Mikheil Saakashvili's entry into Ukrainian politics in 2014 brought several loyalists from Georgia's reformed security sector. Many joined the Georgian Legion, formed in 2014 to fight against Russia. Saakashvili returned to Georgia in 2021 and faced arrest, while the Legion persisted in its fight in Ukraine. The connection between Saakashvili and the Legion strained relations with Georgia's ruling party, leading to accusations and investigations against Legion members. In 2023, the Georgian State Security Service (SSSG) accused Saakashvili and the Legion of conspiring with Ukraine for a coup. Georgian fighters are now summoned for questioning. The Legion has faced persecution from Russia, with Mamuka Mamulashvili surviving multiple poisoning attempts and the Legion being labeled a terrorist organization by Russia in 2024.

Saakashvili and the Georgian Legion

Some of Mikheil Saakashvili's loyalists, many of whom were members of the Georgian security and defense bodies, accompanied him into Ukrainian politics in 2014. During his tenure as Georgia's president, he heavily reformed and modernized the security sector and law enforcement bodies. Many staff members had created a special bond with him and feared political vengeance from the Georgian Dream (GD), the party that came to power in 2012. When the war erupted in 2014, the Georgian Legion operating in Ukraine recruited many of these individuals and deployed them against the Russian army.     

The link between the legion and Saakashvili in the years 2014-2017 is clear: Saakashvili in 2015 honoured his Facebook page to the Legion's fallen soldiers and accompanied 29 fighters to the ceremony of blessing and awarding medals of valour by the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Filarete. He was again at their side in 2016, when an Orthodox priest renewed the blessing for fighters.

The year 2016 was a turning point for both the Legion and Saakashvili’s political life in Ukraine. President Petr Poroshenko signed a decree authorising the Ukrainian army to recruit foreigners. The Legion was then integrated into the 25th "Kievan Rus" motorised infantry battalion of the 54th Brigade. Legionaries were given the right to consider Ukrainian citizenship. This changed their position towards the homeland; they could apply for Ukrainian citizenship, risking losing the Georgian citizenship, which is exclusive. 

That year also signalled one of the many hectic and unpredictable phases of Mikheil Saakashvili’s political life. He resigned as governor of Odessa. He accused President Poroshenko of supporting corrupt practices and allowing enemies of Ukraine to gain influence in the region. President Poroshenko accepted Saakashvili’s resignation, and the following year he issued a decree stripping Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship. Saakashvili then left to later announce his return to Ukraine in September 2017, urging supporters to meet him at the border checkpoint. He then attempted to enter Ukraine but was initially blocked at the border. He eventually crossed with the assistance of a crowd. 

Ukraine's Security Service temporarily detained him during anti-government protests in December 2017.  He was arrested on the roof of his flat, which was searched. A large group of protesters freed him from police custody. Once again detained, he initiated an indefinite hunger strike before a Ukrainian court released him from detention. Later, he was deported to Poland and banned from entering Ukraine until 2021. Eventually, Saakashvili appeared in the Netherlands and received permanent residency there.     

Saakashvili’s Ukrainian citizenship was restored by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May 2019. Zelenskyy proposed Saakashvili to head the executive committee of the National Reform Council in May 2020. In the meantime, the Legion had withdrawn from the 54^th Mechanised Brigade and had moved to another brigade, denying that the tensions with the Ukrainian army were connected to the political vicissitudes of Saakashvili. 

In 2021, Saakashvili returned to Georgia, where he was arrested, while the Legion was still fighting in Ukraine.

The Legion Between Ukraine and Georgia           

The Saakashvili-Legion connection is a factor that creates considerable tension between the Georgian Dream government in Tbilisi and the Georgian legionaries. The former generally refer to them as mercenaries and consider them the worrying armed arm of GD’s political opposition. The Georgian Criminal Code has numerous articles that provide penalties from 5 years up for foreign fighters or for those who transfer military material or intelligence to foreign commands in order to undermine Georgian national security. These articles can be applied to those who are fighting in Ukraine insofar as their activities are assessed as a source of risk for Georgia.

Some legionnaires reported intimidation and threats against their families in Georgia. To assess the plausibility of Georgian legionaries’ claims for asylum, the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) issued a 2018 report. The report discusses the strong link between Saakashvili and the Legion, the Legion's military activities,  its integration into the Ukrainian Army, and the more tense relations in the period when Saakashvili left Ukraine. 

Mamuka Mamulashvili, a veteran of wars against Russia, leads the Legion. Mamulashvili, born in 1978 in Tbilisi, is the son of Zurab Mamulashvili, who commanded forces during the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia, where Mamuka, at age 14, fought alongside him. While still a childfighter, Mamuka Mamulashvili was captured and held for three months by Abkhaz forces before being released. Later, he joined the First Chechen War (1994–1996) as a foreign volunteer against Russian troops. He then completed his education in Paris and returned to Georgia to serve as a senior military advisor to President Saakashvili. Mamulashvili fought in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. In 2013, he moved to Ukraine to support the Euromaidan protests, and in 2014 he co-founded the Georgian Legion, which he now leads in the ongoing conflict against the 2022 Russian invasion. During this conflict, he participated in the Battle of Hostomel Airport. His sister, Nona Mamulashvili, is a politician, and she was a member of the United National Movement party in Georgia.

In September 2023, the State Security Service of Georgia accused Saakashvili and his supporters of conspiring with the Ukrainian government and the Georgian Legion to orchestrate a coup against the Georgian government. The SSSG alleged that Ukrainian intelligence was planning anti-government protests for October and December 2023. In response, the Georgian government initiated criminal cases against Mamulashvili. According to  the SSSG, Mamulashvili was training groups in the use of weapons near the Polish-Ukrainian border. Mamulashvili denied the allegations, dismissing them as unfounded and suggesting they were a reflection of the pro-Russian stance of the Georgian Dream party.                

In July 2024, the SSSG summoned several Georgian fighters in Ukraine, including Konstantine Jghamaia, Beso Bendeliani, Lasha Chigladze, Vazha Tsetsadze, and Nadim Khmaladze, for questioning in a classified investigation. They requested to be interrogated before a magistrate judge. Due to the classified nature, neither the summoned nor their lawyers can publicly disclose details. Khmaladze linked the investigation to his involvement in fighting “terrorist Russia” and opposing the Georgian government. He posted a video on Facebook before his testimony, claiming he received only an hour's notice of the court appearance.  

Konstantine Jghamaia’s lawyer, Tornike Chikovani, stated that the investigation is under Article 315 (conspiracy or rebellion to change the constitutional order) and Article 18-323 (terrorism) of the Georgian Criminal Code. Beso Bendeliani criticized the agency, expressing distrust and mockery over the accusations of rebellion and coups. Nadim Khmaladze, who has already been questioned, mentioned inquiries about his activities in Ukraine and potential connections with foreign intelligence services.

The Legion and Russia: From Poisoning to “Terrorism”

Indeed, the list of legionaries who lost their lives in Ukraine includes many refugees from Abkhazia and survivors of the 2008 war. Unofficial data suggests that between 50 and 60 Georgian fighters died in Ukraine. The Legion literally translated their anti-Russian struggle from the Georgian theatre to the Ukrainian one. Not surprisingly, in Russia, the Legion is considered an enemy. 

In 2023, more than 70 fighters from the Georgian National Legion were prosecuted in absentia by the Investigative Committee (IC) of the Russian Federation for their involvement in hostilities on the side of Ukraine. Eight criminal cases were initiated against Mamulashvili in Russia, including charges of recruiting mercenary fighters, inciting ethnic hatred, and other offences. He was sentenced in absentia. Mamulashvili claimed that Russia had also placed a bounty on him. In 2024, he confirmed that he had survived a third attempt at poisoning. His medical analysis revealed the presence of arsenic, mercury, and tin in excessive amounts in his body. Doctors believe the toxins were ingested. 

Since spring 2024, Russian law has recognized the Georgian Legion as a terrorist organization. Following a decision by the Southern District Military Court, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) added the Georgian Legion to its list of terrorist organizations, which of course implies that all its activities are illegal on what Russia considers its territory. In response, Mamuka Mamulashvili stated: “This is a sign of our effective work, which will continue, and the Georgian Legion will certainly celebrate its inclusion in Russia’s terrorist list today.”      

Contributed by Dr. Marilisa Lorusso