in the war, a quarter of the Abkhazian army. Twenty Armenians were awarded the highest honor Hero of Abkhazia and 242 were killed in battle. The first President of Abkhazia Vladislav Ardzinba praised the high discipline, organization, and accomplishments of the Bagramyan Battalion.
After the beginning of the Abkhaz–Georgian conflict in 1992, Georgian troops entered the territory of Abkhazia. According to the Abkhaz, Russian, and Armenian sources, they began committing atrocities against non-Georgians, including the Armenian population. Although the Armenians of Abkhazia originally wished to remain netural, the looting and violence committed by the Georgian army, including reports of rape and murder, had consequently caused Armenians to favor the Abkhazian side. The Armenians of the Gagra community, which had an Armenian majority, convened a meeting of leadership where it was decided to officially support the Abkhazs and take up arms against the Georgians. A Sukhumi-based Armenian newspaper reported:
At first, we were trying not to mess around, but then the Georgians exerted so much cruelty against Armenians that we had to back the Abkhazians. They would invade the houses and rob and torture the people. In Labra, they seated a married couple on chairs with holes on the seats and burned them. They were raping the women. It was impossible to stay neutral.
An Armenian motorized infantry battalion named after Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Bagramyan was established under Vagharshak Kosyan on 9 February 1993 and became part of the Abkhazian armed forces. Combat vehicles of the battalion were decorated with the Armenian flag. The battalion also included women in medical platoons.
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