Mikhail Saakashvili, the regional governor of Odessa, has fallen out of favour over his frequent outbursts accusing presidential allies of corruption

Ukrainian special forces raided the offices of Mikheil Saakashvili, Odessa regional governor, last night in what may be the opening salvo of a political war between the former Georgian president and President Poroshenko, his former ally.

Agents from the SBU, the Ukrainian state security service, burst into the headquarters of Mr Saakashvili’s regional administration late at night and raced up to the top-floor offices of the governor and his advisers. Armed with Kalashnikovs and wearing balaclavas and body armour, they seized several of his aides, interrogating them in an office until challenged by Mr Saakashvili, who wrestled his way past two agents. “This is a political provocation,” he shouted. “Nobody works like this, even in North Korea.”

Acting on orders from the prosecutor-general’s office, which