Russia Sentences Georgian Azovstal Defender To Life Imprisonment

Mamuka Gatserelia, a 22-year old fighter from Georgia, was sentenced to life by the separatist court of DPR for the killing of three Russian infantrymen during combat, according to the Russian Federation's General Prosecutor's Office.

"He opened fire on four Russian servicemen in an apartment in a multi-story building; three of them died, and one managed to escape."

While fighting in Azovstal; the final stronghold of Ukrainian troops in the besieged Mariupol, Mamuka was captured on May 20, 2022.

"He was talking to me quietly. They didn't allow him to [use] the phone there, and I don't know how he managed to... He [Mamuka] told me that they know everything about Georgians who have gone to war and those who are captured. They know everything about Georgian fighters. I asked about the treatment, ‘are they beating you, son?’ – He answered that it ‘doesn't matter anymore.’ He would’ve been tortured, of course, and would be under pressure." – said the soldier’s mother in an interview

The 22-year old fighter hails from Abkhazia, a region of Georgia currently under Russian occupation.