Categories
Day: January 27, 2026
Russian official detained in Georgia
Russian politician Mikhail Timofeev has been detained in Georgia at Russia’s request. A court ordered him held in pre-trial detention for three months, even though Interpol cancelled the arrest notice issued against him in 2025.
According to the TV Rain channel, the decision means Timofeev, a critic of the Kremlin, now faces the risk of extradition to Russia.
Sixty-year-old Mikhail Timofeev is an aide and political ally of Sergei Furgal, the former governor of Russia’s Khabarovsk region who received a 22-year prison sentence. His conviction sparked mass protests in Khabarovsk in 2020–2021.
In 2023, Russian authorities ordered Timofeev’s arrest in absentia as part of an investigation into the 2004 killing of businessman Yevgeny Zorya. Pro-Kremlin media in Russia have described him as a “criminal kingpin”.
Timofeev arrived in Georgia in March 2024 and sought asylum, citing political persecution in Russia. Georgia later rejected his asylum request.
The Georgian authorities have not charged him with any offence. They have detained him solely as part of preparations for a possible extradition.
TV Rain reports that the Georgian authorities detained Timofeev on 23 January following a request from Georgia’s prosecutor’s office. Prosecutors based their request on a letter from Interpol’s Moscow bureau. However, Interpol’s General Assembly annulled the “Red Notice” issued for Timofeev’s arrest back in September 2025.
For that reason, Timofeev’s lawyers say the detention constitutes a serious legal violation.
According to his lawyers, Timofeev’s health condition is serious and requires constant medical supervision and proper care. Without such assistance, they warn, his life faces a real risk.
The case once again raises questions about how Georgia protects the rights of people fleeing political persecution, and about whether Georgia’s relations with Russia align with the country’s international human rights obligations.
Russian official detained in Georgia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Mykhailo Brodovych as Ukraine’s ambassador to Georgia, nearly four years after Kyiv recalled its diplomat amid tensions over Tbilisi’s stance on Russia’s full-scale invasion.
President Zelenskyy signed the relevant decree on January 26. According to Ukrainian media reports, Brodovych has worked at Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry since 1996. He has served as a consul at Ukraine’s Consulate General in Istanbul, consul general in Kraków, Poland, and as Ukraine’s ambassador to Slovenia from 2015 to 2022.
The ambassadorial post had been vacant for nearly four years after Kyiv recalled its previous envoy in March 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, Zelenskyy cited what he described as the “immoral position” of then–Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili’s government regarding sanctions against Russia, as well as its decision to bar Georgian volunteers from traveling to Ukraine.
Relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi have been strained for years, including over Tbilisi’s dissatisfaction with figures linked to the former United National Movement administration holding positions in the Ukrainian government. Tensions worsened following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Kyiv expressing concern over Tbilisi’s controversial stances, including statements by Georgian officials suggesting Kyiv’s responsibility for failing to prevent the war.
Georgian authorities have said they supported Ukraine in international forums and provided humanitarian aid, but refused to go further in demonstrating support for their erstwhile close ally.
Relations further deteriorated in June 2023, when Zelenskyy asked Georgian ambassador to Ukraine, Giorgi Zakarashvili, to leave within 48 hours for consultations over the treatment of former Georgian ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, who also holds Ukrainian citizenship.
In September 2024, Ukraine recalled its temporary chargé d’affaires in Georgia, Mykhailo Kharyshyn, with newly appointed Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha citing his “complete lack of understanding of the realities of diplomacy in a wartime state.”
Since 2025, Roman Yakovenko has served as Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires ad interim in Georgia.
Also Read:
- 29/12/2025 – Georgia Sends Generators to Ukraine, Extends Support Program for Ukrainians
- 16/12/2025 – Georgia to Sign Convention Launching Claims Commission for Ukraine
- 19/08/2024 – Ukraine Diplomat Says Kyiv Expects Tbilisi to Make First Step for Restoring Relations
- 04/07/2024 – Georgian MFA Regrets “Extreme Escalation” From Kyiv
- 22/04/2021 – Georgian Ambassador Returns to Kyiv After Year-Long Hiatus