On May 30th, President Poroshenko surprised many by nominating the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili as governor of Odessa Oblast, in south-western Ukraine. One can indeed wonder at Kiev’s motives for positioning such a world famous personality in a minor role in the provinces. In fact, this surprising choice has been eminently sensible since the port of Odessa remains of strategic importance both economically and politically.