In Truskavets or Batumi? Why Saakashvili arranged a trick with his arrival in Georgia

Former President of Georgia and Head of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Reforms of Ukraine Mikheil Saakashvili said that for the first time in eight years came home, despite the fact that he is wanted. At the same time, the Georgian Interior Ministry reported that the politician did not cross the border. The Segodnya website tried to figure out whether Saakashvili really returned home and why there is so little information about it.

“I took a risk to come”

On Friday, October 1, Mikhail Saakashvili said on his Facebook page that he was already in Batumi.

“Good morning, Georgia. Already from Georgia after eight years”– wrote the politician.

He also posted a video in which he addressed fellow citizens and urged them to come to the local elections on October 2.

“You see, I risked everything, my life, my freedom, everything, to come here. We all need to understand that voting for a dream will be the signing of the death penalty for Georgia. That is why on October 2, we must all go to the polls to save Georgia. And on October 3, in the morning of October 3, we will move from all over Georgia to defend the election results. I will join one of such columns. “– Saakashvili said.

On October 3, a rally will take place on Freedom Square in Tbilisi. The politician asked its members to form powerful columns to protect him from law enforcement officers.

“If the usurper’s government manages to arrest me, this should further strengthen our forces. In any case, I will not back down, and I hope you will too.”– Saakashvili added.

Authorities denied Saakashvili’s visit

It is difficult to determine on the published video whether Saakashvili actually recorded the video in Batumi, since the recording was carried out in the dark. Today’s motion designers and video editors watched the video and analyzed how likely it is to fake the video.

“After watching the video, we can say – there is no editing. This is a real shooting. There are a couple of reflections on buildings that are embarrassing (at 13-14 seconds), but, rather, this is due to poor lighting and from the light of lanterns. This is not a chroma key (green background for studio recording. – Ed.). It is too problematic to change the lighting under the chroma key as it changes on Sakashvili’s face from the lantern, “our experts said.

At the same time, the Georgian Interior Ministry said that Sakashvili did not cross the country’s border.

“Former President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili, who recently announced that he is currently in Batumi, did not cross the state border.”, – emphasized in the press service of the department.

One of the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, parliamentary deputy and Saakashvili’s opponent Givi Mikanadze also stated that the politician did not come to Georgia.

“All the video frames common to Saakashvili against the background of night Batumi are fake and just another clown”, – he thinks.

Prison awaits Saakashvili

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili stressed that the politician will be arrested as soon as he returns to the country.

“As soon as Saakashvili steps on our land, he will be arrested and imprisoned overnight.”– said the head of government to journalists and added that anyone who decides to prevent this will be punished.

According to him, Saakashvili deserves to be imprisoned because he has caused irreparable damage to the country. He also added that one should not wait for the return of the former Georgian leader, despite his promises.

“I really want Saakashvili to come, we will have a very good time. I promised him that I would prepare a very nice collection of ties and send him to a renovated prison. Why can’t he come, do you think? Because he is a coward, a hare and a fearful man. “– said the prime minister.

He promised and did not come

By the way, there have been similar cases before: when Saakashvili announced his return to his homeland, but did not appear there. In particular, in August last year, the politician promised to come to Tbilisi to participate in the parliamentary elections. It was even planned that if Saakashvili’s United National Movement wins, the politician would be nominated for the post of prime minister. However, Saakashvili did not come to Georgia, and the party lost his elections, gaining 27% of the vote.

Pretentious hype

For the past seven years, many of Saakashvili’s promises regarding Georgia have ended in words, experts suggest.

“Over the past 7 years, Saakashvili has often made loud statements that turned out to be just a pretentious hype,” says Segodnya political scientist Svetlana Kushnir.

According to her, Saakashivli understands very well that as soon as he crosses the Georgian border, he will be immediately arrested.

“I think this is another PR campaign of Saakashvili to attract attention. His further political career in Georgia is very doubtful. In Ukraine, he also did not show himself – his reform committee did not bring any results. But Saakashvili still wants to be on the roof of public interest. , so he can organize another shocking show, “the expert explains.

Agree with a colleague political scientist Vladimir Tsybulko.

“Today Saakashvili’s party cannot overcome the crisis and has little chance of winning the elections. I think Saakashvili’s task is not to support his own party, but to troll the rival, pro-government political force in order to undermine its authority,” the political scientist tells us.

Truskavets or Batumi

It is curious that the Georgian TV channel Imedi reported that in fact Mikheil Saakashvili is not in Batumi, but in Truskavets, where the congress of the Ukrainian party “Servant of the People” is currently taking place. According to journalists, it was in Truskavets that the night video was recorded.

In turn representative of the Georgian opposition “United National Movement” Murman Dumbadze said that Saakashvili is really in Georgia and he will go on air on October 2, at 20:05

What are the prospects for Saakashvili

Predictions that Saakashvili’s presence in Georgia will significantly affect the election results are extremely weak. According to experts, Saakashvili’s loud statements about his participation in the political life of Georgia can bring a small bonus. But there is a risk of facing a mountain of negativity if Saakashvili’s return turns out to be a “soap bubble”.

Why Saakashvili May Be Arrested in Georgia

• In Georgia, Saakashvili is involved in several criminal cases. In January 2018, the Tbilisi City Court found the former president of Georgia guilty of abuse of office and illegal early release from prison of former Interior Ministry officials and sentenced him to three years in prison.
• In June 2018, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Saakashvili in absentia to six years in prison for organizing an attack on Sandro Girgvliani, an employee of the United Georgian Bank.
• And in May 2020, a diplomatic scandal broke out between Ukraine and Georgia, and the Georgian ambassador was even recalled from Kiev. The reason for this was the appointment of Saakashvili to the post of head of the Executive Committee of Reforms under the President of Ukraine. In Georgia, then Saakashvili’s new appointment was called unacceptable, since he was convicted in absentia in his homeland and put on the wanted list. However, in April this year, Ambassador Teimuraz Sharashenidze returned to Kiev and Georgia announced the normalization of relations with Ukraine.

Recall that a year ago, Saakashvili was already going to return to Georgia, when parliamentary elections were held there in October 2020. Only his party lost them. Saakashvili himself even aimed for the post of Prime Minister of Georgia.