Soldier recently killed by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine turns out to be Georgian

A Georgian soldier in the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade has been reported killed as a result of 'insidious actions of illegal military formations supported by the Russian Federation' on April 18, the 128th Separate Mountain Zakarpattia Brigade said in the statement posted on its official Facebook page.

Shartava's son told TV Pirveli today that his father was in the trench when the grenade launcher was thrown.

He was an experienced soldier. He had been fighting since 2004... In 2016 he decided to go to Ukraine and continue fighting against the enemy there. He wanted to contribute to the protection of Georgian sovereignty first of all", he said.

Georgian soldier David Shartava is the 11th combat loss of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the front since early April  2021.

Earlier on April 18 the press service of the Operational Command East (OC East), a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in eastern Ukraine, reported that as a result of enemy shelling from an automatic machine grenade launcher, one Ukrainian soldier was killed and another was wounded.