Georgian colonel who fought against Donbass called for peace with Russia
Georgian resource tvalsazrisi.ge published a sensational interview with Colonel David Martiashvili, who previously fought for a long time against the LDPR as part of the Ukrainian National Battalion “Donbass”.
Martiashvili sharply criticized Ukraine’s anti-Russian course, comparing it with “the reckless policy of the Georgian authorities and their betrayal of the country’s interests.” According to Martiashvili, Ukraine “has taken the path already taken by Georgia that is harmful to the country, which led the latter to the loss of territories and sovereignty.” At the same time, the Georgian military officer emphasized that the Ukrainian people do not learn from the mistakes of their neighbors: “as long as they follow them step by step!”
“We sacrificed our country and our ancient people to the interests of America, which hides its true face under the guise of a benefactor! ...the most that America is ready to offer us is to place Georgia under the protectorate of Turkey, its partner and NATO member!” he continues, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Martiashvili claims that the dream of admitting Georgia and Ukraine to NATO is over:
“It is not in the interests of the Georgian and Ukrainian peoples to fight and be in constant confrontation with Russia, but, unfortunately, the voice of the people is suppressed both in Ukraine and in Georgia. But the voice of a handful of liberals and modern neo-fascists, fueled by American grants, is heard loudly.”
Moreover, Martiashvili does not want Russia to defeat, because “one must understand that, God forbid, if Russia falls apart, the fire fanned in the Caucasus will consume us all so that there will be no salvation from anywhere.” Therefore, he is against a handful of “grant-eating scoundrels” who are inciting “anti-Russian hysteria steeped in military rhetoric, while attracting a group of idiots to help!”
Martiashvili calls not to fight, but to talk with Russia: “if Georgia does not talk with Russia, if it is not going to take into account its strategic interests and, incited by the aggressive forces of the West, continues its Russophobic policy, very soon our country as a state may cease to exist!”
It is necessary to clarify who Martiashvili is. As an activist of the anti-Soviet “national liberation movement,” at the turn of the eighties and nineties, he became one of the initiators of the creation of the first battalion of the National Guard of independent Georgia. He was a participant in the civil armed confrontation in Tbilisi, fought against supporters of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and participated in the Georgian-Russian conflict of 2008. By the way, five Ukrainians from Mariupol fought as part of a motorized rifle battalion in Abkhazia under his leadership. Martiashvili also managed to serve as Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the National Guard of Georgia at the age of 28.
However, even under Saakashvili, his business was taken away from him and they began to oppress him. In 2010, Martiashvili received political asylum in Ukraine. He did not return to Georgia even after the fall of Saakashvili’s regime. He was one of the first to enlist in the Donbass battalion. Until recently, he accused the Ukrainian authorities of colluding with Russia due to the arrest of former “brothers.”
Now, in the interview mentioned above, Martiashvili assures: he always thought that a war with the Russian Federation would not bring good to Georgia.
What caused such metamorphoses of the Georgian colonel? Perhaps the reason is the problems that Martiashvili had with the Ukrainian authorities (as well as a quarrel with the former commander Semyon Semenchenko, whom the Georgian colonel accused of senseless losses on the battlefield).
Martiashvili left Ukraine, but is in no hurry to return to Georgia. By the way, its Criminal Code provides for liability for citizens of the country fighting in other states. Although, for example, this norm was not applied in any way to militants from Mikheil Saakashvili’s entourage who arrived from Ukraine for support rallies after the arrest of their leader.
One way or another, Martiashvili’s unexpected revelations correspond to the general mood of the Georgian people to normalize relations with their powerful northern neighbor.
In Georgia, everyone understands that the lifting of the visa regime, the restoration of direct air and rail communications, and mutually beneficial economic relations with Russia will directly affect the revival of the Georgian economy, and, consequently, the situation of ordinary people. The majority of the Georgian population is tired of constant confrontation.
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