On September 7 2026, former Georgian Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze announced the formation of his international volunteers combat unit called “Georgievsk” fighting alongside Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Partskhaladze, who had held Russian citizenship since 2021 according to Transparency International Georgia, lost his Georgian citizenship in 2023 after then-President Salome Zourabichvili stated that he did not apply to retain it. Since then Partskhaladze added “Romanov” to his surname and is now known as Otar Romanov-Partskhaladze. The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have all imposed sanctions on him.
Russian media TASS described Partskhaladze as the commander of the recently founded unit and as a veteran of Russia’s military operations; since the beginning of the hostilities, he reportedly assisted Russian servicemen and civilians in Russian-controlled Donetsk, Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions. He also reportedly served for nine months in Russia’s Arbat volunteer corps before establishing the Georgievsk group in September 2026.
Partskhaladze explained that he named the unit after the 1783 Treaty of Georgievsk. This treaty established a major Georgian kingdom as a protectorate of the Russian Empire in return for prerogatives in the conduct of Georgian foreign affairs, but was ultimately followed by the kingdom’s annexation by the Empire. While Partskhaladze clearly stated that the purpose of the unit was to help Russia achieve its objectives against Western pressure in order to preserve Russia’s identity, traditions, language, and culture, the number of fighters in the Georgievsk group and the nationalities represented in it have not been disclosed.
Partskhaladze has also accused the fighters of the Georgian Legion —a Ukrainian-based volunteer unit formed in 2014 and later integrated into Ukrainian forces— of being war criminals, and stated that they would be held accountable and prosecuted under Russian law. Russia has designated the Georgian National Legion as a terrorist organization and banned it in the Russian Federation.