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Action off Abkhazia
Part of 2008 South Ossetia War
File:Georgian Navy missile boat Tbilisi.jpg Georgian Navy missile boat Tbilisi.
Date August 9, 2008 Location Black Sea off Abkhazia, Georgia Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Russia	Georgia
Strength
Elements of the Black Sea Fleet	2 missile boats 2 other units (Russian sources)
Casualties and losses
Unknown	1 missile boat sunk (Russian sources)

The Action off Abkhazia was a naval skirmish on August 9, 2008 between the Russian Black Sea Fleet and four Georgian Navy units during the 2008 South Ossetia War in the northern coast of Georgia. One of the Georgian vessels was reported to have been sunk by the Russian task force, while the remaining three were forced to withdraw.

Russian blockade

The Russian navy was on patrol off the coast of Georgia "to prevent weapons from landing by sea." According to Russian sources "the crews were assigned the task to not allow arms and military hardware supplies to reach Georgia by sea."

The Russian task force comprises the missile cruiser Moskva, the destroyer Smetlivy and three large amphibious ships.

The battle

According to Russian Black Sea Fleet officials, elements of the Georgian Navy consisting of two missile boats and two other craft entered the "security zone" imposed by the Russian Navy off the coast of Georgia's separatist region of Abkhazia. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed, that after two sorties by the Georgians against the Russian fleet, the Russian units retaliated with naval gunfire, sinking one of the attacking boats and that the remaining three Georgian warships withdrew towards the port of Poti. Georgian sources remain silent about the engagement, but Abkhazian officials confirmed the action. A Russian website shows an image of the Georgian missile boat Tbilisi, suggesting that this could be the warship destroyed.

References

1. ^ Template:Ru icon Russian Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo confirms sinking of a Georgian boat, Lenta.Ru, August 10, 2008
2. ^ Russian navy blockade Georgia, Xinhua, 2008-08-10 ("Meanwhile, the Abkhaz law enforcement agencies confirmed that several Georgian warships attempted on Saturday to approach the coast of Abkhazia. But the attempts were curbed by ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.")
3. Russian news agencies report sunken Georgian ship, Associated Press, 10 August 2008

External links

• Reports: Russia sinks Georgian ship trying to attack Russian navy ships, The Jerusalem Post, Aug 10, 2008

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