A Georgian combatant has been convicted in absentia by a Russian court.

A Russian court sentenced Georgian citizen Zaza Shonia in absentia to 28 years in prison for participating in battles with Russian troops.

Zaza Shonia was charged in Russia with five criminal offenses: mercenarism, illegal border crossing, smuggling of weapons and ammunition, terrorism, and illegal arms trafficking.

According to the prosecution, Shonia has been participating in battles against Russian troops since 2022, and under contract with the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since at least 2024. "Following orders from his superiors, Shonia took direct part in the armed conflict on the Ukrainian side," the Russian Investigative Committee stated in a statement.

According to the verdict, Zaza Shonia crossed the Russian border with an assault rifle and ammunition in August 2024 and ended up in the Kursk region. "There, he offered armed resistance to the lawful activities of military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces. The defendant's illegal actions resulted in significant property damage," the statement stated.

The agency did not specify the exact damage Shonia caused or the estimated amount. The Georgian citizen was sentenced in absentia to 28 years in prison, with the first eight years to be served in prison and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony, along with a fine of 1.6 million rubles.

"The suspect has been placed on the international wanted list, and a preventive measure in the form of pretrial detention has been chosen for him in absentia," the Investigative Committee added.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in early February, a Russian court in Donetsk sentenced former Georgian Deputy Prime Minister Giorgi Baramidze in absentia to 6.5 years for participating in hostilities on the Ukrainian side. Later in February, the same court sentenced Georgian citizen Georgiy Chubetidze to life imprisonment. He fought on the Ukrainian side and was captured by Russian troops in the fall of 2023.

In March 2025, Russian human rights activists recognized seven foreigners persecuted by the Russian Federation for serving in the Ukrainian army as political prisoners, including Georgiy Chubetidze, Georgiy Goglidze, who was captured with him, and Mamuka Gatsrelia, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.

"The Geneva Convention for the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts does not recognize as mercenaries those who officially serve in the armed forces of one of the warring parties. All foreigners accused of mercenarism served under contract in official units of the Ukrainian army," states the publication of the "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial"* project.

* are listed as foreign agents.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.