"Why did I abandon my very comfortable life in Ukraine, where I was highly respected? I simply could no longer bear watching the rapid destruction of Georgia. Today marks four years since I’ve been in prison. I am banned from telephone communication and meetings with comrades, but not for a single moment has my fighting spirit wavered—not when I was on the brink of death, and not now, as I await October 4. Yes, I sacrificed the best years of my life to this struggle, but I know for certain that even better years lie ahead," writes Georgia’s third President, Mikheil Saakashvili, in a letter sent from Vivamedi.

Mikheil Saakashvili recalls his return to Georgia in 2021 and calls on citizens to gather on Rustaveli Avenue on October 4.

"At the end of September 2021, I left my beautiful, newly built house in the suburbs of Kyiv (it was the best house I ever had). I stopped by my workplace at President Zelenskyy’s administration, where my large office with a reception room was located directly above Zelenskyy’s office, and where I had a very high salary. I finalized my documents and headed straight to Odesa. In this beloved city of mine, where I previously served as governor and built a 230-kilometer road to the EU border, I hugged my dear Alisa for the last time and set off for the port, which, during my governorship, we renamed from Ilyichivsk, named after Lenin, to Chornomorsk. I boarded a ferry and headed to Georgia.

This was not my first attempt to return to Georgia. A year earlier, before the parliamentary elections, I got on a boat in one of the EU countries and set off for Georgia. Along the way, I joined a large rally at Freedom Square directly from the boat’s deck. In Russia’s territorial waters, about five kilometers from Sochi’s waters, the boat was heavily rocked by waves, and this rocking was noticeable on the screen in Tbilisi. It might have seemed like the camera operator’s hand was shaking.

After the broadcast, we continued toward Batumi. On the way, I was reading Churchill’s biography. Apparently, our phone signal was intercepted, and an alarm was raised in Batumi. Special forces were put on high alert (as their members informed us), and Ivanishvili’s Interior Minister rushed there immediately.

Meanwhile, a major storm hit, which significantly slowed us down. Waves crashed over the deck, the furniture in the cabin was smashed, and my COVID, which I had contracted in Europe, worsened considerably. I had a fever, and my oxygen saturation dropped to 87.

It seemed like all factors were working against us, and I made the decision to turn back. So, in 2021, I gave up on the boat and came by ferry, which was more reliable but riskier in terms of being detected.

Why did I abandon my very comfortable life in Ukraine, where I was highly respected? I simply could no longer bear watching the rapid destruction of Georgia.

After June 20, the protest movement gained strong momentum, and I didn’t think it was fair to call for resistance from a safe distance.

Around that time, I read a book by philosopher Nassim Taleb, bought in Amsterdam, which contained a theory that if you want to win a battle, you must put your own skin in the game.

And I decided to put my skin in the game—not just rely on past merits but risk everything in a new battle.

Of course, I knew I could die on the way, that I would almost certainly end up in prison, and that they might treat me badly there (in reality, they poisoned and beat me, which exceeded even my expectations). But then and now, I had hope in the Georgian people’s love for freedom and their fighting spirit.

Today marks four years since I’ve been in prison. I am banned from telephone communication and meetings with comrades, but not for a single moment has my fighting spirit wavered—not when I was on the brink of death, and not now, as I await October 4.

Yes, I sacrificed the best years of my life to this struggle, but I know for certain that even better years lie ahead.

From prison, I have met and befriended many young comrades remotely. They give me great energy, and it is my duty to stand by them in building a new Georgia.

Everyone to Rustaveli on October 4!

Everyone for Georgia and for freedom!" writes Saakashvili.