Avtandil Tskitishvili ( ka, ავთანდილ ცქიტიშვილი; 26 July 1950 – 9 December 2013) was a Georgian general who served as the Chief of General Staff of the

Georgian Armed Forces The Defence Forces of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს თავდაცვის ძალები, tr), or Georgian Defence Forces (GDF), are the combined military forces of Georgia, tasked with the defence of the nation's indep ...

from January 1992 to December 1993. Tskitishvili was born in

Marneuli Marneuli ( ka, მარნეული , ) is a city in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia and administrative center of Marneuli Municipality that borders neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia. Toponymy According to Georgian sources, the ...

in 1950. He graduated from the Tbilisi Artillery College in 1972 and the Leningrad Artillery Academy in 1980. He served in the army of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, rising to the rank of colonel in 1985. After the retirement from the Soviet military in 1991, he was instrumental in founding the

National Guard of Georgia The National Guard of Georgia (GNG, ka, საქართველოს ეროვნული გვარდია, ''sak'art'velos erovnuli gvardia'') is the gendarmerie, guard of honour, and military reserve force branch of the Defense ...

and took command of its 1st Brigade. In August 1991, he was appointed First Deputy Commander of the National Guard. He became Chief of General Staff of the Georgian military and First Deputy Defense Minister of Georgia after the overthrow of President

Zviad Gamsakhurdia Zviad Konstantines dze Gamsakhurdia ( ka, ზვიად კონსტანტინეს ძე გამსახურდია; ; 31 March 1939 – 31 December 1993) was a Georgian politician, human rights activist, dissident, profes ...

in January 1992. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in August 1992. With Georgia descending into chaos of a

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and military collapse, Tskitishvili, with his

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n counterpart General Mikhail Kolesnikov signed in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, on 9 October 1993, a Russian-Georgian treaty, granting to Russia several key military bases and facilities in Georgia. In December 1993, Brigadier General Tskitishvili resigned as a reaction to the military setback in

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

and he was succeeded by Major-General

Guram Nikolaishvili Guram Nikolaishvili ( ka, გურამ ნიკოლაიშვილი; born 3 November 1952) is a retired Georgian general who briefly served as the Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces from 1993 to 1994. Nikolaishvili w ...

. In 1996 he resumed military service, being promoted to the rank of major-general and appointed chief of staff of the border forces. In 2000, Tskitishvili retired and became actively involved in veteran organizations. He returned to state service once again in 2013 and was appointed adviser to the head of Department of Veteran Affairs of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces. He was awarded the Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali, 3rd Rank, and other Georgian and foreign military decorations.

References

, - 1950 births 2013 deaths People from Marneuli Generals of the Defense Forces of Georgia Soviet Army officers {{Georgia-bio-stub