Bodies of two Georgian volunteers, Gia Beriashvili and Davit Ratiani, killed in combat action in Ukraine, have been transferred to Georgia earlier today.
Family members and dozens of citizens gathered at the Tbilisi International Airport early in the morning to pay respect to the Georgian nationals who joined forces fighting against the Russian troops in Ukraine.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili was also present to express her condolences to the families of the deceased volunteers.
This morning I was proud to be among thousands of Georgians paying tribute to the freedom fighters killed in Ukraine & returned to their homeland pic.twitter.com/CCbhpYaah3
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) March 24, 2022
Beriashvili’s body was transferred from the airport to the Temka Cemetery in Tbilisi, while Ratiani’s body was taken to the family home. Both Georgian volunteers will be buried with military honours.
The volunteers were killed on March 18 in a clash near the city of Irpin close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The Georgian Foreign Affairs Ministry officially confirmed their death with Giorgi Zakarashvili, the Ambassador of Georgia to Ukraine, saying the Georgian side worked with the relevant structures in Ukraine to ensure the transportation of the bodies of two Georgians.
The body of Bakhva Chikobava’s, the third Georgian volunteer killed in the fighting, has not yet been transferred back to Georgia. Chikobava died during a clash in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which currently is under siege.