Dissolution of Abkhazia SSR

Date: February 19, 1931 • Location: Sokhumi, Georgia

The Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia was a short-lived Soviet republic within the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union that covered the territory of Abkhazia, and existed from 31 March 1921 to 19 February 1931. The region was previously part of the Georgian Democratic Republic as an autonomy and was formed in the aftermath of the Red Army invasion of the country in 1921. It was declared on 31 March 1921 and on 16 December 1921 agreed to a treaty that united it with the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. The SSR Abkhazia was similar to an autonomous Soviet republic, though it retained nominal independence from Georgia and was given certain features only full union republics had, like its own military units. Through its status as a "treaty republic" with Georgia, Abkhazia joined the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, which united Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian SSRs into one federal unit when the latter was formed in 1922. The SSR Abkhazia was abolished in 1931 and replaced with the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Georgian SSR.