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A former Georgian president and ex-governor of a Ukrainian region is in Poland preparing to return to Ukraine after being stripped of his citizenship by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Mikhail Saakashvili told The Associated Press in Warsaw on Thursday that he will attempt to cross from Poland into Ukraine at one of the land crossings on Sept. 10. He said his aim is to fight to get his citizenship back.

He said "all I am asking for is to be able to back to go court and defend my rights."

The 49-year-old was Georgia's president from 2004-2013. In 2015, he moved to Ukraine to lead the Odessa region.

But he eventually fell out with Poroshenko, who stripped Saakashvili of his citizenship by special decree last month while Saakashvili was abroad.