Gocha Vetriakov ( ka, გოჩა ვეტრიაკოვი; russian: Гоча Ветряков, ''Gocha Vetryakov'') is a former

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

naval officer who commanded the

Georgian Navy The Georgian Coast Guard ( ka, საქართველოს სანაპირო დაცვა) is the maritime arm of the Georgian Border Police, within the Ministry for Internal Affairs. It is responsible for the maritime protection ...

from 2005 to 2006. A native of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

and of Russian ethnic descent, Gocha Vetriakov graduated from the

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...

maritime college in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and then joined the ranks of the

Coast Guard of Georgia The Georgian Coast Guard ( ka, საქართველოს სანაპირო დაცვა) is the maritime arm of the Georgian Border Police, within the Ministry for Internal Affairs. It is responsible for the maritime protection ...

. He then held various positions in intelligence and defense structures of Georgia in the administrations of Eduard Shevardnadze and

Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil Saakashvili ( ka, მიხეილ სააკაშვილი ; uk, Міхеіл Саакашвілі ; born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist.

. From 2005 to 2006, Vetriakov, then Captain 3rd Rank, was the commander of the Georgian Navy. He resigned from his office in April 2006 and left Georgia for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in May 2007, alleging pressure from the then-

Defense Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

Irakli Okruashvili Irakli Okruashvili ( ka, ირაკლი ოქრუაშვილი) (born 6 November 1973) is a Georgian politician who had served on various important posts in the Government of Georgia under President Mikheil Saakashvili, including be ...

. He then majored in security and global studies at the

American Military University American Public University System (APUS) is a private, for-profit, online university system with its headquarters in Charles Town, West Virginia. It is composed of American Military University and American Public University (APU). APUS is who ...

. In December 2012, the newly elected Parliament of Georgia granted him the status of a political exile.

References

, - Military personnel from Tbilisi Living people Georgian exiles Emigrants from Georgia (country) to the United States Georgian people of Russian descent Year of birth missing (living people) {{Georgia-mil-bio-stub