A de facto court in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk sentenced Georgian citizen and prominent lawyer Beka Basilaia to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony in absentia, alleging that he participated in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian state media TASS reported on March 6.
According to TASS, “the court established that Basilaia arrived in Ukraine in March 2022 and joined the Georgian National Legion,” and that he “underwent combat training and fought against the Russian Armed Forces until the fall of 2025,” allegedly receiving “more than 3.5 million rubles,” for what prosecutors described as “mercenary activities.”
“Basilaia was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. He is currently wanted internationally,” TASS said.
Basilaia, 37, is a lawyer who has represented prominent opposition politicians, including the former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is currently serving a 12.5-year sentence in Georgia after being convicted in four separate cases, and Murtaz Zodelava, who is among the five alleged organizers of the October 4 rally in Georgia’s capital.
Also Read: