The Tbilisi Massacre

• On 9th April 1989, Georgian nationalists protested against the rights of the Abkhazian minority.
• Soviet troops killed 19 Georgian protesters and wounded thousands more.
• Killings outraged Georgian nationalists and led to concern amongst nationalists in all of the republics that the Soviet Government was prepared to use lethal force to stop nationalism.
• Government refused to take responsibility for the killings and blamed local leaders.
• Military commanders became unwilling to use force against protesters, which became known as “Tbilisi syndrome”.
• The Tbilisi massacre demonstrated the limits of Gorbachev’s real power and weakened the government’s position, as they could no longer rely on military support.