Mkhedrioni

Mkhedrioni
Mkhedrioni
მხედრიონი
	Flag Of Mkhedrioni
Leaders	Jaba Ioseliani ; Guram Mgeladze
Dates of operation	1989–1995
Active regions	Georgia
Size	1,000–7,000 (1991), ~2,500 (1992-1993)
Allies	Shevardnadze government
Opponents	Gamsakhurdia's government in exile; Abkhazia; Bagramyan Battalion; Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus
Wars	Georgian Civil War 1991–1992 Georgian coup d'état; ; Abkhazia conflict War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) Landing at Gagra (1992); ; War in Abkhazia (1998); ; Georgian–Ossetian conflict 1991–1992 South Ossetia War; ;

The Mkhedrioni (Georgian: მხედრიონი, romanized: mkhedrioni) was a paramilitary group in the Republic of Georgia created in 1989 by Jaba Ioseliani, known for its high-profile involvement in the Georgian Civil War and the War in Abkhazia. In 1995, the Mkhedrioni was outlawed and refused registration after being reconstituted as the Union of Patriots political party. Mkhedrioni forces were notorious for criminal activities such as banditry. With the high-ranking Mkhedrioni leaders such as Jaba Ioseliani being accused of the involvement in the assassination attempt of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze in 1995, the authorities cracked down on Mkhedrioni, leading to the eventual vanishing of the group's influence and presence in the country.