He was in the service of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921). After the Soviet forces occupied the country, he left for Poland and joined the Polish army as a colonel. During the Nazi invasion of 1939, he took part in the northern defense of Warsaw. He was later awarded with the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari. During the German occupation of Poland he joined the Polish Home Army. As part of the Polish underground resistance movement he used the pseudonym "Tomasz". After the Red Army took control of Poland, Valerian Tevzadze joined the Polish underground against the communists until his death in 1987.