April 9

April 9 - one of the most tragic and at the same time the most joyful days in the recent history of Georgia. These dates are associated with the gaining of independence of Georgia. The struggle for freedom began much earlier than April 9. The chain of events eventually brought freedom to Georgia

Where did it all start?

Anti-Soviet demonstrations became more active mainly from 1988. The rallies held in the Georgian Soviet Social Republic did not pose a real threat to the Soviet authorities, so they did not pay much attention to these events.

The situation became especially aggravated after the large-scale so-called “Likhni meeting” was held in Abkhazia on March 18, 1989. Part of the Abkhazian population demanded the separation of Abkhazia from Georgia and the granting of the status of a republic. It was this separatist action that caused a wave of protests among the population, which turned into national unrest. Almost all services went on strike , and tens of thousands of people took to Rustaveli Avenue on April 4 to protest against separatism.

At the initial stage, rallies were held on the territory of the Tbilisi State Medical Institute and the State University, during which a resolution of national insurrection was adopted on the creation of a provisional government of Georgia and the abolition of autonomous formations in Georgia. After that, the majority of the rally participants moved towards the Government House of the Georgian SSR, where the first large-scale rally was held . Some of the protesters declared a hunger strike.

Given that the Russian government tried to paint the protesters' call as an ethnic conflict, the main demand was relegated to the background. The organizers and main axis of these actions were Zviad Gamsakhurdia and the National Movement . Their main demand was to leave the Soviet Union, which was met with ovations from more than 10,000 people.

The situation became increasingly tense. Many teachers and representatives of higher education institutions joined the ranks of the protesters. Student groups were formed, calling on students and teachers to go on strike. Against this backdrop, on April 7, the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union, Konstantin Kochetov, arrived in Tbilisi and called on the protesters to disperse, otherwise he promised great bloodshed.

The demonstrations continued, and more and more people joined the hunger strikers. Instead of peacefully dispersing the demonstration, the Soviet authorities chose to deploy armored vehicles and use helicopters. Although this action caused great excitement among the protesters, a large crowd blocked the roads around the demonstration with buses and trucks in order to resist. The leaders of the demonstration called on the people to unite and warned that under no circumstances should they disperse, no matter how many military units the Soviet government deployed.

The tragedy of April 9

The Russian government began to work against the protesters. They launched a propaganda media that tried to tarnish the image of the protesters by distorting information. On the instructions of Soviet high-ranking officials, various recognizable faces from TV broadcasts called on the population gathered on Rustaveli Avenue to disperse and compared the demands of the protesters to separatism. The Soviet government declared a curfew in Georgia. It was the violation of the curfew that Russia used to organize a punitive operation in Tbilisi , which was led by Russian General Rodionov .

Soviet soldiers and members of the Russian Interior Ministry's special services confronted peaceful protesters with the most violent means. Although the government called their brutal action a crackdown, in reality it was a punishment for the protesters for demanding freedom. The protesters were beaten with military shovels, killing 21 people. The special forces beat the people with batons. They also used small arms. 198 people were injured, but the greatest damage was caused by the use of a chemical gas unknown to this day by the Russian military, which poisoned more than 3,500 people.

After this tragedy, the Soviet government was unable to govern Georgia and had to lift the curfew. They also launched a formal investigation into the incident. The main thing was still to come, which happened 2 years after this tragedy. On April 9, 1991, based on a referendum held throughout the territory of Georgia , Zviad Gamsakhurdia officially declared the independence of Georgia restored in the Supreme Council.