Vladimir Georgievich Arshba (russian: Владимир Георгиевич Аршба; 8 May 1959 – 16 January 2018) was an Abkhaz soldier and politician who served as the first

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

of the

Republic of Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

, an unrecognised state, from 1992 until 1993. He held the rank of

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the

Abkhazian Armed Forces The Abkhazian Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Abkhazia. The forces were officially created on 12 October 1992, after the outbreak of the 1992–1993 war with Georgia. The basis of the armed forces was formed by the ethnic Abkhaz Na ...

Career

Arshba graduated from the

Tbilisi Higher Artillery Command School The Tbilisi Higher Artillery Command School () was one of the military institutions of the USSR. In different years she trained specialists of various military specialties. It was located in Tbilisi in the Georgian SSR. History The school was ...

in 1980 and served with the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. In 1988 he was transferred to the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...

, and helped in the aftermath of the

1988 Armenian earthquake The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake ( hy, Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, ), occurred on December 7 at with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (''Devastating''). The shock occurre ...

. Transferred again in 1989, this time to the

Abkhaz ASSR The Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (russian: Абхазская Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика; ka, აფხაზეთის ავტონომიური ს� ...

, Arshba was there during the 1992–1993 war against Georgia. He was appointed

in 1992, but left the post in 1993 due to health reasons. He later served as an adviser to the

President of Abkhazia The position of president of Abkhazia was created in 1994. Before the office of president was created the head of state position was known as the chairman of Parliament between 1992 and the creation of the 1994 constitution. Before the position ...

, and head of the State Migration Services from 2009 to 2015. Arshba played a big role in the

Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia The ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia,The Guns of August 2008, Russia's War in Georgia, Svante Cornell & Frederick Starr, p 27In Georgia, Tales of Atrocities Lee Hockstander, International Herald Tribune, 22 October 1993On Ruins of Empire ...

specifically in

Gagra Gagra ( ka, გაგრა; Abkhaz and Russian: Гагра) is a town in Abkhazia/Georgia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular hea ...

, where he apparently raped a 14-year old Georgian girl and ordered her execution briefly after.

References

1958 births 2018 deaths Military personnel from Tbilisi Abkhazian military personnel Ministers for Defence of Abkhazia Politicians from Tbilisi {{Europe-mil-bio-stub