A captured Georgian fighter was sentenced to life in prison in Donetsk.

A Russian court in Donetsk sentenced Georgian citizen Georgiy Chubetidze to life in prison. He fought on the Ukrainian side and was captured by Russian forces in the fall of 2023. Human rights activists have recognized Chubetidze as a political prisoner.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in November 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the capture of two Georgian citizens, Georgiy Goglidze and Georgiy Chubetidze, releasing footage of their interrogation. In April 2025, Georgiy Goglidze was sentenced to nine years in a maximum-security prison.

According to the investigation and the court, Chubetidze fought in various Ukrainian units from October 2014 to November 2023. He was charged with two counts of mercenarism and four counts of attempted murder of military personnel.

According to the court, a Georgian citizen shot five Russian soldiers in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2015-2016 and 2023, RIA Novosti reported, citing the Russian Investigative Committee.

The agency's report claims that Chubetidze was sentenced in absentia, although he remains in captivity. "The court sentenced Chubetidze to life imprisonment in a special regime penal colony," the report stated.

The Russian Investigative Committee officially announced the completion of its investigation into Chubetidze's case on June 19. "At the time of his arrest, Chubetidze was carrying a tablet computer, which was confiscated (...). A video recording from a sniper rifle's scope was found in the device's memory, which recorded an attempt on the life of a Russian serviceman," the department's press service stated.

In March 2025, Russian human rights activists recognized seven foreigners persecuted by the Russian Federation for serving in the Ukrainian army as political prisoners, including Georgiy Chubetidze, Georgiy Goglidze, who was captured with him, and Mamuka Gatsrelia, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.

“The Geneva Convention for the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts does not recognize as mercenaries those who officially serve in the armed forces of one of the warring parties. All foreigners accused of mercenarism served under contract in official units of the Ukrainian army,” states the publication of the “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial”* project.

* are listed as foreign agents.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.