View source for Battle off the coast of Abkhazia

{{short description|Naval engagement during the 2008 South Ossetia War}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Naval engagement off the coast of Abkhazia
| partof      = [[Russo-Georgian War]]
| image       = Mirazh2007.jpg
| image_size  = 300px
| caption     = Russian corvette ''Mirazh''
| date        = 10 August 2008<ref name="NTV 10 Aug">{{cite web |url=http://rutube.ru/tracks/915921.html?v=f2253a66e1138222df06d696d5b6d0f4 |script-title=ru:Грузинские ВМС хотели показать свою мощь... |author=[[NTV (Russia)|NTV]] |date=10 August 2008|language=ru}}</ref><ref name="RTR vs">{{cite web |url=http://rutube.ru/tracks/972547.html?v=ca8d788c3818ad74d1aee475b793f3f9 |script-title=ru:РТР. Морской бой между Россией и Грузией |author=[[Russia TV Channel|RTR]] |date=10 August 2008|language=ru}}</ref>
| place       = [[Black Sea]] off [[Abkhazia]], in the vicinity of [[Ochamchire]]
| result      = Russian victory (disputed)
| combatant1  = {{flag|Russia}}
| combatant2  = {{flag|Georgia}}
| commander1  =
| commander2  =
| units1      = {{navy|Russia}}
* [[Black Sea Fleet]]
| units2      = [[File:Naval Ensign of Georgia.svg|24px]] Georgian Navy
*Coast Guard
| strength1         = 4 Landing ships<br>1 Cruiser<br>1 Destroyer<br>5 Corvettes<br>2 Minesweepers<br>1 Spy ship<br>1 Ocean tug
| strength2         = 4-5 patrol boats<br>One [[Stenka-class patrol boat]]
*P-21 ''Giorgi Toreli''
One Yaroslavets-class tugboat
*''Gantiadi''
Possibly one [[Tiger-class fast attack craft]]
*Dioskuria
| casualties1 = None
| casualties2       = 1 patrol boat destroyed (''Giorgi Toreli'')<br>1 other vessel damaged<br>(Russian claim)
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Russo-Georgian War}}
}}
The '''Battle off the coast of Abkhazia''' was a supposed naval engagement between warships of the Russian [[Black Sea Fleet]] and Georgian patrol boats during the [[Russo-Georgian War]].
== The engagement ==
On 10 August 2008, [[RIA Novosti]] – quoting a source in the [[Russian Navy]] headquarters – reported that Russian warships had appeared at the maritime border with Georgia. According to the source, the vessel [[Russian cruiser Moskva|Moskva]] and other ships departed from [[Sevastopol]], would meet three large landing ships from [[Sevastopol]] and [[Novorossiysk]] already present in the eastern part of the Black Sea. The source claimed that "The purpose of the Black Sea Fleet vessels' presence in this region is to provide aid to refugees". The source dismissed reports of Russian blockade of Georgia's coast, "A blockade of the coastline would mean war with Georgia, and we are not in a state of war with Georgia."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.ria.ru/russia/20080810/115932226.html |title=Russian Navy ships approach Georgia's sea border |date=10 August 2008 |publisher=RIA Novosti |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140526063146/http://en.ria.ru/russia/20080810/115932226.html |archivedate=26 May 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Abkhaz officials claimed that Russian ships prevented several Georgian ships on 9 August from coming near the Abkhaz coastline.<ref name=china/>
A naval confrontation occurred between Russian and Georgian vessels on 10 August.<ref name="reut">{{cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/10/us-georgia-ossetia-boat-idUSLA56070520080810 |title=Russian navy sinks Georgian boat: Defence ministry |date=10 August 2008 |publisher=Reuters |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215133918/https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/10/us-georgia-ossetia-boat-idUSLA56070520080810 |archivedate=15 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the [[Russian Ministry of Defence]], the Russian fleet sank one Georgian ship after four Georgian [[missile boat]]s had attacked the Russian Navy ships near the Abkhaz coast. The remaining three Georgian vessels were forced to withdraw towards [[Poti]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://frontierindia.net/georgian-missile-boat-sunk-by-russian-navy |title=Georgian missile boat sunk by Russian navy |publisher=Frontier India |date=11 August 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012150105/http://frontierindia.net/georgian-missile-boat-sunk-by-russian-navy |archivedate=12 October 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A ministry spokesman told [[Russian News Agency TASS|ITAR-Tass]] that there were two attempts of attacks by Georgian boats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Reports-Russia-sinks-Georgian-ship-trying-to-attack-Russian-navy-ships |title=Reports: Russia sinks Georgian ship trying to attack Russian navy ships |publisher=The Jerusalem Post |date=10 August 2008}}</ref> Earlier, the Russian navy stated that Russian ships arrived in Novorossiysk, not in the territorial waters of Georgia.<ref name="reut"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/10/us-georgia-ossetia-port-idUSHO05163020080810 |title=Russian warships put into own Black Sea port |date=10 August 2008 |publisher=Reuters |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215134048/http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/10/us-georgia-ossetia-port-idUSHO05163020080810 |archivedate=15 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
According to a sailor interviewed in [[Sevastopol]] on 13 August, a Georgian vessel was struck and sunk on 10 August in 300 m of water by [[P-120 Malakhit]] (SS-N-9 'Siren') missile, fired allegedly by the [[Nanuchka class corvette|guided missile corvette MRK ''Mirazh'']]. Furthermore, the sailor claimed that a second Georgian ship also suffered during the battle. He said that the destroyed vessel was the [[missile boat]] ''Tbilisi''.<ref name="Wired blog (UKP.com interviews translated and excerpted into English)">{{cite web | last=Shachtman | first=Noah | title=Inside the Battle for the Black Sea | publisher=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | date=15 August 2008 | url=http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/08/while-the-media.html | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821033453/http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/08/while-the-media.html| archivedate=21 August 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kpunews.com/main_topic11_14200.html |script-title=ru:Катер "Тбилиси" ракетой буквально разнесло в клочья: участник операции в Черном море |publisher=KpuNews |date=13 August 2008 |language=ru |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080817030649/http://www.kpunews.com/main_topic11_14200.html |archivedate=17 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Russian media also reported that the sunk Georgian vessel was ''Tbilisi''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=205452 |script-title=ru:Ракетный "Мираж": подробности отбитой атаки |author=Arkady Mamontov |publisher=Vesti |date=31 August 2008|language=ru |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080901064039/http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=205452 |archivedate=1 September 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, this was disproven as both the Tbilisi and Dioskuria, the only two missile boats of the Georgian Navy, were mined and scuttled by Russian troops in the port of Poti, several days after the incident.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://turkishnavy.net/2008/09/21/russian-georgian-war-at-sea/ |title=>Russian – Georgian War at Sea |publisher=Devrim Yaylalı |date=21 September 2008}}</ref> It was suggested that the destroyed vessel was the P-21 patrol boat ''Giorgi Toreli''.<ref name="Wired blog (UKP.com interviews translated and excerpted into English)"/>  Hovewer, ''Giorgi Toreli'' was still in service by 2014.<ref>Saunders, Stephen (ed.). ''IHS Jane’s Fighting Ships 2015–2016''. ISBN 978-0-7106-3143-5. p. 284.</ref>
==Russian Navy operations==
According to Georgian source, the Russian navy that advanced toward Georgia, comprised the following vessels:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://invasionintogeorgia.org/news/black-sea-fleet-moving-towards-georgia/1014.html |title=Black Sea Fleet Moving Towards Georgia |date=10 August 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820061435/http://invasionintogeorgia.org/news/black-sea-fleet-moving-towards-georgia/1014.html |archivedate=20 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Ropucha-class landing ship]]s ''[[Russian ship Tsezar Kunikov|Tsezar Kunikov]]'' and ''Yamal''.
* [[Alligator-class landing ship]] ''Saratov''.
* [[Grisha-class corvette|Albatros-class]] Anti-Submarine Corvettes ''Kalimov'', ''Povarino'' and ''Suzdalets''.
* Moma Class Surveillance ship ''Ekvator''.
* [[Natya-class minesweeper]]s ''Zhukov'' and ''Turbinist''.
* [[Nanuchka-class corvette]] ''Mirazh''.
* [[Bora-class guided missile hovercraft]] ''Samum'' (''Breeze'')
* Small Landing Ship ''Koida''
* Sorum Class Fleet Tug ''MB-31''.
* [[Kashin-class destroyer]] ''[[Russian destroyer Smetlivy|Smetlivy]]''
* [[Slava-class cruiser]] ''[[Russian cruiser Moskva|Moskva]]''.
According to PONARS Eurasia, 13 Russian warships were headed towards the Georgian seacoast. These ships were the Slava-class cruiser ''Moskva'', the Kashin-class destroyer ''Smetlivyi'', several Grisha-class corvettes (''Suzdalets'', ''Aleksandrovsk'', ''Muromets'', and possibly ''Kasimov''), the Nanuchka-class missile ship ''Mirazh'', two patrol ships, three amphibious landing ships (two Ropucha-class, ''Tsesar Kunikov'' and ''Yamal'', and one Alligator-class, ''Saratov''), two mine warfare ships (''Admiral Zhelezniakov'' and ''Turbinist''), the transport ship ''General Riabikov'', and the [[tugboat]] ''Epron''. The Russian patrol ship ''Mirazh'' was probably responsible for the sinking of the Georgian boat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/pepm_048.pdf |title=The Russian Black Sea Fleet After The Georgia War |publisher=PONARS Eurasia Policy |author=Dmitry Gorenburg |date=December 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024120046/http://www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/pepm_048.pdf |archivedate=24 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
While the full-scale hostilities between Russia and Georgia commenced on 8 August, the Black Sea Fleet reportedly reached the Georgian coast on 9 August. While the distance between Sevastopol and Ochamchire is about 400 nautical miles, the Russian convoy (including ''Moskva'', ''Smetlivy'', ''Muromets'', and ''Aleksandrovets'') departed the base with a company of crafts with a top speed of 12-16 knots. It was suggested that it could have taken the ships at least 25 hours to reach Georgia, which suggested the ships had to have departed from Sevastopol as soon as the hostilities began.<ref name="Wired blog (UKP.com interviews translated and excerpted into English)"/> Some analysts even suggested that the Black Sea Fleet, for which this was first activity since [[World War II|1945]], had probably departed from [[Sevastopol]] before full-scale hostilities between Russia and Georgia began.{{sfn|Cohen|2011|pp=11-12}}
The Georgian coast was blockaded by vessels of the Russian [[Black Sea Fleet]] on 10 August.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7551576.stm |title=Day-by-day: Georgia-Russia crisis |publisher=BBC News |date=21 August 2008}}</ref><ref name="Allison">{{cite journal|author=Roy Allison |url=http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/12445_84_6allison.pdf |title=Russia resurgent? Moscow's campaign to 'coerce Georgia to peace' |journal=[[International Affairs (journal)|International Affairs]] |volume=84 |issue=6 |year=2008 |pages=1145–1171 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129080855/http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/12445_84_6allison.pdfT |archivedate=29 January 2011 |url-status=dead |doi=10.1111/j.1468-2346.2008.00762.x |df=dmy }}</ref><ref name="challenge">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2017.cfm |title=The Russian-Georgian War: A Challenge for the U.S. and the World |author=Ariel Cohen |date=11 August 2008 |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813102538/http://www.heritage.org/research/RussiaandEurasia/wm2017.cfm |archivedate=13 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to [[Interfax]] news agency citing Russian navy source, the blockading units "were assigned the task to not allow arms and military hardware supplies to reach Georgia by sea."<ref name=china>{{cite news |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/10/content_9138604.htm |title=Russian navy blockade Georgia |publisher=[[Xinhua]] |date=10 August 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813000719/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/10/content_9138604.htm |archivedate=13 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ukraine]] threatened on 10 August that it could not allow the return of the Russian Black Sea Fleet to the base in Ukraine.<ref name="AP patrol">{{cite news | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7715249 |title=Russia expands Georgia blitz, deploys ships |author=Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili |publisher=The Guardian |date=11 August 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813185142/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7715249 |archivedate=13 August 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Georgia has not admitted to the sea battle, in which Georgian ship was sunk, having ever taken place.{{sfn|Cohen|2011|p=42}} The Black Sea Fleet, according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry statement, landed 4,000 troops in [[Ochamchire]]. It then went on to attack Georgian troops deployed in [[Kodori Gorge]]. According to the Georgian source, a missile was launched against an inland target in Kodori.<ref name="Georgian MFA about the Black Fleet">{{cite press release | title=Facts of aggression committed by the Russian Black Sea Fleet | publisher=Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs | date=August 2008 | url=http://www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=461&info_id=7322 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080812235306/http://www.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=461&info_id=7322 | archivedate=12 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Aftermath==
Ukraine stated on August 10 that it could prohibit Russian warships to return to their base in the Ukrainian city of [[Sevastopol]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSLA480092 |title=Ukraine threatens to bar Russian warships |publisher=Reuters |date=10 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rian.ru/world/20080810/150242844.html |script-title=ru:Украина заявляет, что готова не пустить корабли ЧФ назад в Севастополь |publisher=RIA Novosti |date=10 August 2008 |language=ru}}</ref> Deputies of Sevastopol City Council announced that the city residents were ready to resist the attempts of the Ukrainian forces to deter the Russian re-entry.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.interfax.ru/russia/26338 |script-title=ru:Жители Севастополя не дадут Украине заблокировать возвращение кораблей ЧФ РФ на базу |publisher=Interfax |date=10 August 2008 |language=ru}}</ref> Former Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet [[:ru:Балтин, Эдуард Дмитриевич|Eduard Baltin]] declared that although Ukraine had technical capability not to allow the entry of Russian ships into Sevastopol, this could lead to an armed confrontation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rian.ru/defense_safety/20080811/150259138.html |script-title=ru:Угрозы не пустить корабли ЧФ назад "могут иметь тяжелые последствия" |publisher=RIA Novosti |date=11 August 2008 |language=ru}}</ref> Ukrainian authorities declared on 11 August 2008 that they were willing to discuss the readmittance of ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet to [[Crimea]].<ref>{{cite news | title= Ukraine Ready For Talks With Russia About Return Of Russian Black Sea Ships To Crimea | publisher=[[Ukrainian News Agency]] | date=11 August 2008 | url=http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/141696.html | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903013420/http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/141696.html| archivedate= 3 September 2008}}</ref> President of [[Ukraine]] [[Viktor Yushchenko]] and [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine)]] decided to regulate the deployment of the Russian Black Sea fleet in Ukraine's territorial waters. Although this decision did not help Georgia much in the war, this sent a signal to the West that the Russian Fleet could create security issues and the US Secretary of State [[Condoleezza Rice]] supported Ukraine's decision.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.harvard-bssp.org/static/files/379/Transformations%20BLack%20Sea%20Region%20PONARS.pdf |title=WAR IN GEORGIA AND THE “RUSSIAN CARD” IN UKRAINIAN POLITICS |author1=Olexiy Haran |author2=Petro Burkovsky |work=TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE BLACK SEA REGION |date=December 2008 |publisher=Georgetown University |page=54-55 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211031917/http://www.harvard-bssp.org/static/files/379/Transformations%20BLack%20Sea%20Region%20PONARS.pdf |archivedate=11 December 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=3 March 2024 }}</ref> Deputy Chief of [[General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation]] [[Anatoliy Nogovitsyn]] declared on 14 August 2008 that the Ukrainian orders were not legitimate for the Russian fleet and the Russian fleet had only one supreme commander - the [[President of Russia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://politics.segodnya.ua/politics/chernomorckij-flot-ne-budet-otchityvatcja-pered-jushchenko-o-cvoikh-peredvizhenijakh-122683.html |script-title=ru:Черноморский флот не будет отчитываться перед Ющенко о своих передвижениях |publisher=Segodnya.ua |date=14 August 2008 |language=ru}}</ref>
On 13 August 2008, it was reported that part of the Russian fleet returned to Sevastopol for refueling.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sevastopol.su/news/chf-rossii-proignoriroval-preduprezhdeniya-ukrainskogo-flota |script-title=ru:ЧФ России проигнорировал предупреждения украинского флота |publisher=ForPost |date=13 August 2008 |language=ru}}</ref> On 16 August 2008, Ukrainian media reported that ships of the Russian fleet could not return to Sevastopol because they had sustained damage.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://for-ua.com/ukraine/2008/08/16/153202.html |script-title=ru:Корабли ЧФ не возвращаются в Севастополь из-за повреждений |publisher=for-ua.com |date=16 August 2008 |language=ru}}</ref> Assistant Commander of the [[Russian Navy]] Igor Dygalo rejected the reports that the Russian fleet had sustained damage and there were losses among the servicemen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nr2.ru/191550.html |script-title=ru:Россия опровергла сведения украинских СМИ о потерях Черноморского флота |publisher=Noviy Region |date=17 August 2008 |language=ru |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928200856/http://www.nr2.ru/191550.html |archivedate=28 September 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Cruiser Moskva returned to Sevastopol on 23 August 2008 and was welcomed by pro-Russian activists in the port.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lenta.ru/news/2008/08/23/moskva/ |script-title=ru:Крейсер "Москва" вернулся в Севастополь |publisher=Lenta.ru |date=23 August 2008 |language=ru}}</ref> In December 2009, it was reported that Russian cruiser Moskva needed repair mostly due to the damages caused by 2008 war.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/events/1023470-flagman-chf-rossii-krejser-moskva-postavlen-na-remont |script-title=ru:Флагман ЧФ России крейсер Москва поставлен на ремонт |publisher=Korrespondent |date=2 December 2009 |language=ru}}</ref>
The commanding officer of the corvette ''Mirazh'', Captain Ivan Dubik, was received in Moscow by Russian president [[Dmitry Medvedev]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://visualrian.com/images/item/330714 |script-title=ru:Президент России встретился с военнослужащими РФ |publisher=RIA Novosti media library|language=ru |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106113321/http://visualrian.com/images/item/330714 |archivedate=6 January 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> who awarded him a military medal, along with other members of the Russian armed forces on 14 August 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kommersant.com/p1011594/Russia_Georgia_South_Ossetia_conflict/ |title=Peacekeepers Receive Medals |publisher=Kommersant |date=15 August 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606092645/http://www.kommersant.com/p1011594/Russia_Georgia_South_Ossetia_conflict/ |archivedate=6 June 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Ukrainian naval officer and journalist [[:ru:Мамчак, Мирослав Андреевич|Miroslav Mamchak]] stated in September 2008 that the Russian fleet had lost 8 sailors near the Georgian coast.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sufix.ru/incidents/VMS-Ukrainy-na-Chernomorskom-flote-vo-vremja-voiny-s-Gruziei-pogibli-8-chelovek/ |script-title=ru:ВМС Украины: на Черноморском флоте во время войны с Грузией погибли 8 человек |publisher=sufix.ru |date=14 September 2008 |language=ru}}</ref>
In October 2008, ''[[Nezavisimaya Gazeta]]'' reported that while two Malakhit rockets had been fired, one of the rockets most likely missed the Georgian ships and both rockets were flying freely. One of the rockets flew past ''Lotos-1'' cargo vessel bearing [[Moldova]]n flag, while the second exploded 50-100m from the cargo ship and its fragments dealt a minimal damage to the Moldovan ship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nvo.ng.ru/wars/2008-10-31/5_morboy.html |script-title=ru:Вопросов больше, чем ответов |author=Alekandr Shirokorad |publisher=Nezavisimaya Gazeta |date=31 October 2008}}</ref> Ukrainian source published in 2017 stated that the Russian ''Mirazh'' had indeed attacked [[motor vessel]] near the Georgian coast in August 2008, which actually was ''Lotos-1'' bearing [[Moldova]]n flag. The [[P-120 Malakhit|P-120]] missile missed the target by about 100 m and exploded in the air, some of the missile debris fell onto the deck of ''Lotos-1''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://navy.mil.gov.ua/biy-rosiyskoho-mrk-mirazh-z-moldavskym-teplokhodom-lotos/ |title=Бій Російського МРК «МІРАЖ» з Молдавським теплоходом «ЛОТОС-1» |publisher=Naval Forces of Ukraine |date=16 November 2017}}</ref>
==See also==
* {{portal-inline|Abkhazia}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
;Reports
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |url=http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1069 |title=The Russian Military and the Georgia War: Lessons and Implications |last1=Cohen |first1=Ariel |last2=Hamilton |first2=Robert E. |year=2011 |format=PDF |publisher=Strategic Studies Institute |ref={{sfnref|Cohen|2011}} |access-date=3 March 2024 |archive-date=15 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615225235/http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1069 |url-status=bot: unknown }}
{{refend}}
{{Georgian-Abkhazian conflict}}
{{coord|42.1500|N|41.6667|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Off The Coast of Abkhazia}}
[[Category:Naval battles involving Russia|Abkhazia]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 2008]]
[[Category:Military history of the Black Sea]]
[[Category:August 2008 events in Asia]]
[[Category:21st-century naval battles|Abkhazia]]
[[Category:Russo-Georgian War]]
[[Category:2008 in Abkhazia]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 2008|Abkhazia]]
[[Category:Battles in 2008|Abkhaz Coast]]