Russian Court Sentences Georgian National to 9 Years for Fighting in Ukraine, Another to 14 in Absentia
A Russian court has sentenced Georgian national Giorgi Goglidze to nine years in a strict regime penal colony for allegedly participating in fighting on the side of Ukraine, Russian state-controlled news agency TASS reported on April 9, citing the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Goglidze was reportedly captured by Russian forces in 2023. In a separate case, another Georgian national, Gela Beglarashvili, was sentenced in absentia to 14 years.
According to the Committee’s statement, the court found Goglidze guilty under Part 3 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to “mercenaryism.”
Russian authorities claim Goglidze joined the ranks of Ukraine’s Armed Forces in April 2023 under contract and, following training, “participated in military operations against Russian forces” in the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk.
The Investigative Committee accused Goglidze of receiving “financial remuneration” to fight in Ukraine and his alleged involvement “in actions that resulted in the destruction of civilian infrastructure, the deaths of civilians and Russian military personnel.”
Goglidze was first seen in Russian custody in a video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on November 14, 2023. In the footage, he appeared to read from a script in broken Russian, claiming he was promised $300 per Russian soldier killed and that he had been recruited in Germany. He also mentioned receiving training from instructors from several NATO countries, including the United States, France, Germany, and Poland. Another Georgian national, Giorgi Chubitidze, was reportedly detained around the same time.
In subsequent videos released by the pro-Kremlin outlets, both Goglidze and Chubitidze made statements linking themselves to anti-Russian activities, including the 2014 Maidan protests in Ukraine and alleged ties to former Georgian officials, including the 3rd President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili. Both men appeared to have visible injuries, spoke hesitantly, and were shown blindfolded and forcibly moved in later footage, which raised concerns over coercion and mistreatment.
On April 9, in a separate case, another Georgian national, Gela Beglarashvili, was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in a strict-regime penal colony under the same article. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, Beglarashvili voluntarily joined a Ukrainian paramilitary formation in 2022 as a mercenary and participated in combat operations against Russian servicemen and members of the security forces of the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia put him on the international wanted list.
The GD government has not yet issued an official statement regarding Goglidze and Beglarashvili’s sentencing.
The news was updated on April 10 at 18:10 to include the information about the sentence of Gela Beglarashvili.
Also Read:
- 21/02/2024 – Russia Sentences Georgian Azovstal Defender to Life in Occupied Donetsk
- 29/07/2023 – Over 70 Georgians Prosecuted by Russia in Absentia for Fighting in Ukraine
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