The Abkhazian town of Tkvarcheli was put under siege by the Georgian National Guard during the 1992–93 War in Abkhazia. The siege lasted from October 1992 to September 1993, almost the entire duration of the war, but was eventually unsuccessful. It was accompanied by inconclusive fighting in surrounding villages. Russian aid, both humanitarian and military, was critical for the defence of the town which suffered a severe humanitarian crisis during the siege. 1992 Tkvarcheli is located in the eastern part of Abkhazia, which after the war became de facto independent, but is still generally recognised as de jure part of Georgia. According to the last pre-war census (1989), it had a population of 21,744, with ethnic Abkhaz (42.3%), Russian (24.5%) and Georgian (23.4%) communities but a bulk of the Georgian population left the town shortly after the Georgian-Abkhazian fighting erupted in August 1992. Along with Gudauta on the Black Sea, Tkvarcheli became the main Abkhazian stronghold throughout the war. In October 1992, a Georgian contingent began to lay siege to the town, creating a severe humanitarian crisis in that region. Since the town had a sizeable Russian community, the Russian military actively intervened in the crisis, delivering both humanitarian and military support to besieged Tkvarcheli. Russian military helicopters regularly flew to the town, supplying it with food and medicine, evacuated many civilians and assisting the defenders against the Georgian forces. Many Russian-trained and Russian-paid fighters were transported to the area to take part in the fighting. As several cease-fire agreements failed, the hostilities intensified towards December 1992. The fighting was marked by extreme confusion and frequently indiscriminate fire on all sides. Following the loss of Gagra to Abkhazian forces commanded by Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, Georgian troops retaliated by shelling Tkvarcheli. The Russian army attempted to re-establish an air bridge, but on December 14, 1992, it suffered the loss of a Mi-8 helicopter carrying evacuees, which resulted in 52 to 64 deaths (including 25 children). Although Georgian authorities denied any responsibility, many believed the helicopter had been shot down by Georgian forces. On 16 December, the government of Georgia requested the Russians to evacuate their nationals from Abkhazia via other routes, foremost the Black Sea, but also to limit the number of missions flown from Gudauta, the main Russian air base in the area. 1993 The helicopter incident catalysed more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of the Abkhazian side.