page_title: Georgian–Armenian War
section_title: Armenian offensive
hierarchical_section_title: Georgian–Armenian War / Open hostilities / Armenian offensive
caption_attribution_description: English: 1918 Armenian volunteer soldiers defending the Armenian border from the Turkish plans of continued genocide.
context_page_description: The Georgian–Armenian War was a short border dispute fought in December 1918 between the newly independent Democratic Republic of Georgia and the First Republic of Armenia, largely over the control of former districts of Tiflis Governorate, in Borchaly and Akhalkalaki.
  In March 1918, Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and in doing so agreed to return to the Ottoman Empire territory gained during the 1877–78 Russo-Turkish War. These territories were, however, no longer under the functional control of the Russian central government; rather, they were being administered collectively by the Georgians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis through the Transcaucasian Sejm. The Trebizond Peace Conference aimed to resolve the dispute, but when the conference failed to produce a resolution, the Ottomans pursued a military campaign to control the disputed territories. Under persistent attack, the Transcaucasian collective eventually dissolved with the Georgians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis declaring independent nation states in quick succession in late-May 1918.
context_section_description: In early December 1918, the Georgians were confronted with regional rebellion in the Lori area, chiefly in the village of Uzunlar. The local garrison in the village of Uzunlar was attacked by disgruntled local villagers, resulting in one Georgian soldier being killed and the remaining soldiers being disarmed and taken prisoner. The Georgians argued that Armenian soldiers from the 4th Infantry Regiment had disguised themselves as bandits and were fomenting rebellion; whereas, Armenia took the position that the events were the result of Georgia's oppressive behavior towards the local ethnic-Armenian population. In response, General Varden Tsulukidze sent a 200-soldier detachment to the area to quell the unrest. The detachment was, however, unable to provide any relief, as they were driven back by heavy gunfire.
caption: Armenian troops in 1918
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