Flags at half-mast across Georgia to mark 30th anniversary of fall of capital of occupied Abkhazia

Flags on state institutions across Georgia were on Wednesday lowered to half-mast to mark an anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi, the capital of the Russian-occupied north-western region of Abkhazia during the war in the region in 1993.

The move is intended to commemorate the 1993 date and honour the memory of those killed during the conflict.

The armed conflict in Abkhazia began on August 14, 1992 and ended on September 27, 1993 with the fall of regional capital Sokhumi, after the Abkhaz side violated a ceasefire agreement between the sides on July 27, 1993 and launched an assault on the city on September 16, after the Georgian side had withdrawn most of its defences as per the agreement.