UKRAINIAN-GEORGIAN MILITARY COOPERATION: СOSSACK TRADITIONS AND TRENDS OF THE ERA OF THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR

The purpose of this article is to study the historical perspective of cooperation between Ukrainians and Georgians in the most important field today – the military. The objectives of the article are to establish the main stages of cooperation, the circle of people involved, and outline further prospects. The complex of narrative and documentary materials allows us to highlight the main research tasks. The historiography of this issue has two notable components: general and special. Thus, the main achievement of modern historiography is the concept of “bonded by blood”, which successfully reflects the essence of military cooperation between Ukrainians and Georgians, and even more so – of fighting brotherhood. The most intense stage of Ukrainian-Georgian cooperation for a long time remained the period of 1917–1921. At this time, the main enemy of Ukrainians and Georgians – the Russians – became evident. Throughout the Soviet occupation, military cooperation was made impossible and only flourished in emigration. During World War II, the largest number of Georgians and Ukrainians fought as part of the Soviet army, but much more important for the formation of traditions of national military cooperation is the participation of Georgians in the struggle of the UPA. The modern era of Ukrainian-Georgian cooperation reminds us of the spiral of history – we must again repel the invasion of the Russian enemy. Fortunately, today both nations have their own statehood and a greater degree of support from the international community, although still insufficient. One of the main lessons of the history of the Georgian and Ukrainian peoples can be expressed in the apt saying: "Peace is not the absence of war, it is the absence of Moscow".