Georgia Marks 33rd Anniversary of Fall of Sokhumi; Protesters March to Heroes Square

Georgia marked 33 years since Sokhumi fell on Sept. 27, 1993, ending the 13-month war in Abkhazia that killed roughly 12,000 people and displaced over 200,000 ethnic Georgians. PM Irakli Kobakhidze called it "an utterly tragic day that reminds us of the gravity of the Abkhazia war" and pledged to pursue territorial integrity "through peaceful means"; national flags flew at half-mast and officials laid wreaths at the Heroes Memorial. Opposition parties and daily-protest groups marched from Tbilisi State University to Heroes Square under the banner "Abkhazia is Georgia, no to the Russian regime," as previously announced on the movement's 659th-660th day of protest.