Citizen of Georgia, 58-year-old Koba Khabazi was sentenced in absentia by the DPR court to 13 years in prison under the article on participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict. According to the Russian Federation, he fought in the Ukrainian Armed Forces as part of the Georgian National Legion from March 2022 to January 2026. According to Russian prosecutors, he received 3.6 million rubles.
Koba Khabazi is on the international wanted list at the request of the Russian Federation. The court chose a measure of restraint for him in absentia in the form of arrest.
Koba Khabazi is an opposition politician in Georgia, a deputy from the United National Movement party and an active participant in pro-European protests. Human rights activists note that it is more correct to call foreign fighters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces military personnel rather than mercenaries, since their main motivation is often not material gain. Since the beginning of 2024, Russian courts have handed down at least 180 sentences in absentia to foreign volunteers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including 58 against Georgian citizens.
