CONQUEST OF THE WESTERN CAUCASUS AND ABKHAZIA BY RUSSIA

Abstract

        In the August 1859 one of the most important stages of Caucasian war was ended by the Russian conquest of North-East Caucasus (1763-1864). But the mountaineers of the Western Caucasus continued their fight against Russia - Adigen and Abazian tribes. During the conquest of the West Caucasus, the Russian command paid an extreme attention to the Abkhazian factor. It was obvious that till the time, Russia had only the seaside under his lead, they would never have any power on Abkhazia.

        Since the Autumn 1860 the Caucasian command had taken a new course of leading the war. The main way of conquesting a region was the military colonization. It has been decided to start settling the West Caucasus with the Cossack villages and move the local population to the Kubanian field or Turkey. Upcoming threat forced the West Caucasian mountaineers to ask for help the Turkey and West European countries. But the Europe and Turkey have disregarded the mountaineers tragedy. Realizing that they were not in the power of going against the Russian road of victory conquest, they knew that the mountaineers fate had been predicted. In the 1864 on the hills of Mzimta, in the highland of Gubaad (in Russian – Kbaada, now red glade) community Akhchipsu, the Caucasian war was officially announced to be over. After the conquest of the West Caucasus, Russia had no reason to maintain the existence of the autonomous Abkhazian principality any longer. In June 1864 the Abkhazian principality was abolished and the Russian governance has arrived.

The eviction of most of the West Caucasus mountaineers to the Turkey was connected to the end of the Caucasian War, but the process had been started long before. According to the official records, during the years 1858-1864 470 000 people have been transferred to the Turkey and almost 90 000 from the Kuban and Lab. On the North-Eastern coast of the Black sea and in the mountains of West Caucasus there was almost no one left from the Adigenian or Abazinian population. The Russian Em­pire has gained a huge territory for colonization. Even only during 1861-1864 there were 111 Cossack villages established (85 000 people). Meanwhile the Russians who were leaving their provinces where settling on the same territory and also the Greeks and Armenians moving from Turkey, because these ones had to become the support of the Tsarism in this region. In 1866 the Reform has been made regarding the administrative system of the West Caucasus. A big region from the Kuban to the main Caucasian ridge, became part of the Kubanian Region and the North-Eastern coast of the Black sea became part of the Black sea Region. In this way Tsarism has achieved his aim – the West Caucasus had been taken under the lead of the Imperial administrative system.