PoW Tells How Ukraine's Mercs Try to Avoid Russian Strikes

A captured Georgian soldier enlisted in Ukraine’s International Legion sheds light on the reality of military operations in the Lugansk region.

Foreign recruits from “The Second International Legion of Defense of Ukraine” are stationed in Slavyansk, where they live in rented apartments in fear of Russian missile strikes, Georgian mercenary Georgy Chubetidze told Sputnik.

Chubetidze said that he served in the legion with the rank of junior sergeant. The other day, he and his fellow Georgian mercenary were captured in the Kremennaya, Lugansk People's Republic. The sniper pair headed to their designated firing point, but took a wrong trail and got to the positions of the Russian group "Otvazhhye" (lit. Brave Ones).

According to the captured soldier, the Second International Legion has two companies – Alpha and Charlie. Alpha includes fighters from Ukraine’s neighboring countries, while Charlie has enlisted foreigners from France, the US, the UK, Brazil etc. Most of the recruits have combat experience, having served in the Middle East and Central Asia.

"We rented an apartment in Slavyansk. A larger flat could house four people. It depends on the size," he said.

Chubetidze noted that foreigners "from further abroad" also lived there. He elaborated that the Ukrainian command was apprehensive to have the entire staff grouped together, fearing a Russian strike on the premises with all the mercenaries. The soldier claimed that Ukraine’s military command normally chooses a random site to gather their fighters.

“I guess, the commander is afraid of bombings. (... ) He decides on a rally point right after the decision is made," the prisoner stated.

Chubetidze was born in 1983 in Gori (a city in eastern Georgia). In 2007 he was detained on theft charges and released four years later.

He moved to Turkiye, and worked in Istanbul as a constructor, but in 2015 he was deported back home due to some trouble with the law. After moving to Ukraine, he signed the first contract with Ukraine’s Armed Forces in 2016. Chubetidze worked in military logistics in the 72nd Brigade until 2019. However, legal issues at home did not stop there. Georgian authorities accused the man of an attempt to storm the parliament and civil riot, for which he "faced 7 to 15 years" in jail.

Chubetidze shared that he had no ID, and there was no way for him to get a new Georgian passport. He previously resided in Kiev with his wife and children. In 2022, the Ukrainian police detained him for fighting in the street. Chubetidze spent ten months in custody awaiting trial. He was later recruited by the Ukrainian counterintelligence and signed a contract with the Second International Legion.