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Saakashvili says will try to return to Ukraine

Saakashvili was detained earlier on Monday in Kiev by people in camouflage uniforms and later sent to Poland by a private plane

Mikhail Saakashvili Petr Sivkov/TASS

Mikhail Saakashvili

© Petr Sivkov/TASS

KIEV, February 12. /TASS/. Mikhail Saakashvili, Georgia’s former president-turned Ukrainian opposition politician, who was expelled from Kiev to Poland on Monday, has said he plans to return to Ukraine.

"Of course, I will return to Ukraine. I will find a way how to do that. I think we must continue our struggle," he said told the Zik television channel.

He said the current Ukrainian authorities did not have much time left. "They are cowards. We should not be afraid of them. They are to be ousted by peaceful means to save the Ukrainian economy, lower tariffs, to stop mass exodus from Ukraine to Europe," he said.

Saakashvili was detained earlier on Monday in Kiev by people in camouflage uniforms and later sent to Poland by a private plane. Ukraine’s border service said later he had been expelled to Poland and he had no legal grounds to return to Ukraine.

Several hundreds of Saakashvili’s supporters stages a protest rally on Monday in front of the building of Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko’s administration demanding his resignation. One of the protesters was detained after clashes with the police.

Upon arrival in Poland, Saakashvili said he planned to reveal his further plans at a news conference on Tuesday. Nevertheless, he said a march of his supporters in Kiev scheduled for March 18 would not be cancelled.

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