Georgian soldier dies in Ukraine
By Khatia Bzhalava
Tuesday, April 20
A Georgian soldier was killed late at night by the Russian occupation forces in Donbas, Ukraine. According to Ukrainian media, 44-year-old David Shartava, who was a senior soldier of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, died in the fire opened by Russian occupation forces on April 18.
Reportedly, in the area of responsibility of the operative-tactical group East, the armed formations of the Russian Federation once again violated the ceasefire regime and opened fire on positions of Ukrainian soldiers with grenade launchers.
The 128th Separate Mountain Zakarpattia Brigade said in the statement published on Facebook that Shartava died because of “the treacherous actions of illegal military forces supported by the Russian Federation.” “The enemy, once again, broke all agreements and failed to comply with the silence regime. Such actions led to irreparable consequences,” reads the statement.
Shartava served as a staff sergeant in the Georgian army from 2003 to 2006. He joined the Georgian Legion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2016. According to his son, he was an experienced soldier and had been fighting since 2004. “He decided to go to Ukraine and continue fighting against the enemy there. He wanted to contribute to the protection of Georgia’s sovereignty,” Shartava’s son told TV Pirveli.
Shartava is the 11th Georgian soldier who died in the military conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
