MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS/. The Georgian National Legion paramilitary unit has been recognized by a Russian court as a terrorist organization and included in the list of terrorist organizations, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) press office told TASS.

"On the basis of evidence collected by the FSB, the Southern District Military Court recognized the Georgian National Legion paramilitary unit as a terrorist organization. In accordance with the abovementioned decision and the federal law "On Combating Terrorism," the unit was included in the Unified Federal List of organizations, including foreign and international, recognized as terrorist in accordance with Russian law. Its activities are banned on the territory of Russia," the FSB said.

The press office pointed out that the unit was established in 2014 "under the auspices of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, currently the Georgian National Legion is the largest armed formation staffed by nationality." Members of the unit take part in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces, and are also involved in organizing sabotage and terrorist acts on Russian soil, torturing Russian servicemen and killing civilians, the press office said. The recognition as a terrorist organization "will make it possible to qualify the criminal activity of the members of the Legion and their accomplices not only under Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Mercenarism"), but also under the articles on terrorism," the FSB emphasized.

At present, the FSB continues to take measures to identify and eliminate threats to state security posed by members of the Georgian National Legion terrorist organization.