On January 19, 2002, residents gathered at the Enguri Bridge demanding the withdrawal of Russian peacekeeping forces from Abkhazia. On January 21, a protest with the same demand was also launched in front of the State Chancellery in Tbilisi. Protesters blocked almost all bridges and roads leading to Abkhazia, refusing to allow transport belonging to the peacekeepers and UN observers to pass.

A similar protest had taken place back in October 2001, when President Eduard Shevardnadze promised demonstrators that their demand would be met. The Georgian Parliament even adopted a resolution on the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers. However, after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 30, Shevardnadze suddenly shifted his stance, stating that he did not support accelerating the withdrawal of Russian forces from Abkhazia.

While some in the Georgian government sympathized with the protesters, the Minister of State Security declared on January 21 that “this is a problem that cannot be solved in a day or two, it will take years.” Later, demonstrators also protested the government’s decision to withdraw Georgian Ministry of Defense troops from the Kodori Gorge.

On January 28, the ultimatum given to the president by the Enguri Bridge protesters expired, after which they announced plans for large-scale protests.

Nevertheless, on February 4, President Shevardnadze agreed to extend the mandate of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia until June 30, 2002. Protests demanding their withdrawal continued periodically. On January 7, 2003, a group of displaced persons even marked Christmas at the Enguri Bridge, once again calling for Russian peacekeepers to leave Abkhazia. However, the protests ended without success.