Georgia reportedly revokes gun permits for Georgian fighters in Ukraine after Russian court order

Rati Burduli, a Georgian volunteer soldier fighting against Russia in Ukraine, has shared a written order purporting to be from Georgia’s Interior Ministry stating that the country is revoking weapons possession permits for Georgians fighting in Ukraine. The order says that the revocation is in response to a conviction under Russia’s criminal code on the charges of being a mercenary.

The order, which Burduli posted on Instagram, does not specifically say who it is addressed to, if it pertains to Burduli specifically or all Georgian nationals who have been convicted under the same charges in Russia. Its veracity could not be independently verified.

Opposition-aligned media outlet Publika said it had contacted Georgia’s Interior Ministry for confirmation that the order is real, as well as more details, but said it has not received a response.

Burduli is a high-profile member of the Georgian Legion, and was awarded a medal of courage by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his service. He has also been repeatedly tried in absentia in Russia on various charges, including a conviction in March 2025 of committing terrorist attacks as part of the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Burduli has denied that he took part in the offensive.

In April, Russia added Burduli to its list of terrorists.

Georgian volunteers figure among one of the largest groups of foreign soldiers in Ukraine fighting against Russia, particularly within the Georgian Legion, which has been active since the beginning of Russia’s aggression in 2014.

While there was unease from Tbilisi with the number of Georgians fighting in Ukraine from 2014, tensions increased after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 as more Georgians joined the conflict.

Since then, Georgian Dream officials have threatened that Georgians fighting in Ukraine could be stripped of their citizenship and accused the Georgian Legion of being implicated in an alleged plot to overthrow the government.

In the summer of 2024, a number of Georgian fighters who had returned from Ukraine were summoned by the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) as part of the alleged plot.

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OC MediaXandie (Alexandra) Kuenning