Opposition leader vows to rally Ukrainians

WARSAW, Poland — Ukrainian opposition leader Mikheil

Saakashvili said Tuesday he would continue rallying people against the nation’s authorities from abroad, following his deportation.

At a news conference in Warsaw, Poland, Saakashvili described his detention in Kyiv by armed, masked men and immediate ejection to neighbouring Poland as a violation of international laws.

He vowed to continue encouraging Ukrainians to stand up to authorities he considers “corrupt elites.” Saakashvili was deported to Poland because he entered Ukraine from the neighbouring country last year. Speaking in Ukrainian and English, he said he would find a way to return to Ukraine, insisting it is his country. He said he planned to visit family in the Netherlands and to seek support for his political activity by meeting European leaders and lawmakers.

Saakashvili was Georgia’s president from 2004 to 2013, and later was given a governorship in Ukraine by then- ally President Petro Poroshenko. He has since criticized Poroshenko for failing to stem corruption and led anti- government protests.