Mikheil Saakashvili, former governor of Odessa and former president of Georgia, has now lost both his Ukrainian and Georgian citizenship
Former Odessa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili has been stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship, apparently leaving him stateless, according to a statement by Ukrainian migration officials. Kiev says Saakashvili falsely claimed that he wasn’t under investigation in Ukraine or any foreign state when he was granted Ukrainian citizenship in 2015. At the time, however, Georgian police had issued a warrant for his arrest.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko first announced the government’s intention to cancel Saakashvili’s citizenship late last year, shortly after Saakashvili resigned as the governor of Odessa, where he was in office from May 2015 until November 2016.
In December 2015, Saakashvili lost his citizenship in Georgia, where he served two presidential terms between 2004 and 2013. Saakashvili’s wife, Sandra Roelofs, is a Dutch citizen. It’s unknown if Saakashvili himself had any citizenship other than in Ukraine.
Meduza survived 2024 thanks to its readers!
Let’s stick together for 2025.
The world is at a crossroads today, and quality journalism will help shape the decades to come. The real stories must be told at any cost. Please support Meduza by signing up for a recurring donation.