Georgian Legion: ‘The Wolves of Ukraine’

By: Warren Gray

Copyright © 2024

“Russia is a terrorist state…we have to be brave enough to say it…

they’re killing everybody; they’re killing good people in the street.

Putin is a pure war criminal…This is our fight, too. It is the entire

 world’s fight, good against evil…fighting for freedom and democratic

ideals…So, we will be here until the end…I have been fighting for

30 years…diplomacy doesn’t work with Russia…because

the only language they understand is the bullet.”

— Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of The Georgian Legion.

The Georgian National Legion, or simply the Georgian Legion, aptly nicknamed “The Wolves of Ukraine,” was formed in Kyiv in 2014 by Mamuka “Ushangi” Mamulashvili, now age 45, a former, Georgian officer and combat veteran of the Abkhaz-Georgian conflict, the First Chechen War, and the Russo-Georgian War. He fought hard during the short 2008 war, witnessing Russian war crimes that included executions, torture, and other atrocities against POWs and civilians that haunt him to this day.

For many Georgians, the Russian invasion of their own homeland on August 1, 2008, followed by the permanent Russian annexation of two regions of Georgia, serves as harsh motivation to help the Ukrainians in any way possible. One Georgian veteran stated that, “It is the same fight for us, the enemy is the same in Georgia and Ukraine…We have one enemy, and this enemy occupies 20 percent of my land. When we have fewer of them here, it means less to kill at home.”

Mamulashvili said, “The horrors we saw in Irpin and Bucha (Ukraine), the tortured bodies, raped children, starving people, it was just like in Georgia. Except now the world is watching…We are under control of Ukrainian armed forces…we work under their command…We have a reputation of a good unit, a good battalion, professional. So they’re (foreign volunteers) trying to reach us…It’s not just the fate of Ukraine that’s being decided here…but many European countries, NATO countries, and Georgia…as well.”

The Georgian Legion consists of approximately 500 to 1,000 Georgians, and a further 1,000 to 1,500 foreign volunteers from at least 33 nations, including many Americans (about 50), British (at least 50), Canadians, Germans, and other nationalities. Only experienced fighters or military veterans are allowed to join their ranks. In fact, the commander of the foreign volunteers within the Georgian Legion is Matthew Robinson, age 41, a British veteran of the Iraq War.

The Legion conducts sabotage, ambush, and reconnaissance activities behind enemy lines, and has participated in a number of major battles. They also instruct and train Ukrainian civilians, police officers, soldiers, and foreign volunteers. As of February 2024, 44 Georgian Legion volunteers (33 Georgians and 11 other nationalities) have been reported killed in action.

There is also the separate International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine, or simply the International Legion, founded on February 27, 2022, with an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 active members from 60 countries, commanded by Ukrainian Colonel Ruslan Miroshnichenko. This unit had sustained 427 casualties as of March 27, 2024, including 64 Georgians, 47 Americans, 19 British, 14 French, and 11 Canadians.

A military intelligence wing of the International Legion, known as the Legionnaires Special Service Group (LSSG), is comprised of foreign fighters, and was created by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence directorate. The group has been successful in carrying out several attacks behind enemy lines, operating in small groups, who go into and out of enemy territory clandestinely.

But the Georgian Legion has been in existence much longer, with far more combat experience, more professional training, using only veteran fighters, and has a better reputation overall, with a much lower casualty rate.

The Georgian Legion wears camouflaged uniforms, especially in the MultiCam pattern, or woodland camo, but other patterns, as well. In garrison, they wear a black beret with embroidered, wolf-head insignia. Now, let’s examine some of their vast array of weapons and equipment:

Assault carbines: ČZ 806 BREN 2 carbine in 5.56x45mm NATO, with 11-inch or 14-inch barrel (Czech-made, but also produced under license in Ukraine), Kalashnikov AKM or AKMS in 7.62x39mm, AK-74 or AKS-74 in 5.45x39mm, Zastava (Serbian) M70AB2 in 7.62x39mm, and new, FN (Belgian) FNC or SCAR-L Mk. 2 in 5.56x45mm NATO. Commander Mamulashvili himself carries an ordinary AKM with fixed, wooden stock. A few Colt M4A1 carbines in 5.56mm have also been seen.

ČZ 806 BREN 2 carbine in 5.56mm. Photo by Ministry of Defence

Service pistols: The Glock-17 and Jericho 941 in 9x19mm are the most commonly seen handguns, both of which are also used by the Georgian Army. The Czech ČZ P-10C is also employed.

Submachine guns: Czech Škorpion vz. 61 (2,085 donated by Czech Republic) in 7.65x17mm (.32 ACP).

Sniper rifles: Barrett M99 AMR in .50 BMG, Barrett M107A1 in .50 BMG, with suppressor, and Accuracy International AWM (donated by the Netherlands) in .338 Lapua Magnum. The Savage 110 Elite Precision rifle in 7.62x51mm NATO has also been seen.

Light machine guns: RPD and RPK guns in 7.62x39mm, and RPK-74 in 5.45x39mm.

Medium machine guns: PKM in 7.62x54mmR, and Beretta M42/59 in 7.62x51mm NATO.

Combat knives: KA-BAR fighting knife (all-black), also favored by the Georgian Army and U.S. Marine Corps, has been seen in photographs.

Anti-tank weapons: RPG-18 Mukha (“Fly”) in 64mm, RPG-26 Aglen in 72.5mm, RPG-75-M (Czech-made) in 68mm, NLAW (British) in 150mm, FGM-148F Javelin in 127mm, Pansarskott m/86 (AT-4) from Sweden in 84mm, and RGW 90 MATADOR (German) in 90mm.

Antiaircraft weapons: FIM-92E/F/G/H Stinger heat-seeking missiles are used.

Reconnaissance drones: DJI Mavic 3 (Chinese-built), used by the Ukrainian armed forces.

Tactical vehicles: They’ve been seen driving pickup trucks, and small, unidentified, Jeep-like, camouflaged vehicles in the field, with no doors or side windows.

These are just some of the weapons that have been seen and photographed in the hands of the Georgian Legion volunteers fighting in Ukraine. They have a very modern and eclectic arsenal, with multinational fighters all loyal to the Ukrainian cause. As Commander Mamulashvili has clearly stated, “This is our fight, too. It is the entire world’s fight, good against evil…fighting for freedom and democratic ideals…So, we will be here until the end.”

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Warren Gray is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer with experience in joint special operations and counterterrorism, and is an NRA member. He served in Europe (including Eastern Europe) and the Middle East, earned Air Force and Navy parachutist wings, four college degrees, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Intelligence Operations Specialist Course, and the USAF Combat Targeting School. He is currently a published author, historian, and hunter.