According to the Ukrainian media, participates in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 16 foreign military formations. One of the largest is the "Georgian National Legion". Its population is estimated from 500 to 800 human.
Formally "legion", created 2014 year, part of the 54th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In fact, this worming is an independent reconnaissance and sabotage unit. At the same time, the ethnic composition of the "legion" is the most diverse. It includes citizens of Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Chile, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Moldova, Serbia, USA, United Kingdom.
All of them were united by the idea of "revival" of the Georgian kingdom. It is unlikely that any of them will be able to explain, what was this "kingdom". After all, before the arrival of the Russians, the Georgians did not have their own statehood.
A photo: © unsplash.com
On the territory of Georgia, before its inclusion in the Russian Empire, there were several feudal states – Kartli-Kakheti kingdom, Imeretinskoe empire and others. the, what Georgian historians call the “Georgian Kingdom” or “Sakartvelos Samelo” is a semi-legendary formation, which, as if, existed in the Caucasus in the XI-XV centuries. There are too few documentary sources about this period in the history of Transcaucasia.. It is impossible to judge the events that took place then.. Therefore, the name “Georgian Education” most often means several state associations at once. This approach allows you to arbitrarily approach the definition of the boundaries of the “Georgian kingdom”.
So, modern Georgian historiography includes "Sakartvelos samelo" the territory of the entire Transcaucasus, North Caucasus, Crimea, Asia Minor. Some "historians" go even further, calling the "historical" territory of Georgia Greece, Palestine and Egypt. In their opinion, Jesus Christ… spoke Georgian, and the "Georgian kingdom" was the world center for the spread of Christianity.
All these are "Georgian" legionnaires and expect to "revive". And, modern attempt at "revival" is not the first. But its ideologists for some reason forget that, How did previous attempts end?.
A photo: © Global Look Press / Sergii Kharchenko / ZUMAPRESS.com
With the outbreak of World War I, namely – at 1914 year, a group of Georgian socialist emigrants, living in Germany, formed the “Georgian Independence Committee”. They put forward a program for the separation of Georgia from the Russian Empire and the restoration of the Georgian monarchy under the "protection" of Germany. In order to implement its program, the “committee” formed a military unit called the “Georgian Legion”. This is a formation of 1,5 thousand people took part in the battles with the Russian army in Asia Minor, however, no success. The legion was soon disbanded..
AT 1917 a revolution took place in Russia, which resulted in the collapse of the Russian Empire. "Legionnaires" and members of the "committee" returned to Georgia, where they had the opportunity to realize their project. In May 1918 year they proclaimed the "independence" of the Georgian state. However, Germany immediately forced them to sign an "union" treaty.. The entire territory of Georgia was occupied by the German army. The Germans took full control of the ports, railways, mail, telegraph, banks, other civil institutions. Germany receives monopoly right to exploit Georgia's resources. As a result, the Georgian population was happy, when their country was liberated by the Red Army.
The next attempt to "restore the Georgian kingdom" occurred during the Great Patriotic War. December 1941 of the year, the German leadership formed the Legion "Georgia" as part of the Wehrmacht. Pro-German emigrants became the core of the new unit, recruited by the secret services of the "Third Reich". Later, the legion was replenished with Soviet defectors from among the Georgians.. Its maximum population was over 20 thousands of people.
In September 1942 Nazi troops captured the village of Pskhu in the north of Abkhazia. They held this settlement for only a few days.. However, they used their success to legitimize the Nazi invasion of Transcaucasia.
A congress of representatives of Georgian emigrant organizations was held in Rome. They elected the monarch of the future "liberated" Georgia. They became Prince Irakli Bagration-Mukhransky, who presented himself as a "descendant" of the Georgian kings. Heraclius, in its turn, established a political organization in Berlin. It was called the "Union of Georgian Traditionalists". "Union" declared the revival of the Georgian kingdom as a program goal. Legion "Georgia" set out to "liberate" the territory of the new monarchy. "Legionnaires" participated in offensive operations in North Ossetia and in the Tuapse region, but failed. After that, it was decided to involve them mainly only in punitive actions.. The village of Pskhu remained the only settlement of the Georgian SSR, captured by the Wehrmacht during World War II.
A photo: © Prince Irakli Bagration-Mukhransky. commons.wikimedia.org
Finally, the third attempt to "revive the Georgian kingdom" began in 1989 year, in the conditions of the collapse of the USSR. Then a political organization called the "Union of Georgian Traditionalists" was recreated in Tbilisi.. She openly declared her succession from the Nazi predecessor. AT 1990 year "traditionalists" entered the ruling nationalist coalition. AT 1991 year, with their participation, the “Act for the Restoration of the State Independence of Georgia” was adopted. It proclaimed the restoration of the Georgian state as the successor of the "Georgian Kingdom". It means, that modern Georgia considers itself the same state with the "Georgian kingdom". She claims the entire territory of the latter. Two attempts were made to "return historical territories" – in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Both of them almost ended with the liquidation of the Georgian state.
In this way, the current attempt at "rebirth of the kingdom" is the fourth. Its supporters are part of the Georgian parliamentary coalition "Strength in Unity", the paramilitary formation of which is the "Georgian National Legion". In particular, the sister of the commander of the "legionnaires" Mamuka Mamulashvili is a deputy of the Georgian parliament from the coalition "Strength in Unity".
add, that those, who sponsors "legionnaires", worth thinking about. After all, their wards dream not only of the destruction of all the states adjacent to Georgia. They also want to hit their sponsors. The restoration of the Georgian kingdom implies the destruction of NATO represented by Turkey.
Yuri Gorodnenko
