Mamuka "Ushangi" Mamulashvili (Georgian: მამუკა (უშანგი) მამულაშვილი; Ukrainian: Мамука Мамулашвілі; born 22 April 1978) is a Georgian military unit leader who currently commands the Georgian Legion in Ukraine.[1]
Mamuka Mamulashvili მამუკა მამულაშვილი Мамука Мамулашвілі | |
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| Birth name | Mamuka Zurabis dze Mamulashvili (მამუკა ზურაბის ძე მამულაშვილი) |
| Nickname(s) | Heroi (Герой, lit. 'Hero') |
| Born | 22 April 1978 Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |  Georgia (1993) Chechnya (1994–1996) Georgia (2008) Ukraine (2014–present) |
| Service |  Georgian Land Forces (1993) (2008) Ukrainian Ground Forces (2016–present) |
| Years of service | 1993–1996; 2008; 2016–present |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands | Georgian Legion |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
Biography
editEarly life
editMamuka Mamulashvili was born on 22 April 1978 in Tbilisi, the capital of the then Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union.[1] His father, Zurab Mamulashvili, was a military commander during the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia.[2] His sister, Nona Mamulashvili, is a politician and deputy of Parliament of Georgia. He is a member of the United National Movement party of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
War in Abkhazia
editMamulashvili fought for Georgia in the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) when he was 14, alongside his father who was a Georgian military officer.[3] Mamulashvili later recalled, "My first war was in the 1990s, in Abkhazia."[1] During the war he was captured by Abkhaz forces and held for three months before being released.[3]
First Chechen War
editMamulashvili fought as a foreign volunteer against Russian forces in the First Chechen War (1994–1996).[4]
Return to Georgia
editAfter the First Chechen War, Mamulashvili traveled to Paris to finish his education.[4] He then returned to Georgia and served as a senior military advisor to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.[4]
Mamulashvili fought for Georgia in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008.[4]
Ukraine
editMamulashvili moved to Ukraine in 2013 in order to support the Euromaidan.[5]
Georgian Legion
editIn 2014, Mamulashvili was one of the founding members of the Ukrainian Georgian Legion and is currently leading it against the 2022 Russian invasion.[4][6] He took part in the Battle of Hostomel Airport.[7]
Mamulashvili supports a no-fly zone to be placed over Ukraine, which he says is necessary to prevent Russian airstrikes.[7]
There have been allegations of war crimes under his command, as part of the mis-treatment of prisoners of war in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which were seemingly confirmed by Mamuka, only for the commander to deny them later on.[8][9][10] In an interview published by the YouTube channel of the dissident Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, he said about the treatment of Russian prisoners: "Sometimes we tie them hands and feet. I speak for the Georgian Legion, we will never take Russian prisoners."[11] Mamoulashvili justified no quarter for Russian soldiers as a response to the Bucha massacre.[12]
On June 13, 2024, Mamulashvili reported that he's been poisoned for the third time.[13]
Criminal charges in Russia
editAs of September 2023, eight criminal cases have been initiated against Mamulashvili in Russia. Charges against him include recruiting mercenary fighters, inciting ethnic hatred and other. Mamulashvili alleged that Russia has also placed a bounty on him.[14]
Coup plot accusation in Georgia
editOn September 18, 2023, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) accused Saakashvili and his followers of plotting with the Ukrainian government and Georgian volunteers in Ukraine of planning a Coup d'état against the Georgian government, via organizing of mass antigovernment protests. Mamulashvili responded saying the development seemed to be orchestrated by the Kremlin, and that the "baseless" accusation demonstrated that the ruling party in Georgia was being supported by the Kremlin.[14] Kyiv demanded that Saakashvili be taken to a neutral country's clinic, citing he wasn't safe in georgian authorities' care.[15]
Awards
edit- 3rd degree Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali (1992)
- Order of the People's Hero of Ukraine
- Order for Courage
- Cross of Ivan Mazepa
- Medal "For Sacrifice and Love for Ukraine"
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Hauer, Neil (16 February 2022). "The Georgian fighters stiffening Ukraine's defences against possible Russian attack". National Post. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Peterson, Nolan (24 December 2021). "Foreign Fighters Vow to Support Ukraine Against Russian Invasion". Coffee or Die Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ a b Lowry, Willy (4 March 2022). "Foreign fighters answer Zelenskyy's call to defend Ukraine". The National. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ Mariamidze, Tea (20 December 2017). "Heavy Shelling Wounds Georgian Legion Members in Eastern Ukraine". The Messenger. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Shamsian, Jacob (8 March 2022). "A Georgian commander fighting Russian forces in Ukraine says more international support will help defeat Putin". Business Insider. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ a b Andy Blatchford (24 March 2022). "Band of others: Ukraine's legions of foreign soldiers are on the frontline". Politico. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Georgian Legion Commander Denies Involvement in Russian PoW Incident – Civil Georgia". civil.ge. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ Nicastro, Andrea (4 August 2022). "Il video dei militari ucraini che uccidono i prigionieri russi". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Mamuka Mamulashvili, Commander of the Georgian Legion: Ukraine is the only country to take on the challenge of the barbaric terrorist state that is Russia". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Il comandante georgiano filo-Kiev promette crimini di guerra: "Non faremo prigionieri russi e ceceni"" [The pro-Kiev Georgian commander promises war crimes: "We will not take Russian and Chechen prisoners"]. Globalist.it (in Italian). 8 April 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Ukraine's military accused of war crimes against Russian troops". Le Monde.fr. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ https://www.rferl.org/a/georgian-legion-fighter-mamulashvili-ukraine-poisoned-russia/32991300.html
- ^ a b "Georgia's security service accuses Ukrainian official of plotting coup". al jazeera. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Georgia accuses Ukrainian official of plotting coup". www.euractiv.com. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2024.