Saakashivili: Renegade Commander will be Punished

Georgian President met on April 20 in Tbilisi those servicemen of the Batumi-based 25th Brigadze of the Georgian Defense Ministry, who prefered to remain loyal to the central governemtn and not follow the orders of the mutinieer Maj. Gen. Roman Dumbadze.

“You are patriots, because refused to obey a man who is a traitor. All the trators will be strictly punished,” President Saakashvili told 17 soldiers from the 25th Brigade, reffering to renegade chief of the Batumi-based military unit.

Maj. Gen. Roman Dumbadze, who was dismissed as a commander of the 25th Armored-Mechanized Brigade, deployed in Adjarian capital Batumi, has officially announced his insubordination to the Defense Ministry orders on April 19.

“The 25th brigade is subordinated only to the [Adjarian leader] Aslan Abashidze,” he told a news conference in Batumi.

Georgian Defense Ministry urged on April 19 members of the 25th Armourd-Machinized Brigade to remain loyal to the central government and not follow the orders of a renegade commander.