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‘On the front line, nobody asks who you voted for. They only ask — can I trust you with my life?’—Mamuka Mamulashvili, Commander, Georgian National Legion, Ukraine
It’s an honor to bring back the Bette Dangerous podcast with Mamuka Mamulahsvili explaining to our audience what the Hegseth-Trump military spectacle was really about last week.
Mamulashvili has spent 32 years fighting Russian imperialism and is currently the Commander of the Georgian National Legion in Ukraine, where his troops have been fighting on behalf of democratic freedom since the beginning of the invasion in 2014.
He shares his insights with the Bette community from the point of view of someone who spent time in a Russian prison when he was 14 years old, who understands what happens when armies are politicized.
Have a listen. You will also find notes that he shared with us below and a way to help his troops get military grade first aid kits on the frontline.
“The power of America has always been that its soldiers swear an oath to the Constitution — not to a man. Keep that oath sacred. I’ve fought dictatorships. I’ve seen how they rise — and I know how they fall. Freedom never disappears all at once. It disappears word by word, order by order, speech by speech.”—Mamuka Mamulashvili for Bette Dangerous
Hello,
My name is Mamuka Mamulashvili.
I am the Commander of the Georgian Legion — a unit fighting shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians since 2014.
I’ve spent 32 years in war — against Russia, against tyranny, against everything that destroys a free nation.
So when I hear speeches by Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth about “restoring warrior spirit” or “purging weakness” from the U.S. military — I listen not as an outsider, but as someone who has lived through what happens when armies are politicized.
1. What they are doing wrong: turning soldiers into political instruments
Trump and Hegseth talk about creating a “stronger,” more “disciplined” army.
But what they are really doing is turning the military into an ideological tool.
When you demand that soldiers “get in line or get out,” you are no longer building a professional force — you are building political obedience.
I’ve seen this happen before. In Russia, loyalty to the flag was replaced by loyalty to one man — and it destroyed their army’s honor.
That’s not strength. That’s corruption in uniform.
2. Militaries must serve law, not ideology
The U.S. military’s greatest strength has never been blind loyalty. It’s been the rule of law — the chain of command that ends not with a personality, but with the Constitution.
When Trump and Hegseth speak about “invasions from within” and “training in American cities,” that’s not strategy — that’s fear-mongering.
They’re trying to turn the soldier’s oath into a political weapon.
That is the first step in every authoritarian playbook: redefine the enemy as your own citizens.
3. They confuse image with substance
I’ve fought beside American soldiers. I know their courage, discipline, and professionalism.
But I also know that true strength doesn’t come from speeches about masculinity or slogans about toughness.
It comes from responsibility, training, intelligence, and respect for every life.
When leaders focus on image — on appearing strong — they forget the purpose of the military: to defend freedom, not feed pride.
4. They risk dividing the army itself
This kind of rhetoric creates internal division — between those labeled “loyal” and those branded “woke.”
Once you divide soldiers by ideology, you break the chain of trust that keeps them alive in battle.
On the front line, nobody asks who you voted for.
They only ask — can I trust you with my life?
The moment politics enters that question, the army stops being an army.
5. Lessons from experience
In my country, I saw how quickly patriotism can be twisted into fanaticism.
How easily words about “purity,” “discipline,” and “restoring greatness” become the language of suppression.
That’s why this moment matters. Because what Trump and Hegseth are doing is not about defense — it’s about control.
And once control replaces service, democracy begins to die from the inside.
6. My message to the American people
I say this with respect and friendship.
The United States has been a light for free nations — including mine.
But no country is immune to the disease of authoritarianism. It doesn’t begin with tanks. It begins with speeches — when leaders start treating their army as their private army.
The power of America has always been that its soldiers swear an oath to the Constitution — not to a man.
Keep that oath sacred.
I’ve fought dictatorships.
I’ve seen how they rise — and I know how they fall.
Freedom never disappears all at once.
It disappears word by word, order by order, speech by speech.
This is Mamuka Mamulashvili, Commander of the Georgian Legion.
And I am telling you: protect your army from politics, before politics consumes your freedom.
—Mamuka Mamulashvili Bette Dangerous, October 5, 2025
More about our guest:
Mamuka Mamulashvili — Commander of the Georgian National Legion (Ukraine):
Mamuka Mamulashvili has been at war for 32 years. Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, former USSR, he is currently the Commander of the Georgian National Legion (Ukraine). Born into a military family, his father, Lieutenant General Zurab Mamulashvili, commanded one of the brigades of the Georgian army, which included his son as a young volunteer. At the age of 14, Mamuka took part in the Georgian-Russian war in Abkhazia. Towards the end of the conflict, he and his father were taken prisoner. Mamuka spent three months in captivity and was later released through a prisoner exchange program. His father was released at a later stage. Mamuka Mamulashvili fought in Chechen campaigns, fighting on the side of the Chechen independence forces against Russian troops… On April 22, 2014, Mamulashvili founded the Georgian National Legion. Just two days later, on April 24, the Legion arrived in Ukraine and began training Ukrainian volunteer formations preparing for war in Donbas. In February 2016, the Georgian Legion was formally integrated into the 25th Motorized Infantry Battalion “Kyivska Rus”. The unit maintained its own internal structure and command while continuing to conduct combat operations. In 2017, the Legion left this brigade and was transferred to other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where it continued active combat duties. In the months preceding Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Legion actively trained civilians and volunteers. According to Mamulashvili, over 20,000 people underwent preparation within just three months. From the very first hours of the invasion, the Legion took part in the battle for Hostomel airport and in the defense of Kyiv region. Since then, the unit has remained engaged in combat operations along key frontlines.
Public Activity and Threats
Mamuka Mamulashvili frequently appears in the media, giving interviews to Ukrainian and international outlets, and participating in conferences and public forums.
Russian intelligence launched a large-scale disinformation campaign targeting the Legion, focusing primarily on the social network Twitter (X). The operation involved 32 individuals — citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Estonia, and other countries. All of them were identified and are currently under investigation by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The Russian authorities placed him on a wanted list and sentenced him seven times in absentia, issuing a wide range of politically motivated charges. He’s reported multiple poisoning attempt with heavy metals, confirmed both through laboratory analysis and officially by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine. His latest assassination attempt was thwarted by Ukrainian security forces. More here (with English subtitles):
Awards and Recognition
Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali, 3rd Class (Georgia)
People’s Hero of Ukraine (2015, non-governmental award)
Order “For Courage” (Ukraine)
Medal “For Sacrifice and Love of Ukraine”
More than 12 awards from the Patriarchate of Ukraine
17 awards from Ukrainian government agencies, the Ministry of Defense, and other security structures
A number of other state and non-state distinctions
In September 2025, the President of Ukraine decorated Mamulashvili and the fighters of the Georgian Legion with high state honors for their contribution to the defense of the country.
In Kyiv, the city officially opened the “Georgian National Legion” Square — the first square in the capital named after a military formation, awarded to a volunteer unit.
****To help the Georgian National Legion — Ukraine — in its fundraiser for military first aid kids, you can donate via PayPal to: help2164wolves at proton.me****
You can also watch a RadPod interview here.
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