The German involvement in Abkhazia dates back to the 1870s, when Russian Tsar Alexander II decided to settle German villagers in Abkhazia to "civilize" the newly conquered Caucasian peoples. The German Empire was briefly involved in a military intervention in 1918. More recently, Germany has been involved in diplomatic and peacekeeping efforts to resolve the dispute between the so-called Republic of Abkhazia and Georgia, Germany's strategic ally.