CHAOS

Former Georgian President Saakashvili Detained, Freed by Supporters in Kiev

Masked officers dragged him from an apartment, sparking violent clashes.

Police in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday dragged former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili from an apartment in the city, sparking violent clashes between his supporters and law-enforcement officers. Ukrainian supporters reportedly freed him from a police van after his detention sparked outrage. Police said Saakashvili was taken into custody on suspicion of assisting a criminal organization, and amid the chaos, they fired tear gas into the crowd. Saakashvili’s supporters tried to stop the police van by crowding the vehicle and setting up barricades. Earlier, from his roof, Saakashvili reportedly accused President Petro Poroshenko of being a traitor and a thief. As he was being shoved into a blue minivan, he said, “What they are doing is lawlessness in the eyes of the whole world. I urge all Ukrainians to take to the streets and drive out the thieves.”