Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was freed by supporters on Tuesday only hours after Ukrainian authorities detained him.

Masked officers took Saakashvili into custody in his apartment building in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, earlier Tuesday, as protesters rallied outside in his support. At one point, Saakashvili even climbed on the building’s rooftop to address them.

Led by Saakashvili, protesters set up street barricades and gathered in front of Ukraine's parliament building, the Rada, where they demanded the impeachment of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, according to a DW correspondent at the scene.

According to the SBU press center, Saakashvili was detained as part of criminal proceedings opened under Part 1 of Article 256 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding participants in criminal organizations and covering up their criminal activities).