One Georgian, four Ukrainian citizens detained in Tbilisi released on bail
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, February 6
The Tbilisi City Court released one Georgian citizen Luka Chkhetia, who fought in the Donbass battalion in Ukraine and four Ukrainian citizens who were detained early December in Tbilisi for the possession of weapons and ammunition.
Two other Ukrainian citizens were detained with them, Dmitry Kuragin and Sergey Kladko, whose trial is scheduled on 12 March.
Their case has been separated and postponed allegedly because of the need of plea bargain.
The five individuals were released on 2,000GEL bail each.
None of the detainees admitted to the crime.
They were on hunger strike for about a month, protesting the detention.
All the seven individuals were detained ahead of the opposition rally in Tbilisi, protested against the victory of Salome Zurabishvili as the new president of Georgia.
Chkhetia’s father told reporters that his son was going to participate in the opposition rally.
Ukraine’s president adviser Yuriy Biryukov said that among the Ukrainian citizens who were detained in Georgia, was the Supreme Rada MP and battalion Donbass commander Semen Semenchenko.
“I have various contacts. They confirm the information that Semenchenko is in Tbilisi, that Semenchenko has drawn us to the diplomatic scandal, that Semenchenko has framed his people and fled the last moment,” he said.
The Ukrainian media also reported that his status “saved” Semenchenko from detention.
Semenchenko confirmed that he was in Tbilisi but said that his escape and possible links with the opposition rally are rumors.
“The people who are detained now were not present at the rally at all,” Semenchnko said.
The detainees might face imprisonment from eight to twelve years.
