Over 70 Georgians Prosecuted by Russia in Absentia for Fighting in Ukraine
On July 28, more than 70 fighters from the Georgian National Legion were prosecuted in absentia for their involvement in hostilities on the side of Ukraine, according to the information disseminated by the press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (IC), as reported by TASS.
The agency said that Ushangi Mamulashvili, a citizen of Georgia known also as Mamuka Mamulashvili, was also prosecuted in absentia as part of the criminal investigation. The investigation centers around the “recruitment and participation of mercenaries in hostilities on behalf of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)”.
The IC report stated that “it was established that Mamulashvili created the “Georgian National Legion” in 2014 and was recruiting individuals from Georgia to partake in hostilities against the authorities of the LNR [Luhansk National Republic] and DNR [Donetsk National Republic].”
The Georgian Legion is a prominent group of around 700 to 1000 fighters, mostly Georgian, but also other foreign volunteers who have been fighting in Ukraine since 2014, as the war in Donbas was started by Russia. In February 2016 the Legion was integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces structure. The commander of the Georgian Legion, Mamuka Mamulashvili, a veteran of several wars with Russia, including the Russia-Georgia 2008 war, and the Legion have previously faced Russian accusations of involvement in a filmed incident in which Ukrainian forces allegedly killed Russian prisoners of war after they surrendered in Makiivka village, located in the Luhansk region of Ukraine. Mamulashvili denied the allegations, insisting that the claim is “Russian disinformation” and that this is “not the first such case.” In 2015, the Georgians’ service was appreciated by the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kiev Patriarchate, Patriarch Filaret, by awarding 29 Georgian fighters a medal for their “love and sacrifice for Ukraine.” According to the Legion policy, only experienced fighters or military veterans are allowed to join its ranks.
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