Georgia recalls Soviet crackdown [video 2 min 13 sec]
"Like a scene from a medieval battle," is how one of the Soviet soldiers involved remembers the dawn hours of 9 April 1989.
He was referring to the violent clashes between troops and protesters on the main square in front of the Georgian government building, on Rustaveli Avenue, in the heart of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
The clashes left 20 people dead, mainly young women.
It was one of the defining moments of late Soviet history.
It was also the first time since 1962 that large-scale fatalities had resulted from the deployment of troops and security forces against Soviet civilians.
The events of 9 April 1989 were the culmination of weeks of demonstrations for Georgian independence and against separatism in the Georgian Black Sea region of Abkhazia.
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He was referring to the violent clashes between troops and protesters on the main square in front of the Georgian government building, on Rustaveli Avenue, in the heart of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
The clashes left 20 people dead, mainly young women.
It was one of the defining moments of late Soviet history.
It was also the first time since 1962 that large-scale fatalities had resulted from the deployment of troops and security forces against Soviet civilians.
The events of 9 April 1989 were the culmination of weeks of demonstrations for Georgian independence and against separatism in the Georgian Black Sea region of Abkhazia.