Vladislav Ardzinba (Abkhaz: Владислав Арӡынба, May 14, 1945 – March 4, 2010) was the first President of Abkhazia. A historian by education, Ardzinba led Abkhazia to de facto independence in the 1992-1993 War with Georgia, but its de jure independence from Georgia remained internationally unrecognised during Ardzinba's two terms as President from 1994 to 2005.
He was a member of the first parliament to be elected democratically in the Soviet Union in 1989.
Read more about Vladislav Ardzinba: Early Life and Career, Role in The Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict, Presidency, Death