Russia "only understands the bullet": Georgian legion fights against Putin's army - also for their own country

Created: 07/11/2022, 22:18

By: Linus Prien

Ukrainian soldiers hold a Georgian Legion flag.

© IMAGO / ZUMA Press

In Ukraine, militias are fighting alongside the armies of the two warring factions.

Among other things, the Georgian Legion.

Their goal is to defeat Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Kyiv - Since 2014 they have been supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russia.

Even in the escalated Ukraine war, they are directly at the front: The "Georgian Legion" is a force of around 1000, mostly Georgian, soldiers who are fighting in eastern Ukraine.

But there are also other compatriots among them, including 50 Britons, as reported by

.

The aim of the troops is to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin: "It's the same fight for us, the enemy in Georgia is the same as in Ukraine," says one of the Georgian soldiers.

Georgian militia in the Ukraine war: "Russians are not people"

The men are aware of the danger of their project, but their contempt for Russia seems to overshadow this.

Responding to the possibility of dying, one soldier said, "Yes, it's not easy for people to kill, but Russians aren't people."

In addition to the Georgian Legion, there are also other militias fighting in the Ukraine war, both on the Ukrainian and on the Russian side.

The best known is probably the Wagner Group, which occupies an important position in Putin's war construct.

However, the leader of the Georgian Legion, Mamuka Mamulashvili, in an interview with

, emphasized the difference between his soldiers and units like the Wagner Group: they did not fight for money, but out of conviction and to defeat Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Georgian Legion: "Russia is a terrorist state and we must be brave enough to say so"

Georgia was also invaded by Russia.

For this reason, Georgian soldiers are also fighting in Ukraine and have clear views on Russia and its president: “If someone puts on a bomb belt in a shopping center, they are called a terrorist.

But if an entire country does nothing but kill civilians, can't we call them terrorists?

Russia is a terror state and is killing civilians in the middle of Europe and we have to be brave enough to say that,” says Mamulashvili.

The soldier does not differentiate between Russian civilians and the Kremlin.

The resentment of anything Russian in the group of soldiers runs deep.

She doesn't seem to see a path to more peaceful relations with Russia: "Diplomacy with Russia doesn't work.

There isn't an agreement they haven't broken because the only language they understand is the bullet."