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Georgian Legion (Ukraine)

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This article is about the Ukrainian military unit. For other military units with that name, see Georgian Legion.

Georgian National Legion
Грузинський національний легіон (Ukrainian)
ქართული ლეგიონი (Georgian)
Unit insignia
Founded2014 (2014)
Country Ukraine
AllegianceMinistry of Defense
Branch Ukrainian Ground Forces
Size2500+ (February 2024)[1][2][3]
PatronGeorgia
EngagementsRusso-Ukrainian War
Websitehttps://georgianlegion.com.ua/en/
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Mamuka Mamulashvili
Insignia
Identification
symbol
"Glory to Heroes", a stencil graffiti in Tbilisi, depicting the late volunteer Alexander Grigolashvili, in 2015.

The Georgian National Legion or Georgian Legion (Ukrainian: Грузинський національний легіон, romanized: Hruzynskyi natsionalnyi lehion; Georgian: ქართული ლეგიონი, romanized: kartuli legioni) is a military unit formed by mostly ethnic Georgian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine in the war in Donbas and the Russo-Ukrainian War.[5] The unit was organized in 2014,[6] and in 2016 it was made part of the Ukrainian Army, under the 25th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Kyiv Rus".[7] On 15 June 2024, the unit was classified as a terrorist organization by the Russian government.[8][9][10]

The unit was commanded by Mamuka Mamulashvili, a veteran Georgian officer.[11][6]

The Georgian Legion was noted as being particularly good at recruiting Americans by Kacper Rekawek, an expert on foreign fighters in Ukraine;[12] before the formation of the International Legion of Ukraine in 2022, most pro-Ukrainian foreign fighters served in the Georgian Legion.[13]

As of June 2023, volunteers from 33 nationalities have joined the unit.[14]

History

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Background

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The Georgian Legion was founded by Mamuka Mamulashvili, a veteran of the Abkhaz–Georgian conflict, First Chechen War, and the Russo-Georgian War.[6] 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.”[5] 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.[15]

Founding

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The Georgian Legion was formed sometime in 2014 after the start of the war in the Donbas with initially only 6 Georgian members and had grown to about 20 members by the end of that year. In mid December 2014 the group was visited by Giorgi Baramidze, the then Georgian minister for European integration. In January 2015, the unit suffered its first casualty, Tamaz Sukhiashvili, a veteran of the Georgian Army.[16] 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.[17]

On 5 February, 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."[17]

After the Minsk II agreement of February 11, the future of the unit was briefly uncertain. In October the Ukrainian parliament passed a law allowing foreign nationals and stateless persons to be hired by the Ukrainian army on contract and the bill was signed into law on November 5.[16]

Integration with the Ukrainian military

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In February 2016, the Georgian Legion was officially integrated into the 25th mechanized infantry battalion "Kyiv Rus" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[7]

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.[18] The 54th Mechanized Brigade denied that a "Georgian Legion" had ever existed among their ranks.[19]

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 Saakashvili and President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.[20]

In February 2022, immediately prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Georgian Legion was involved in training newly recruited Ukrainian civilians.[21] 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.[22][23]

In early March 2022, the Georgian Legion reportedly had over 300 new interested recruits attempting to join.[24] 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.[25] People with extremist views are also not welcome in the unit.[26] The legion subsequently redeployed to help fend off the Eastern Ukraine offensive.[27]

Casualties

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The April Nine Monument in Tbilisi displays photos of Georgian and foreign volunteers who died defending Ukraine in 2022.

As of February 2024, 44 Georgian Legion volunteers have so far been reported killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[28] These include:

  • Alexander (Alika) Tsaava, Arkadi Kasradze and Zaza Bitsadze, who were killed in Rubizhne.[29]
  • Giorgi Grigolia, who was killed during fighting near Bakhmut.[30]
  • Kiril Shanava and Kakha Gogol, who were killed during fighting in Luhansk[31] Kakha Gogol was reportedly killed as a result of an airstrike.[32]
  • Aluda Zviadauri, who was killed during fighting near Lysychansk.[33]
  • Davit (Dato) Gobejishvili, Davit Menabdishvili and Nikoloz (Nika) Shanava, who were killed fighting in Izyum[34]
  • Rati Shurgaia, who died as a result of injuries sustained during fighting near Izyum

Controversies

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Accusation of war crime

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See also: War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine § Alleged execution of captured Russian soldiers

On 30 March 2022, a video surfaced of the aftermath of an ambushed Russian paratrooper BMD-2 armored vehicle, geolocated in the area of Dmytrivka located a few kilometers from Bucha, Kyiv Oblast.[35] 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 Ukrainian forces.[36]

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the video will "definitely be investigated".[37] Mamuka Mamulashvili denied that Georgian in the video was part of the Legion.[35]

Accusation of coup plot

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On 18 September 2023, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) accused the Georgian Legion and Mamulashvili of plotting with Ukrainian intelligence to stage a coup d'état against the ruling Georgian Dream to restore arrested President Mikheil Saakashvili. Mamulashvili retorted that the claims of a coup were baseless and accused the Georgian Dream party of "receiving tasks from the Kremlin".[38]

Foreign fighters

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The Georgian Legion is made up of about 500 Georgians and an equal number of various other nationalities.[39]

The following countries have had nationals reported as being members of the Georgian Legion:

Activities

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The Legion conducts sabotage, ambush and reconnaissance activities behind enemy lines and participated in a number of major battles.[46] They also instruct and train Ukrainian civilians,[2] police officers,[47] soldiers[47] and foreign volunteers.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "US veterans head to Ukraine to fight, but Zelenskyy's legion faces hurdles". MilitaryTimes. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Band of others: Ukraine's legions of foreign soldiers are on the frontline". Politico. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Georgia mourns two fighters killed in Ukraine". France24. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  4. ^ "About 120 mercenaries of the "Georgian Legion"* participate in attacks on the Kursk region". eadaily.com. 9 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Foreign Fighters Vow to Support Ukraine Against Russian Invasion". Coffee or Die Magazine. 24 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Waller, Nicholas (26 February 2016). "American Ex-Paratrooper Joins Georgian Legion Fighting in Ukraine". Georgia Today. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Georgian Legion join Ukraine Armed Force". Ukrinform. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  8. ^ Times, The Moscow (14 June 2024). "Moscow Brands Georgian National Legion 'Terrorist Organization'". The Moscow Times.
  9. ^ Service, RFE/RL's Russian. "Georgian Legion Fighting For Ukraine Designated As 'Terrorist' Group In Russia". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  10. ^ "Russia Puts "Georgian National Legion" on "Terrorist Organizations" List". Civil Georgia. 14 June 2024.
  11. ^ "The Georgians of Ukraine. Who are they? • Ukraїner ∙ Expedition through Ukraine!". Ukraїner ∙ Expedition through Ukraine!. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  12. ^ Olmstead, Molly (10 March 2022). "Who Are the Americans Who Went to Fight in Ukraine?". Slate. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Foreign Fighters Are Rushing to Join Ukraine's New International Battalion". www.vice.com. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Japanese men among over 30 nationalities joining Ukraine's fight | New Straits Times". 26 June 2023.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ a b Potočňák, Adam; Mareš, Miroslav (2019). "Georgian Foreign Fighters in the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine, 2014–2017". The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 32 (2): 164–171. doi:10.1080/13518046.2019.1618583. S2CID 198675061. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  17. ^ a b 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.
  18. ^ "UAWire - 'Georgian Legion' leaves Ukrainian Armed Forces". uawire.org. Retrieved 27 January 2020. and Mariamidze, Tea (20 December 2017). "Heavy Shelling Wounds Georgian Legion Members in Eastern Ukraine". Messenger Online. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  19. ^ "Georgian volunteers in Ukraine war quit military unit after 'provocations'". Democracy and Freedom Watch. 10 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Georgian Legion Commander: we moved to another brigade within Ukrainian Armed Forces". UAWire. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  21. ^ a b Hauer, Neil (16 February 2022). "The Georgian fighters stiffening Ukraine's defences against possible Russian attack". National Post. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  22. ^ Andy Blatchford (24 March 2022). "Band of others: Ukraine's legions of foreign soldiers are on the frontline". Politico. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Lowry, Willy (4 March 2022). "Foreign fighters answer Zelenskyy's call to defend Ukraine". The National News. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  25. ^ "- He had no experience - VG". 17 March 2022.
  26. ^ "Band of others: Ukraine's legions of foreign soldiers are on the frontline". Politico. 24 March 2022.
  27. ^ "Texas paratrooper and Iraq veteran reveals his reasons for protecting Ukraine". NV. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  28. ^ "The Daily Beat: 2 February". Civil Georgia. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  29. ^ "Three More Georgian Fighters Killed in Ukraine Today". Civil.ge. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  30. ^ "Georgian volunteer fighter died in Ukraine". Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Georgian fighter Kiril Shanava, 23, was killed in Ukraine". Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  32. ^ "Details of Georgian volunteer's death in Ukraine become known". Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Georgian fighter was killed in Ukraine". Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  34. ^ "Two More Georgian Fighters Killed in Ukraine". Civil.ge. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Video appears to show Ukrainian soldier killing Russian prisoner". Sky News. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  36. ^ "Video appears to show killing of captive Russian soldier". BBC News. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  37. ^ Nathan Hodge, Eoin McSweeney and Niamh Kennedy (7 April 2022). "Video appears to show execution of Russian prisoner by Ukrainian forces". CNN. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  38. ^ "Georgia's security service accuses Ukrainian official of plotting coup". al jazeera. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  39. ^ "Georgia mourns two fighters killed in Ukraine". 25 March 2022.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h i "British conflict medic joins Ukrainian forces in Donbas". Unian. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  41. ^ Ghobrial, Adrian (27 February 2023). "'I know that I can die here': Two former Canadian soldiers describe life on the front lines in Ukraine, and why they're fighting". CTV News. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  42. ^ Visioner [@@visionergeo] (11 May 2022). "A Chilean volunteer fights alongside the Georgian Legion against Russian occupation forces in Ukraine" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ "Russia-Ukraine crisis: Came to Ukraine for studies, Indian student now taking combat training | Ground report". India Today. 18 February 2022.
  44. ^ "子どもや高齢の犠牲者の姿を見て…"元ヤクザの日本人義勇兵"が語る「ウクライナで戦う理由」". 25 February 2023.
  45. ^ "Why Taiwanese are among Ukraine's foreign fighters". BBC News. 13 December 2022.
  46. ^ "Wagner mercenaries killed in ambush during battle for Bakhmut: Video". Newsweek. 16 December 2022.
  47. ^ a b "The Wolves Leading the Pack: Inside a Key Foreign Unit Fighting to Protect Ukraine". 24 August 2022.
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