He did business in the Russian Federation and wanted to become a deputy: what is known about the “organizer of the transportation of bombs” to Voronezh

On Monday, February 5, Georgian special services announced that they had detained a cargo of “bombs” from Ukraine that were heading to Voronezh. Ukrainian Andrei Sharashidze is suspected of organizing the transportation.

Andrey Sharashidze

Georgian intelligence services call him a native of the city of Batumi, but Sharashidze himself indicates on his Facebook page that he was born and raised in Odessa. It should be noted here that the Georgian statement says that Odessa was the starting point for the alleged transportation of bombs.

Sharashidze himself did not lead a very public lifestyle. The peak moment of his publicity is also the most remarkable stage in a man’s life. In 2019, he ran for deputy of the Odessa Regional Council from the Servant of the People party.

It was during this period of time that Sharashidze was especially active online. He regularly held meetings with voters, and in his election campaign he focused on improving the city. For example, in October 2020, he promised to lay asphalt on one of the streets, return the bus stop, and so on.

However, even at this peak of activity in the media there was not much information about him. The description that was given to him in the local media during the elections is as follows: an entrepreneur-cheese maker (but more on that later).

Despite an active election campaign, Sharashidze failed to win the election. And from that moment on, almost nothing was heard about him on the Internet. His Facebook page was abandoned and his name was not mentioned in the news.

In addition to politics, the man was also involved in entrepreneurship. According to public company registries, he was the founder or director of several companies:

• “Savranskaya cheese factory” (hence the media reports about the cheese maker);
• The Palatino company (judging by the registry data, is engaged in the wholesale trade of vegetables and fruits).

Also at the end of 2022, Andrei Sharashidze headed the agricultural cooperative “Savransky Cooperator” in the Odessa region.

He headed the public organization “National Interest of Ukraine” (the organization’s page has not been functioning for more than 3 years, approximately since the local elections took place, in which Sharashidze lost. And the link to the organization’s “website” leads to a casino. Perhaps the page has long been hacked) .

In addition, he was the founder of the Mariupol company Laikis (also engaged in wholesale trade).

Perhaps the next line in Sharashidze’s biography is worth paying attention to. The fact is that since 2014, the man also ran a business in Russia. The “namesake” of her Ukrainian company “Paladis” was registered in Moscow, which was engaged in the production of juices, coffee and selling them outside of stores. Sharashidze was both its leader and its founder. But in 2019 it was closed by the local tax office.

Let us recall that, according to statements by the Georgian special services, Sharashidze allegedly organized the transportation of “bombs” from Odessa through Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey to Georgia in order to deliver them to Russia. Knowing this, it is noteworthy that the man had close ties to the key countries on this list: Ukraine (citizen), Georgia (native), Russia (business). However, while Ukraine has not given any official comments on this matter, it is still possible to question the route, the “bombs,” and Sharashidze’s goal.