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Georgia The Russian Presence
The Soviet Union had maintained a substantial military
presence in Georgia because the republic bordered Turkey, a NATO
member. The Transcaucasus Military District, which had
coordinated Soviet military forces in the three republics of
Transcaucasia, was headquartered in Tbilisi. In mid-1993 an
estimated 15,000 Russian troops and border guards remained on
Georgian territory. Georgia did not press Russian withdrawal as
vigorously as did other former republics of the Soviet Union
because it did not have enough personnel to patrol its entire
border. At the same time, the continued presence of Russian
troops energized the Georgian nationalist parties. In the fall of
1993, those groups saw Shevardnadze's call for Russian military
assistance, and the significant increase of Russia forces that
resulted, as an admission that his national security policy had
failed and a sign that the traditional enemy to the north was
again threatening.
Data as of March 1994
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