Kathrine Frich
For years, relations between Russia and Georgia have been marked by conflict, pressure and political mistrust.
The two countries fought a brief but consequential war in 2008, and the fallout has shaped the region ever since.
Against this backdrop, the fate of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has become increasingly entangled with the wider struggle unleashed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This week, Saakashvili turned directly to Kyiv with a personal request.
Seeking special status
According to European Pravda, Saakashvili has appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to recognize him as a “civilian prisoner” of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
He said the move was prompted by his recent transfer from a Georgian hospital back to a prison facility.
Saakashvili claims he was poisoned in March 2022, shortly after the full-scale war broke out, and argues that the attack was arranged by Russia.
He accuses the Georgian authorities of having “openly sided with Russia”, insisting that his ongoing prosecution is politically driven.
In a statement published on Facebook, he linked his situation directly to the conflict. “It is absolutely clear that my persecution and my fate are connected to the war,” he wrote.
Appeal to Kyiv
Saakashvili asked Zelensky to intervene in a way similar to 2019, when the Ukrainian leader restored his country’s revoked citizenship.
He urged Kyiv to grant him status as a civilian prisoner affected by the war, citing his previous roles in Ukraine.
“I want to ask you, just like in 2019, when you restored my illegally revoked citizenship: please include me, as the former head of the Odessa Region Administration and head of the Executive Committee of the National Reform Council, who is illegally detained by the pro-Russian regime of Georgia, in the list of civilian prisoners of this war, with the corresponding legal consequences,” Saakashvili wrote.
He argued that such recognition would acknowledge both his service in Ukraine and the political dimensions of his detention.
Legal pressure at home
Saakashvili has been serving a lengthy sentence after Georgian courts convicted him on several charges, including embezzlement and illegal border crossing.
His total prison term exceeds 12 years. Georgian prosecutors also opened a new case in November, accusing him and several opposition figures of attempting to incite the overthrow of the government.
At the same time, Georgian officials have moved to label his political party, the United National Movement, unconstitutional, escalating tensions between the authorities and the country’s most prominent opposition groups.
His supporters argue that the timing of these legal actions show the political nature of the case, while authorities insist the charges are based on domestic law, not international events.
Zelensky has not publicly responded to Saakashvili’s request. Ukraine has previously voiced concern about his health and treatment, but granting formal recognition as a civilian prisoner would carry diplomatic implications for Kyiv’s already strained relationship with Tbilisi.
Sources: European Pravda, Digi24
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation
