More than 2,000 fighters from Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region, known as South Ossetia, are in Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to Artem Abramov, a representative of Russia’s 4th Military Base stationed in the region.

Abramov made the statement on September 28 during a roundtable at the so-called South Ossetian State University in Tskhinvali. He reported that volunteers from the region had fought in Donbas since 2014 and that their numbers had increased significantly since then. He also noted that many had received Russian military awards. Abramov’s statement provides a rare recent figure for the reported involvement of people from the Tskhinvali region in the conflict.

The participation of fighters from Georgia’s occupied territories in Russia’s war against Ukraine has been reported since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian authorities alleged at the time that Russia had recruited and deployed personnel from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, while reports of casualties among South Ossetian fighters emerged during the early months of the war.