1 Georgian, 4 Ukrainians detained in Tbilisi for possession of arms released on bail

One Georgian and four Ukrainian citizens who were among seven people detained in Tbilisi on 2 December 2018 for the illegal purchase and possession of weapons and ammunition, were released on bail by a Tbilisi city court yesterday.

The individuals were released on 2,000 GEL bail each. Their trial will take place on 12 March 2019.

The case of two other Ukrainian nationals were separated and their trial has been postponed to agree on the conditions of a plea bargain, the court said.

The Georgian citizen released on bail is Luka Chkhetia, a fighter of the Donbass battalion in Ukraine.

All seven detainees stopped a 20-day hunger strike on 4 January 2019, after the request of doctors and family members.

The Georgian Interior Ministry stated shortly after the detention that the individuals were detained in the Guru and Alliance Hotels in Tbilisi.

The ministry reported that weapons have been seized and that they were investigating possible links between the detainees and the post-election political situation in Georgia.

As to why the Ukrainian citizens were detained in Tbilisi after the presidential elections, Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia told Georgian legislators in parliament in December 2018 that they “had specific professions and they could be involved in certain unpleasant situations”.