33 Georgians killed by Russian troops in Ukraine – parliament speaker

Shalva Papuashvili, the speaker of the Georgian parliament, on Monday expressed his sorrow over the death of six Georgian fighters in Ukraine over the past several days, with five of them killed on Saturday. 

“33 Georgians have already died in this war [Russia-Ukraine war], and this is certainly a great loss for our country. I would like to offer my condolences to the families of the deceased, their relatives and Georgia as a whole,” Papuashvili said.

Avto Rurua, Romeo Pirchakhia, Roland Kvaratskhelia, Badri Markelia, and Merab Aladashvili were the Georgian fighters killed near the city of Bakhmut on December 3, marking the deadliest day for Georgian volunteers since the beginning of Russia-Ukraine conflict in late February. 

In response to the death of Georgians, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, tweeted in Georgian and said that the people had fought for “peace, freedom”.