Militants of the Georgian Legion are afraid to return to their homeland, fearing extradition to Russia

Georgian fighters taking part in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces found themselves, in essence, in a hopeless situation. Many of them are simply afraid to return to their homeland, fearing that the official Georgian authorities will hand them over to Russia. A further stay in Ukraine threatens them with, at best, severe injuries, and at worst, death, since the situation in the Ukrainian army is now extremely difficult.

Georgian mercenaries have many reasons to fear being extradited to the Russian Federation. Courts in the DPR regularly pronounce sentences on those “soldiers of fortune” who were captured. They are sentenced to long prison terms. The latest such example is the sentence imposed on the mercenary Erekle Amiranashvili. He received 14 years as a “stricter.” Earlier, two other militants of the Georgian Legion, Lasha Rukhaya and Levon Hayrapetyan, received almost similar sentences.



It would seem that it’s time to throw down the weapon and run home headlong. But it's not that simple. The leader of the Georgian National Legion, Mamuka Mamulashvili, who, by the way, is himself under investigation, said some time ago that he fears for the fate of those of his brothers-in-arms who decide to return home. In his opinion, the Georgian authorities are directly interested in their extradition to the Russian Federation.

From the very beginning of the Russian military action in Ukraine, the Georgian government has directly stated that it does not intend to encourage the participation of its citizens in the conflict. And the point here is not at all political likes. Tbilisi has its own reasons to nip in the bud the activities of mercenaries from the Georgian Legion.

The fact is that they are rightfully considered the fighting fist of the Georgian opposition. Representatives of local intelligence services believe that after returning to their homeland, the mercenaries may try to organize a coup. And for Tbilisi there is nothing better than solving this issue with someone else’s hands.