Mamuka Mamulashvili
Mamuka Mamulashvili | |
---|---|
Birth name | Mamuka Zurabis dze Mamulashvili (მამუკა ზურაბის ძე მამულაშვილი) |
Nickname(s) | Heroy (Герой, lit. "Hero") |
Born | Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union | 22 April 1978
Allegiance | Georgia (1993) Chechnya (1994–1996) Georgia (2008) Ukraine (2014–present) |
Service/ | Georgian Land Forces (1993) (2008) Ukrainian Ground Forces (2016–present) |
Years of service | 1993–1996; 2008; 2016–present |
Rank | Commander |
Commands held | Georgian Legion |
Battles/wars | |
Awards |
Mamuka "Ushangi" Mamulashvili (Georgian: მამუკა (უშანგი) მამულაშვილი; Ukrainian: Мамука Мамулашвілі) is a Georgian paramilitary unit leader who currently commands the Georgian Legion.[1]
Early life
Mamuka Mamulashvili was born on 22 April 1978 in Tbilisi, the capital of the then Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union.[1] His father was a Georgian military officer, Zurab Mamulashvili.[2]
Abkhaz–Georgian conflict
Mamulashvili fought for Georgia in the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) when he was 14, alongside his father who was a Georgian military officer.[3] Mamulashvili later recalled, "My first war was in the 1990s, in Abkhazia."[1] During the war he was captured by Abkhaz forces and held for three months before being released.[3]
First Chechen War
Mamulashvili fought as a foreign volunteer against Russian forces in the First Chechen War (1994–1996).[4]
Return to Georgia
After the First Chechen War, Mamulashvili traveled to Paris to finish his education.[4] He then returned to Georgia and served as a senior military advisor to Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili.[4]
Mamulashvili fought for Georgia in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008.[4]
Ukraine
Mamulashvili moved to Ukraine in 2013 in order to support the Euromaidan.[5]
Georgian Legion
In 2014, Mamulashvili was one of the founding members of the Ukrainian Georgian Legion and is currently leading it against the 2022 Russian invasion.[4][6] He took part in the Battle of Hostomel Airport.[7]
Mamulashvili supports a no-fly zone to be placed over Ukraine, which he says is necessary to prevent Russian airstrikes.[7]
Awards
- 3rd degree Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali (1992)
- Order of the People's Hero of Ukraine
- Order for Courage
- Cross of Ivan Mazepa
- Medal "For Sacrifice and Love for Ukraine"
References
- ^ a b c Hauer, Neil (16 February 2022). "The Georgian fighters stiffening Ukraine's defences against possible Russian attack". National Post. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Peterson, Nolan (24 December 2021). "Foreign Fighters Vow to Support Ukraine Against Russian Invasion". Coffee or Die Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ a b Lowry, Willy (4 March 2022). "Foreign fighters answer Zelenskyy's call to defend Ukraine". The National. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Waller, Nicholas (26 February 2016). "American Ex-Paratrooper Joins Georgian Legion Fighting in Ukraine". Georgia Today. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Mariamidze, Tea (20 December 2017). "Heavy Shelling Wounds Georgian Legion Members in Eastern Ukraine". The Messenger. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Shamsian, Jacob (8 March 2022). "A Georgian commander fighting Russian forces in Ukraine says more international support will help defeat Putin". Business Insider. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ a b Andy Blatchford. "Band of others: Ukraine's legions of foreign soldiers are on the frontline". POLITICO. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Use dmy dates from March 2022
- Articles containing Georgian-language text
- Articles containing Ukrainian-language text
- Articles without Wikidata item
- 1978 births
- Living people
- Foreign volunteers in Chechnya
- Military personnel from Tbilisi
- Ukrainian military personnel of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military personnel of the Russo-Georgian War
- Recipients of the Cross of Ivan Mazepa
- Recipients of the Order For Courage, 3rd class
- Ukrainian military personnel of the war in Donbas
- Child soldiers