The battle of Ayrum – The Story of Captivation of Colonel Vachnadze’s Squad (Georgian-Armenian War in 1918)

Abstract

At the end of 1918, the argument between two newly-formed Caucasian states, Georgia and Armenia, regarding the ownership of Borchalo and Akhalkalaki districts, turned into a war. Currently, historiographers are interested in the political, diplomatic and purely military aspects of this war. The given research focuses on the battle which took place at Ayrum railway station on December 15, 1918. During this battle, Colonel Vachnadze’s squad was ambushed by the Armenian army. Until now, there was certain information regarding this battle, but the archive case found in the Chancellery Fund of the Military Prosecutor of Georgian Democratic Republic, the Central Historical Archive of Georgia, regarding the investigation of the above-mentioned battle, has made it possible to restore the events in detail.