The Guria (Ozurgeti) Detachment in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878

Abstract

The Georgian people never ceased their struggle to reclaim the southwestern territories of Georgia seized by the Ottoman Empire; however, a politically fragmented and weakened country lacked the strength to do so. The situation began to change in the early nineteenth century, when Russia undertook active measures to dominate the Caucasus. Its expansionist ambitions, seeking influence in the Caucasus and along the Black Sea at the expense of Ottoman territories, coincided with the objective interests of the local populations, including Georgians and Armenians, as these areas were historically theirs.
In the 1870s, the Balkan crisis triggered another war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. People from all regions of Georgia enthusiastically joined the conflict, seeing it as an opportunity to liberate historical southern Georgian lands from Ottoman control. The inhabitants of Guria were particularly active, having first-hand knowledge of the hardships under Ottoman rule.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, one of the key directions on the Caucasian front was the offensive toward Batumi. It was along this front that the military unit known as the Guria (Ozurgeti) detachment operated.
Based on archival materials and press reports, this study examines the participation of the Guria (Ozurgeti) detachment in the military operations of the war.