Rustavi 2
May 11, 2023

Another Georgian fighter died near Bakhmut in Ukraine

Another Georgian fighter died near Bakhmut in Ukraine. According to the existing information, the deceased served in the foreign legion.

As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, the Embassy of Georgia in Ukraine has been informed about the death of a Georgian citizen and relevant procedures will be implemented.

A total of 44 Georgian fighters have died in Ukraine from February 24, 2022.

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Civil Georgia
May 11, 2023

U.S. Ambassador on Flights: Georgia doesn’t have to become dependent on Russia again

U.S. Ambassador Kelly Degnan responded to a question about Moscow’s decision to restore flights with Georgia and said that while it is not for the United States to say whether this will impact Georgia’s chances for the EU candidacy, “it does raise the question as to why Putin would give this to Georgia.” Amb. Degnan noted…that “we have seen that Putin does use the presence of Russians in a country to sometimes interfere in that country….”

The ambassador noted that many Georgians “are concerned about the hundred thousand Russians who came to Georgia last year”….

The ambassador said if the Russian President “wanted to show that he cared about Georgia,” he would have withdrawn Russian forces from Abkhazia and Tskinvali [South Ossetia]….

Amb. Degnan also recalled that Russia…is a country that is attacking Ukraine “in the same way that it attacked Georgia 15 years ago….

Kelly Degnan noted: “It seems very odd to welcome a gesture from a regime, a bloody regime that is in the middle of doing to Ukraine, what Russia did to Georgia just 15 years ago and still occupies your land”.

…She added: “We need more information as to how the Georgian government is going to respond to this, what the details of these potential flights are going to be before we can establish whether there are export control or sanctions that apply to this situation, but I would imagine that there will be some.”

Degnan serving under NATO in Afghanistan. Photo: Chicago Magazine.