Mamulashvili Ushangi Zurabovich (მამუკა ზურაბის ძე მამულაშვილი)

A verdict has been passed in absentia against the commander of a Ukrainian mercenary group and three of its members. The evidence collected by the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia has been deemed sufficient by the court to pass a verdict in absentia against Georgian citizens Ushangi Mamulashvili, Vano Nadiradze, Giorgi Rusitashvili, and Nodar Petriashvili. Mamulashvili was found guilty of committing crimes under Parts 1 and 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (mercenarism), Subparagraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (incitement of hatred or enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity), and Subparagraph "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation). Nadiradze, Rusitashvili, and Petriashvili were found guilty of participating as mercenaries in an armed conflict (Part 3, Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code). The investigation and trial established that in 2014-2015, Mamulashvili, with the assistance of Ukraine's political leadership, created the paramilitary group "Georgian National Legion." The unit's purpose was to have its members participate in the armed conflict. Mamulashvili himself participated as a mercenary in combat operations on the side of Ukrainian security forces against military personnel from the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Nadiradze, Rusitashvili, and Petriashvili arrived in Ukraine in 2022 and voluntarily joined the "Georgian National Legion" as mercenaries. They underwent training and were provided with personal firearms, ammunition, uniforms, and special equipment. The defendants in the criminal case, following orders from superior commanders of the aforementioned paramilitary formation, including Mamulashvili, participated in combat operations on the territory of the DPR and LPR on the side of Ukrainian security forces for financial compensation. Furthermore, on April 5, 2022, Mamulashvili made a public statement on a video hosting site containing statements inciting hatred and hostility against a group of individuals based on their ethnicity—Russians—and threatening violence against them. He also disseminated knowingly false information about the use of the Russian Armed Forces. At the request of the investigators, the court ordered pretrial detention in absentia for the defendants, and they were placed on the international wanted list. The court sentenced Mamulashvili (in absentia) to 23 years in prison, and Nadiradze, Rusitashvili, and Petriashvili to 14 years each. ___ Four Georgian mercenaries have been convicted in absentia in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) for fighting on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF). The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Prosecutor's Office told Lenta.ru this. According to investigators, from April 2014 to May 2024, 46-year-old Ushangi Mamulashvili recruited foreign mercenaries, primarily from Georgia. He then trained them, armed them, and ensured their participation in combat. For this, he received payment equivalent to 23 million rubles. In April 2022, he publicly expressed anti-Russian positions and disseminated deliberately false information about the Russian Armed Forces. His recruits—34-year-old Giorgi Rusitashvili, 30-year-old Nodar Petriashvili, and 54-year-old Vano Nadiradze—participated in combat operations as mercenaries in the Georgian National Legion from February 2022 to July 2024 at various points of contact. For this, they received compensation: Rusitashvili received over 6.9 million rubles, Petriashvili 3.1 million rubles, and Nadiradze 7.1 million rubles. The court sentenced Rusitashvili, Petriashvili, and Nadiradze in absentia to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony, and Mamulashvili to 23 years in a maximum-security penal colony. In April 2022, the head of the Russian Investigative Committee ordered the prosecution of Mamuka Mamulashvili, the commander of the Georgian Legion in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stating that he was suspected of violating rules for the treatment of Russian prisoners of war. In March 2023, a Moscow court arrested four Georgian Legion fighters in absentia on charges of mercenarism, bringing the total number of defendants in the case to more than 20. Mamulashvili, the commander of the Georgian Legion, reported that Georgian citizens had joined several Ukrainian units. The website of the Georgian Legion, which Mamulashvili commands, makes no mention of any official status of the unit within the Ukrainian Armed Forces; it is described as a "military volunteer formation." The investigation and trial established that in 2014-2015, Mamulashvili Ushangi, with the assistance of Ukraine's political leadership, created the paramilitary group "Georgian National Legion" to participate in the armed conflict. He himself fought on the side of Ukraine against the Russian armed forces. Mamulashvili was also accused of making a statement inciting ethnic hatred and enmity on a video hosting site on April 5, 2022. Three other Georgian citizens—Vano Nadiradze, Giorgi Rusitashvili, and Nodar Petriashvili—were accused of arriving in Ukraine in 2022 and becoming Members of the Georgian National Legion, the Russian Investigative Committee's information center reports. Mamulashvili was found guilty of mercenarism, inciting hatred or enmity, and publicly disseminating knowingly false information about the use of the Russian Armed Forces (Parts 1 and 3 of Article 359, Item "a" of Part 2 of Article 282, and Item "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code). Nadiradze, Rusitashvili, and Petriashvili were found guilty of participating as mercenaries in an armed conflict (Part 3 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code). All four were remanded in custody in absentia and placed on the international wanted list. The court sentenced Mamulashvili to 23 years in prison, and Nadiradze, Rusitashvili, and Petriashvili to 14 years each, according to the agency's Telegram channel. ___ The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic delivered a verdict in absentia in the criminal case against Georgian citizens: 34-year-old Giorgi Rusitashvili, 30-year-old Nodar Petriashvili, and 54-year-old Vano Nadiradze. They were found guilty under Part 3 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code (participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict). A verdict was also delivered against 46-year-old Ushangi Mamulashvili. He was convicted under Part 1 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code (recruitment, training, financing, or other material support of a mercenary, as well as his use in an armed conflict), paragraph "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code (public dissemination, under the guise of reliable reports, of knowingly false information containing data on the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation), paragraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code (dissemination, under the guise of reliable reports, of knowingly false information containing data on the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation), and paragraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code (dissemination, under the guise of reliable reports, of knowingly false information containing data on the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation). Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code (incitement of hatred and enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity) and Part 3 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code (participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict). The court established that, between April 2014 and May 2024, Mamulashvili recruited mercenaries from foreign countries not party to the conflict, primarily from among former members of the Georgian Armed Forces. He then trained and armed the recruited citizens, and ensured their participation in combat operations. For these actions, the accused received remuneration equivalent to over 23 million rubles. In April 2022, Mamulashvili gave an interview to the Khodorkovsky-LIVE channel on YouTube, during which he publicly expressed anti-Russian positions and views, as well as knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces. In turn, Rusitashvili, Petriashvili, and Nadiradze participated as mercenaries in combat operations at various points of contact with the Georgian National Legion from February 2022 to July 2024. For this, Rusitashvili received a reward equivalent to over 6.9 million rubles, Petriashvili received 3.1 million rubles, and Nadiradze received 7.1 million rubles. Taking into account the state prosecutor's position, the court sentenced Rusitashvili, Petriashvili, and Nadiradze in absentia to 14 years in prison each. Mamulashvili was sentenced to 23 years in prison. All will serve their sentences in a maximum-security penal colony.