Russian expert explains why Saakashvili was chosen to govern Ukraine's Odessa

Georgian ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili has recently been appointed as the governor of Ukraine's Odessa Oblast. Sergey Mikheyev, deputy head of the Vestnik Kavkaza Editorial Board, director general of the Institute of Caspian Cooperation, called the Odessa a rather complicated region in all aspects. It used to be governed by a protege of Kolomoyskyi, reminds the expert. In his opinion, Kiev appointed Saakashvili to develop the conflict with Kolomoyskyi, reframe the regional elite and get rid of Kolomoyskyi's militants, which amount to about 1,000 people.

Mikheyev believes that Odessa is not very happy with the government in Kiev. It is also notable for the abundance of ports that Kiev needs to control. The expert adds that the oblast borders Transnistria.

Concerning the refusal of the new government to give up citizenship of his homeland, Mikheyev said that it was quite an unpatriotic gesture on Saakashvili's part, especially for a man standing as an avid patriot.