Avtandil Surmanidze

Avtandil Surmanidze, 30, Ukrainian war veteran, was arrested on October 10 in Batumi and charged with participating in organized group violence related to the October 4 protest. He is not accused of attempting to seize a strategic facility.

Surmanidze, originally from Khulo, has spent over three years in Ukraine fighting against Russia. He was home in Georgia to visit his family, who have the status of socially vulnerable. He stated in court that he did not take part in any violence and did not resist arrest.

Surmanidze has a documented war injury — he was shot in the leg, has undergone multiple surgeries, and suffered a concussion. In Ukraine, he served as an instructor and missile operator in an air defense battalion.

This case occurs in a broader context where Georgia's authorities have attempted to link Georgian volunteers in Ukraine to alleged domestic "terrorism" or rebellion.