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Dedicated to the tenth anniversary of Shroma town assault

On July 19, 1993 forces of Ukrainian volunteer detachment of UNSO took by assault Shroma town. This Abkhazian settlement played a very important strategic role in Sukhumi defense. Occupation garrison consisted of so-called "Russian Cossacks" 600 in number.

Georgian regular forces had been attacking Russian well-defend positions for several times, but they lost plenty of soldiers and were forced to retreat. Ukrainian mountain subdivision was considered to be one of the most efficient in Georgian army, therefore the new assault operation was charged to us. In order not to repeat the faults of our predecessors and not to climb to victory over the hills of our corpses, we made a detail reconnaissance and found out a roundabout way. It led to a village rear. From this side the village wasn't protected carefully because to get there we needed to climb down from the rock 200m in height before the enemy's eyes. We had to act at night. Just imagine all difficulty of the operation: with an aid of ropes we got down guns, ammunition and men, most of whom even hadn't a special alpinist training. If we were detected, no one of us would have any chance to climb up back alive. Fortunately, everything passed clearly. Our fellows were sitting quiet as mice. Even when one soldier suddenly lost his balance and hanged head downwards at 100m height, he was still hanging in such way for ten minutes until we took him down. Everybody understood that there was no way back, we must either win or die.

We found ourselves in thirty-forty meters from Russian camps. It was dawning instantly in mountains. When the sun rose up from the rock, a command was given - "Bombs, fire!" 46 bombs F-1 almost simultaneously exploded in Russian positions. "Charge!" and "Slava!!", - sounded in this mountains, that were never heard here and, to our regret, are forgotten in Ukraine. Before the assault began I didn't have any information about garrison number, and now I realized that we rushed into a hornets' nest. The enemy outnumbers us in ten times. The exit was only one - forwards, forwards, in order not to give Russians time to recover, appraise the situation and understand how much we were in real. And we succeeded. The enemies left Shroma in panic and retreated to New Athon. That moment was a possibility to end the war. If we got reinforcements from Georgians, at least one hundred and half or two hundred guns, we would burst into New Athon on the top of running "Cossacks" and manage to cut off the only supply road of separatists' main front. To my regret for some unknown reasons it didn't happen. Instead reinforcements we received only orders to stand firm, stand firm and, once more, stand firm. The most difficult days started. On the second day Russians recovered, changed their frighten "Cossacks" by regular troops battalion (it seemed that they were transported from Irkutsk) and began to beat out us systematically from the settlement. Before every assault Russians cried from the cars by loudspeakers - "Hohols (Ukrainians), don't surrender! We'll skin your if you survive!". We believed the words of "elder brothers" and didn't surrender. Battle had been lasting for three days. Russians bothered us the most by mortars that we hadn't at all. But their infantry fought too listlessly.

The most of Katzaps (Russians) even couldn't show on the map where Abkhazia was. Our battlers understood that fighting in Georgia, they were defending Ukraine: today -Sukhumi, tomorrow - Tbilisi, the day after tomorrow - Kyiv.

On the third day of battle we received a command to leave a town. We were leaving in perfect order, taking away the wounded and killed men. The town was burning. By the way, in Georgian "Shroma" means "labour". I'd thought, that it was nice that it wasn't Fastiv or Colomyja.

From Sian to Caucasus! Our grandfathers had started from Sian and have lost. We started from Caucasus; maybe we'll be lucky.

In three days of battle we have lost two men killed and eight men badly wounded. One of our lost according to his father's will was buried in Sukhumi in "Kurchenko" park. After downfall of Sukhumi Russians dig out a coffin with his body and throw it into a sea, and when it was washed ashore they shoot it down by RPG-7 grenade cup dischargers. According to data of Georgian military intelligence during three-days battle for Shroma Russians and their mercenary troops lost 58 men only killed. Also there was a one Russian tank burned down - the first in Caucasus.

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