Bagramyan Battalion
The Bagramyan Battalion (Russian: Батальон имени Баграмяна; Armenian: Բաղրամյանի անվան գումարտակ), also known officially as the Independent Motorized Rifle Battalion named after Marshal Ivan Khristoforovich Baghramyan (Russian: отдельный мотострелковый батальон и́мени маршала Ивана Христофоровича Баграмяна) was a unit 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. It is considered a terrorist organisation by many international research organizations and Georgia.
| Bagramyan Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Vagharshak Kosyan Sergei Matosyan |
| Dates of operation | 1990–1995 |
| Size | 1,500 |
| Part of | Abkhazia Army |
| Opponents | Georgia |
| Battles and wars | Battle of Sukhumi |
Together with other Abkhazian groups, they were able to ethnically cleanse the region of Georgians, forcing some 250,000 to flee. The Battalion was reported to have been disbanded in 1996, but in 1998 a high-profile terrorist attack in Georgia was attributed to it.
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.