Monitoring Desk: “Inviting Trouble at Home” is an English phrase and it truly represents situation in Ukraine which invited former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and appointed him as chairman (Governor) of Odesa Regional State Administration in 2015.
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was a “wanted person” in his country (Georgia) for alleged corruption and was living in United States before Ukrainian President Poroshenko invited him to hold important assignments in Ukraine and he was granted citizenship of Ukraine to fulfill legal requirements for placing him as chairman (Governor) of Odesa Regional State Administration.
Mikheil Saakashvili has a reputation of “A man from Washington” in Eastern European diplomatic circles and he became one of the most trusted men of President Poroshenko after later assumed the charge of Presidential office. However, President Poroshenko realized soon that he has (had) invited trouble to his home. Within a year, Mikheil Saakashvili became a potential political threat for President Poroshenko and he registered his political party namely “Movement of New Forces Party” in Ukraine and announced his desire to contest Presidential Election. After this political adventurism, he was clamped in forgery cases and was virtually thrown away from Ukraine. On July 26, 2017 President Poroshenko issued a decree stripping Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship but Saakashvili refused to accept the decree and said that “I have only one citizenship, that of Ukraine”.
On September 10, 2017, Saakashvili traveled by bus to the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing, where he was allowed to pass through a Polish checkpoint on the border with Ukraine, but then he was temporarily blocked from reaching Ukrainian checkpoint by border guards. However, his followers broke through from the Ukrainian side and took Saakashvili into Ukraine.
On December 5, 2017, Saakashvili was temporarily detained by Ukraine’s Security Service in Kyiv but he was freed from police by a large group of protesters. On December 8, 2017, General Prosecutor of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko announced detention of Saakashvili. Now, Saakashvili is on hunger strike in detention. His Lawyer Ruslan Chernolutsky said that if the court passes a decision to select 60-day custody as a preventive measure, Saakashvili will go on an even harsher hunger strike.
There are several protests in Capital city of Kiev since political drama started on December 5 which can hamper Ukrainian economy that is coming out of recession after two years. EU is looking the situation keenly but quietly while US is yet to express its viewpoint over Saakashvili issue.
Thousands of Saakashvili supporters are staging protest in Kyiv against Ukraine president Poroshenko till the filing of this report.
