People's Deputy of Ukraine Serhiy Vlasenko (the Batkivschyna faction) regards the actions of the Ukrainian authorities against leader of the New Forces Movement Mikheil Saakashvili as political persecution.

"I officially appeal to the leadership of the state to stop political persecution. This is an obvious political persecution," Vlasenko said on the ICTV channel on Monday evening.

He noted that "today Ukraine has returned to some Middle Ages, when people are stolen on the street, not given an opportunity to appeal against legal or illegal actions, thrown out of the country."

In the opinion of the MP, "the actions of the Ukrainian state are not legal indeed, certainly not democratic and European."