Exactly 100 years have passed on February 18-19, 2021, since the events when a detachment of Azerbaijani Muslims from Borchali joined the fight for Georgia's freedom and independence against the numerous Red Army to defend Tbilisi. The commander of the division, Edigarov, declared the unconditional loyalty of the Muslim Azerbaijanis to the defense of Georgia. The information published in the then Georgian newspaper "Republika" poses as evidence.
However, in 1921, Georgia and Azerbaijan faced a much stronger enemy - Soviet Russia.
The assistance of the Azerbaijanis during the Bolshevik invasion in 1918-1919 was one of the most crucial. The Georgian army repulsed the enemy's attack, launched a counterattack, and prolonged the fall of Tbilisi for a week.
The events unfolded as follows: On the evening of February 18, Red Army units arrived in Soghanlugh. The Georgian troops, together with the Azerbaijanis from Borchali and Tbilisi, repulsed the Bolshevik troops' attacks all night and in the morning, with the help of military equipment, launched a counterattack and achieved serious success. They took 1600 people as prisoners and hit the retreated units of the 11th Red Army with frontal artillery. This was the first victory of the Georgian army over the much larger Red Army units. It enabled the Georgian army to defend the capital until February 24, 1921. However, the forces were unequal. On February 24, the Red Army launched a large-scale artillery attack on all front lines. The Georgian government started evacuating the same day to Kutaisi.
The situation in Tbilisi changed critically on February 25. The Russian Red Army was several times larger than the Georgian Army. The Georgian command decided to leave Tbilisi to maintain the Army and avoid bloodshed. Thus ended a week of Tbilisi's heroic defense in February 2021, during which the Azerbaijani cavalry fought on the Georgian side.
After the fall of Tbilisi, the Red Army occupied part of Sokhumi on March 4 and took Zugdidi on March 9. On March 10, units of the Red Army crossing from Mamison Pass captured Kutaisi on March 14, Poti. Amid the developments, an agreement was signed on March 17. On March 19, capitulation was announced, and on March 19, Batumi surrendered to the Red Army. The one-month heroic struggle of the Georgian Army for the protection of Georgia's independence and freedom ended in defeat. Georgia, like Azerbaijan, was occupied by Soviet Russia.
Despite the powerful Soviet propaganda, the Azerbaijanis from Borchali were loyal to Georgia.
