The Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) handed down a life sentence to 22-year-old Mamuka Gatserelia, a Georgian citizen who was fighting in Ukraine. He was accused of killing three Russian soldiers in the occupied city of Mariupol.
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According to information provided by the General Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee of Russia, Mamuka Gatserelia entered the territory of Ukraine in March 2022, signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, underwent training, and was subsequently deployed to Mariupol.
“On April 1, 2022, Gatserelia, acting as a mercenary, was positioned in a combat position within an apartment building on Tsibulko Street in Mariupol. He opened fire on four Russian Armed Forces servicemen, resulting in the death of three servicemen on the spot, with one managing to survive. On April 14, 2022, while in a combat position on Fedorov Street, he threw two hand grenades at a group of Russian Armed Forces servicemen, thereby posing a genuine threat to their lives and well-being,” stated the Russian Prosecutor General's Office.
Mamuka Gatserelia was found guilty under Article 137 (intentional homicide of a military serviceman) and Article 359 (participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Per the court's ruling, he will serve his sentence in a high-security penitentiary.
The Investigative Committee highlighted that Mamuka Gatserelia voluntarily surrendered as a prisoner in May 2022 and has fully admitted to the crime.
“Don't worry, I'm fine - he said, but I don't think he is fine because you saw yourself how he looks in the picture. I heard that they told him to say that they treat Georgians well,” stated Mamuka Gatserelia's mother, Dali Chkheidze, who spoke with her son over the phone before the verdict was announced.
The Georgian authorities have not yet provided commentary on the sentence issued to Mamuka Gatserelia. The family has reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Committee of the Red Cross for assistance. Additionally, they are urging the Ukrainian authorities to take all necessary actions to secure the release of Mamuka Gatserelia.
“Whoever can assist us, please do. Help us prevent him from being killed. We know that he will not be able to survive there; there will not be a good outcome for him,” emphasized Dali Chkheidze.
The Gatserelia family originates from Abkhazia and has been displaced. According to Dali Chkheidze, shortly after the commencement of the war in February 2022, Mamuka volunteered to go to Ukraine because he “believed it was a fight for Georgia.” He was 21 years old at the time. Subsequently, the Georgian fighter joined the ranks of Azovstal. In May, following two months of resistance, units of the Ukrainian army, besieged by the adversary, complied with the directive issued by President Volodymyr Zelensky and vacated Azovstal. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that between May 16 and May 20, 2,439 prisoners of war from the Azov Regiment and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, encircled within the confines of Azovstal, surrendered.
