Worse, says Mr Saakashvili, America has propped up Ukraine’s oligarchic elite in the misplaced belief that they are necessary to block Russian interference.

For a man who came to prominence opposing an oligarchic dynasty, many see a bitter irony in his evolution.

Unlike the anti-establishment Trump, he told viewers, Clinton has the full backing of the U.S. security services, “oligarchic” corporations and the media.