Saakashvili: Russia ordered Partskhaladze to launch case against me to neutralise me in Ukraine

Georgia’s third President, Mikheil Saakashvili, has claimed that former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze launched a criminal case against him on Russia’s orders in an effort to neutralise his activities in Ukraine.

In a post published on social media, Saakashvili said Moscow targeted him because of his direct confrontation with Russian interests during his tenure as Governor of Ukraine’s Odesa Region.

He recalled a 2004 meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Putin allegedly demanded that Georgia appoint a pro-Russian figure as Minister of State Security.

“Putin told me his demand was to appoint Valeri Khaburdzania as Security Minister, whom he himself described as ‘Russia’s man’. I responded that I intended to abolish the Ministry of State Security altogether,” Saakashvili said.

According to Saakashvili, Putin then suggested appointing a Russian-backed candidate as Prosecutor General or Interior Minister, a practice he claims Russia has used in other countries as well. He cited Georgia’s past under Eduard Shevardnadze and Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych as examples.

Saakashvili alleged that Partskhaladze was appointed not because of personal connections, but due to being a Russian agent, adding that similar suspicions apply to other high-ranking officials.

He concluded his post by urging the public to “know your country’s history.”