Georgian Patriarch Ilia II on Wednesday sent his condolences over the recent death of five Georgian volunteers in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on December 5, stating “our sorrow is great”.

The top cleric stressed “life does not end with death, but it is the beginning of eternal, true life, for which we must all prepare”.

Avto Rurua, Romeo Pirchakhia, Roland Kvaratskhelia, Badri Markelia and Merab Aladashvili became the latest casualties among Georgian volunteers in Ukraine, while Jambulat Khoperia died on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 33. 

The first Georgian volunteer was killed in the Russia-Ukraine war on March 18, shortly after the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24.