Georgian Crime Boss Killed in Ukraine

Ukraine’s National Police reported on October 2 that Georgian citizen,  wanted by Ukrainian police for opening fire at riot police several days ago, was killed during the special operation near Kyiv.

As it turned out later, the killed Georgian citizen is criminal boss Mevlud (Shota) Chichiashvili, who was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment by Georgian court in 2005 for number of kidnapping cases. Chichiashvili was released from prison in 2013 as part of a broad amnesty in Georgia.

The Ukrainian National Police reported that Chichiashvili was offered to surrender, but he resisted. Two policemen sustained injuries during the clash, killing Chichiashvili.

For years, Shota Chichiashvili led the criminal group involved in kidnapping cases in the Pankisi gorge. A number of high-profile cases are related to his name, including abduction of two Spanish businessmen in 2000, Georgian MP Petre Tsiskarishvili and British banker Peter Shaw, both in 2002.

Rustavi 2 TV reported in 2018 quoting former member of Chichiashvili’s criminal group that Chichiashvili killed journalist Giorgi Sanaia upon instructions of ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze’s government. In 2017, Givi Targamadze, then UNM member and now member of the European Georgia party said that one of the members of Chichiashvili’s criminal group participated in the attack against him.

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