Detention of Ukrainians in Georgia: what we know and what they are accused of

Read also: The names of the Ukrainians detained in Tbilisi were known

What happened

On Sunday, December 2, six Ukrainians and one Georgian citizen were arrested in Tbilisi, which is arrived in the city on November 27. At the local Ministry of the Interior, such actions were explained by the fact that in the rooms where the detainees lived during the searches, the Beretta and Makarova firearms, automatic weapons and ammunition were withdrawn. The Georgian Department added that the detention was based on the article of the Georgian Penal Code, which provided for the responsibility of the illegal acquisition and possession of firearms, ammunition and firearms. 39; explosives.

Evidence of the presence of arms in Ukraine provided by the Georgian police

Initially, the Ukrainian media had announced that the deputy was a member Self-help and former Battalion Commander Donbass Semen Semenchenko. He denied this information, but confirmed that he was actually in Tbilisi, where he came with his friends to visit "companions on the ground".

I have known them for almost five years. In the years 2014-2015, they fought and served in the battalion of which I was responsible. When they arrived, they were tested, they did not have any weapons. They had no political motives. Perhaps, while Luke Chkhetia was going to go to a rally (the action of the Georgian opposition against the newly elected president, which was held on December 2 editions),
– said Semenchenko.

Judgment

On Tuesday, December 4, the court of Tbilisi was arrested by Ukrainians. According to the founders of the New Forces Movement party, detainees can be released on bail (US $ 800 per person). Ukrainian lawyers will appeal this decision

The court ruled that no one had removed his fingerprints, including his weapons. The hotel administration and cleaning agents have free access to the rooms where the weapons would have been found. The keys they left at the reception. There is no evidence that they need the weapon at all
– said Semen Semenchenko, present at trial

adding that many residents of Tbilisi had come to support the Ukrainians detained. They said that they visited them and that they knew them personally.

They are accused of planning a revolution in Georgia with two rusty guns, cartridges and a grenade. Of course, the guys are not guilty at all, they came to see their brothers and sisters. We will create a powerful team of lawyers and protect them,
summed up the deputy deputy.

Audience in Tbilisi

Channel 24 attempted to contact the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, but within the diplomatic department the court decisions Have not been commented yet.

What do we know about inmates?

Among the detainees: Roland Melia, Luca Chkhetia, Igor Orlenko, Yury Korostylev, Alexander Novikov, Sergei Kladko and Dmitry Kuragin. They are volunteers of the Donbass Battalion.

Luca Chkhetiya – the only citizen of Georgia among all detainees. It is known that in February 2018, he was arrested in Ukraine, during an action near the Solomyansky District Court in Kiev, where he then chose the preventive measure taken by the mayor of Odessa, Gennady Trukhanov. He was then released on bail of the people's deputies Egor Sobolev, Semen Semenchenko, Pavlo Kostenko and Volodymyr Parasyuk. Sobolev called Chkheti a "Georgia volunteer".

The Georgian media reported that this time, Chkhtiya arrived in Tbilisi to take part in a united opposition campaign. In addition, in reference to his sister's words, it was reported that the Chkhety family considered arrest as a "political revenge"

Rolland Melia is known for his participation in trade blockade in Donbass. He is a member of the Liberation Movement, a Crimean immigrant and a volunteer. On June 20 of this year, he was arrested in Kiev. "A visa to the wife was arrested by the police, they were taken away," said his arrest, Yegor Sobolev. He had already been released on July 19th.

Video of the capture of Rolland Melia in Ukraine:

Igor Orlenko fought in the Donbass Battalion and is an activist of the Liberation Movement. Participated in the protest action in Solomensky court, demanding the arrest of Odessa Mayor Trukhanov. After this action, he was beaten by the police.

Alexander Novikov had already been arrested in Ukraine: on November 24, 2017, he had been arrested in Kiev on suspicion of kidnapping a man. On November 26, Novikov was arrested for two months. However, on January 2, 2018, he was released under house arrest

Yuri Korostylov was arrested in January 2016 upon his arrival from the ATO region on vacation. Then he was charged with illegal kidnapping, extortion, banditry, kidnapping and robbery. On August 30, Korostylev was released. According to media reports, he reportedly participated in the liberation of Artemivsk, Popasnaya, Lisichanska, Marinka, Krasnogorovka and the first assault on Ilovayskaya.

Dmitry Kuragin with the Turtle's call is also an ex-fighter Donbass. Born in Sevastopol. There is currently no more detailed information on the detainee. In today 's court in Georgia, he wrote on the indictment "Glory to Ukraine!

Dmitry Kuragin

Explanation of Georgia

Minister of the Interior of Georgia Georgy Gakhar ] arguing that all detainees are suspected of having links with the opposition party, the United National Movement, whose leader is former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Given the very sensitive subject of the presidential election, there are, of course, such suspicions. They are confirmed by their statements made during interrogations, as well as by their visits to various actions in Tbilisi, but this is only suspicious. The investigation is underway. In fact, we seized the weapons of the detainees who arrived in Tbilisi, said the Georgian minister
– .

One of the leaders of the Georgian opposition Grigol Vashadze has already declared no connection with the detainees. He pointed out that they had arrived the day before the election, day when the protest action had not yet been announced.

Reaction of Ukraine

On Monday, the head of the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vasyl Kirillich, said that lawyers had been appointed for detained Ukrainians. He added that their rights were not violated.

On December 4, the action in favor of the detainees of Ukrainians took place under the Georgian Embassy in Kiev. The participants in the action are convinced that the case is manufactured.

These are soldiers who did not have a battle and who went to war, they could not afford to break the law: neither in Kiev nor in Tbilisi. We ask the Georgian authorities not to touch the Ukrainian and Georgian people at the front, not to act under Putin's ploys,
– explained one of the militants.

Protesters presented portraits of Ukrainian detainees, chanting "Let's free our boys!" and requested a meeting with the Ambassador

Action under the Georgian Embassy in Kiev

The Embassy has opened the door that the wives of the detainees and recommended them to write an appeal to the Embassy of Ukraine in Georgia with questions that interested them. : regarding the living conditions of Ukrainians, the examination, etc. The ambassador himself was not on hand – he had an important meeting. The embassy representatives apologize for the current situation.

One of the organizers of the campaign, David Sakvararelidze, explained the purpose of the meeting.

Georgia reacts very painfully to the Ukrainian question and to Ukrainians, fearing the Maidan's experience in Ukraine. They decided that the Ukrainians will probably organize the same revolution there. Therefore, as in the good old 90's, they took and threw two rust-proof guns and bullets into an automatic machine (and the machine itself – no). This suggests that all this was happening in panic. We will certainly not leave the guys in trouble
he said, adding that the action would continue until the liberation of Ukrainians.

Activists asked for a meeting with the ambassador, but

The action was also a deputy of the people of "Self- help " Yegor Sobolev . He called for "not boiling the Georgian and Ukrainian peoples" and suggested that the Russian Federation was also relevant in this case.

Georgians, like Ukrainians, fight for their freedom and for the right to have a law. Like Ukraine, Georgia has a lot of problems with Russia. Ukrainians and Georgians are brothers. They came for help. What is happening now is a shame for the Georgian law enforcement agencies, who act in the same way that our law enforcement agencies had previously acted in similar cases before
a. he declared. details