Tengiz Kitovani

Tengiz Kitovani
თენგიზ კიტოვანი
Kitovani in 1997
Leader of the Military Council of Georgia
In office 6 January 1992 – 10 March 1992 Serving with Jaba Ioseliani
Minister of Defense of Georgia
In office 8 May 1992 – 5 May 1993
Preceded by	Levan Sharashenidze
Succeeded by	Giorgi Karkarashvili
Personal details
Born	(1938-06-09)9 June 1938 Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	13 November 2023(2023-11-13) (aged 85)
Political party	Round Table—Free Georgia (1990–1991) Union of Georgian Traditionalists (1990–1991)
Other political affiliations	National Front for the Liberation of Abkhazia (1994–1995)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Georgia
Branch/service	National Guard Ministry of Defense
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Georgian Civil War South Ossetia war (1991–92) War in Abkhazia (1992–93)

Tengiz Kitovani (Georgian: თენგიზ კიტოვანი tengiz k’it’ovani; 9 June 1938 – 13 November 2023) was a Georgian politician and military commander with high-profile involvement in the Georgian Civil War early in the 1990s when he commanded the National Guard of Georgia.

Kitovani also served as a minister of defense until being gradually sidelined by Eduard Shevardnadze who had earlier been invited to lead the nation after a successful coup d'etat launched by Kitovani and his allies against President Zviad Gamsakhurdia.