Mikheil Saakashvili deported from Ukraine to Poland

Witnesses say people in military uniform burst into the restaurant after arriving in four minibuses. No information was available for the first few hours following his detention nor did authorities make any concrete statements.

It was announced later that the former governor of the Odessa region and the leader of the ‘Movement of New Forces’ opposition party had been taken to Boryspil Airport and was flown on a private plane to Poland. The border service of Ukraine confirmed that Saakashvili had been sent back to the country from which he entered Ukraine back in September 2017.

This was also confirmed by the border service of Poland, which published a statement confirming Saakashvili’s arrival in the country:

“The basis for this decision was an application submitted by the Migration Service of Ukraine on readmission. The fact that Mikheil Saakashvili’s spouse is a citizen of an EU state also played a role in the examination of the case made by the Ukrainian side.”

Saakashvili got in touch with television channel Rustavi 2 immediately after arriving in Poland.

“What has happened is an obvious declaration of panic. They aren’t afraid of anyone as they are afraid of me,” said Saakashvili. He further said that he was kidnapped from Kiev under duress. He said that the Polish side welcomed him warmly. “MPs came to see me and they gave me state protection,” Saakashvili said.

He further stated: “Ivanishvili is powerless and afraid … if he was capable of something, he’d have held negotiations with Poroshenko about handing me over to him … but they are both as afraid of me as they are of fire.”

In response to the question of whether Saakashvili would continue his political struggle, he answered:

“They put me in prison – and I continued my struggle there. They deported me to Europe, I’ll fight from Europe. This is not a problem given the existence of modern communication tools. They – Ivanishvili and Poroshenko – thought what, that they’d get rid of me? Everything is only just beginning! I will help both the Georgian and Ukrainian nations free themselves from these two calamities, from this plague. I will play a decisive role in the toppling of Ivanishvili and Poroshenko,” Saakashvili said.