Georgian Legion (Ukraine)

The Georgian National Legion is a paramilitary unit formed by mostly ethnic Georgian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine in the War in Donbas and the Russo-Ukrainian War.[3] The unit was organized in 2014,[4] and in 2016 it was transferred under the control of the Ukrainian Army, under the 25th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Kyiv Rus".[5] The group is commanded by Mamuka Mamulashvili, a veteran Georgian officer.[6][4] The group was noted as being particularly good at recruiting Americans by Kacper Rekawek, an expert on foreign fighters in Ukraine.[7]

This article is about the Ukrainian paramilitary unit. For other military units with that name, see Georgian Legion.
Georgian National Legion
Unit insignia
Founded2014 (2014)
Country Ukraine
AllegianceMinistry of Defense
Branch Ukrainian Ground Forces
Size750+ (March 2022)[1][2]
PatronGeorgia
EngagementsRusso-Ukrainian War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Mamuka Mamulashvili
"Glory to Heroes", a stencil graffiti in Tbilisi, depicting the late volunteer Alexander Grigolashvili, in 2015.

History

The Georgian Legion was formed sometime in March 2014 after the start of the War in the Donbas by Mamuka Mamulashvili, a mixed martial arts fighter and former Georgian serviceman.[8] Mamulashvili was a veteran of the Abkhaz–Georgian conflict, First Chechen War, and the Russo-Georgian War.[4] He later commented “The idea of creating the legion was to gather people of different nationalities to serve together to stand against Russian aggression, and we did it.”[3] Georgian volunteers frequently cited Ukraine and Georgia's common cause against Russia and insisted that fighting against the Russian aggression in Ukraine was also a patriotic act that served Georgia's interests.[8]

The death of Alexandre Grigolashvili, the Legion's first fatal casualty, in action on 19 December 2014 sparked a controversy in Georgia. In its statement, Georgia's Ministry of Defense blamed Grigolashvili's death on "representatives of former authorities," referring to the former president Saakashvili and his allies. Following a negative public outcry, the Ministry removed the statement from its website and apologized for its text.[9] Involvement of individual Georgians on the Ukrainian side was, to a degree, encouraged by the then-Ukraine-based former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and his associates from Georgia's United National Movement party.[10]

On 5 February 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."[10]

Integration with the Ukrainian military

In February 2016, the Georgian Legion was officially integrated into the 25th mechanized infantry battalion "Kyiv Rus" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[5]

It fought in eastern Ukraine under the overall command of the 54th Mechanized Brigade. In December 2017, the Legion withdrew from the brigade citing the "incompetence" of the brigade's command after a costly operation conducted near Svitlodarsk on 16 December 2017.[11][12] The 54th Mechanized Brigade denied that a "Georgian Legion" had ever existed among their ranks.[13]

In January 2018 the Legion's commander Mamulashvili said the unit remained committed to the Ukrainian cause and moved to another brigade and added that the decision was not connected to a political conflict between Mikheil Saakashili and President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.[14]

In February 2022, immediately prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Georgian Legion was involved in training newly recruited Ukrainian civilians.[15] The unit took part in combat from the first days of the invasion; it fought in the Battle of Antonov Airport and Battle of Hostomel.[16][17] In early March 2022, the Georgian Legion reportedly had over 300 new interested recruits attempting to join.[18] According to Legion policy, only experienced fighters or military veterans are allowed to join their ranks. People who didn't meet those requirements, were refused.[19] The legion subsequently redeployed to help fend off the Eastern Ukraine offensive.[20]

Gia Tsertsvadze scandal

On 27 January 2017, Gia Tsertsvadze was released from Ukrainian custody after he was initially detained on 15 January in Zhulyany airport, Kyiv on an international arrest warrant from Russia for suspicion of murder in 2003. His defense lawyer has called his arrest to be politically motivated since he fought against pro-Russian separatist forces. Prior to his release Mamuka Mamulashvili had warned Kyiv that his fighters would leave Ukraine if Tsertsvadze was extradited to Russia.[21]

Casualties

During the 2022 Russian invasion, 10 Georgian Legion volunteers have so far been reported killed:[22]

Possible war crimes

On 30 March 2022, a video surfaced of the aftermath of an ambushed Russian paratrooper BMD-2 armored vehicle, geolocated in the area of Dmitrovka located a few kilometers from Bucha, Kyiv Oblast.[28] A different video of the same event shows how one of the captured and seemingly injured Russian serviceman is shot by an unknown member of the Ukrainan forces.[29] One confirmed Georgian combatant at the scene, was Teimuraz Khizanishvili. Khizanishvili is a deputy to Mamulashvili and former bodyguard of Mikheil Saakashvili.[30][28]

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the video will "definitely be investigated".[31] Mamuka Mamulashvili denied the Georgian in the video was part of the Legion.[28]

Foreign fighters

The Georgian Legion is largely made up of foreign fighters, the majority of them being Georgians. The following countries have had nationals reported as being members of the Georgian Legion:

Activity

The Legion conducts sabotage and reconnaissance activities, and also instructs and trains Ukrainian soldiers. It also repeatedly participated in positional battles and offensives.

See also

References
  1. "US veterans head to Ukraine to fight, but Zelenskyy's legion faces hurdles". MilitaryTimes. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  2. "Band of others: Ukraine's legions of foreign soldiers are on the frontline". Politico. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  3. "Foreign Fighters Vow to Support Ukraine Against Russian Invasion". Coffee or Die Magazine. 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  4. Waller, Nicholas (26 February 2016). "American Ex-Paratrooper Joins Georgian Legion Fighting in Ukraine". Georgia Today. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  5. "Georgian Legion join Ukraine Armed Force". Ukrinform. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  6. "The Georgians of Ukraine. Who are they? • Ukraїner ∙ Expedition through Ukraine!". Ukraїner ∙ Expedition through Ukraine!. 2019-08-11. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  7. Olmstead, Molly (10 March 2022). "Who Are the Americans Who Went to Fight in Ukraine?". Slate. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  8. Cecire, Michael (4 October 2016). "Same sides of different coins: contrasting militant activisms between Georgian fighters in Syria and Ukraine". Caucasus Survey. 4 (3): 282–295. doi:10.1080/23761199.2016.1231382. S2CID 133535877.
  9. Rukhadze, Vasili (8 January 2015). "Death of Georgian Volunteer in Ukraine Sparks Controversy in Georgia". Eurasia Daily Monitor. Jamestown Foundation. 12 (4). Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  10. Kakachia, Kornely (2016). "Georgia and the Russian–Ukrainian conflict". In Besier, Gerhard; Stoklosa, Katarzyna (eds.). Neighbourhood Perceptions of the Ukraine Crisis: From the Soviet Union into Eurasia?. Taylor & Francis. p. 148. ISBN 9781317089117.
  11. "UAWire - 'Georgian Legion' leaves Ukrainian Armed Forces". uawire.org. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  12. Mariamidze, Tea (20 December 2017). "Heavy Shelling Wounds Georgian Legion Members in Eastern Ukraine". Messenger Online. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  13. "Georgian volunteers in Ukraine war quit military unit after 'provocations'". Democracy and Freedom Watch. 10 Jan 2018.
  14. "Georgian Legion Commander: we moved to another brigade within Ukrainian Armed Forces". UAWire. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  15. Hauer, Neil (16 February 2022). "The Georgian fighters stiffening Ukraine's defences against possible Russian attack". National Post. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  16. Andy Blatchford (24 March 2022). "Band of others: Ukraine's legions of foreign soldiers are on the frontline". Politico. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  17. Wendell Steavenson (15 March 2022). ""I'll stay until Putin's dead or the war is over": the Americans fighting for Ukraine". Economist. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  18. Lowry, Willy (4 March 2022). "Foreign fighters answer Zelenskyy's call to defend Ukraine". The National News. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  19. "- He had no experience - VG". 17 March 2022.
  20. "Texas paratrooper and Iraq veteran reveals his reasons for protecting Ukraine". NV. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  21. "Ukraine Releases Georgian Wanted in Russia for Murder".
  22. "Უკრაინაში დღეს სამი ქართველი დაიღუპა".
  23. "Identities of Two Georgian Volunteer Fighters Killed in Ukraine Revealed". Georgia Today. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  24. "Gia Beruashvili Death, Georgian volunteers for Ukraine Dead". InsideEko.com. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  25. "Two More Georgian Fighters Killed in Ukraine". Civil.ge. 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  26. "Another Georgian fighter, Vitali Orbeladze, was killed in Ukraine". ghn.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  27. "Three More Georgian Fighters Killed in Ukraine Today". Civil.ge. 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  28. "Video appears to show Ukrainian soldier killing Russian prisoner". Sky News. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  29. "Video appears to show killing of captive Russian soldier". BBC News. 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  30. "Trending news: Journalists Confirm Authenticity of Video of Wounded Russian Soldiers Murdered in Ukraine - The Moscow Times". Hindustan News Hub. 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  31. Nathan Hodge, Eoin McSweeney and Niamh Kennedy. "Video appears to show execution of Russian prisoner by Ukrainian forces". CNN. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  32. "British conflict medic joins Ukrainian forces in Donbas". Unian. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  33. "Russia-Ukraine crisis: Came to Ukraine for studies, Indian student now taking combat training | Ground report".
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