In Kyiv activists and policemen were injured as result of clashes during “blockade protest”

Дата: 20 February 2017
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In Kyiv on Sunday evening, activists, who carried out protest in support of trade blockade of the occupied territories of Donbas, set up a tent near the presidential administration.

As reported by Ukrayinska Pravda (Ukrainian Truth), additional police forces were gathered to the governmental section of the city, participants of the protest were pushed away from passages of Bankova Street. Participants of the “blockade protest”, including People’s Deputies Semen Semenchenko and Yehor Sobolyev, tried to break to the presidential administration with parts of the tent with intention to install the tent near administration and to conduct a protest there.

Afterwards they went to Maidan Nezalezhnosti, where police refused to let the protesters pass from European Square to Khreschatyk. Clashes broke out as a result Mykola Kokhanivsky, the Chief of the OUN Battalion, and several people in camouflage were detained, about 10 people were injured one police officer was also injured.

Representatives of the Red Cross, who were on duty on the Maidan, reported about the victims of the clashes in the commentary to Hromadske TV.

According to medics, at least 10 people were injured. One of them received closed craniocerebral injury, another person had a heart attack.

Serhiy Knyazev, the Chief of the National Police, reported that three police officers were injured.

“Woman-police officer had broken fingers. Another one had a broken arm. Third police officer had closed craniocerebral injury and a broken nose”, – he reported on his Twitter page.

Hromadske TV also reported that People’s Deputy Yehor Sobolyev fought with a police officer.

Sobolyev himself in response to journalists’ questions, what happened with his face (injury on the cheek near lips, visible traces of blood), answered: “I met the new police force, I showed them my ID, said that I am a Deputy, saw that they recognized me. But unlike the old Berkut, they had orders not to let anyone pass, even for People’s Deputies”.

He also explained why he hit a police officer: “I tried to stop a fight and let people pass. There was a huge jostle, people started kicking and were getting hit with batons. I tried to push away the law enforcement officers to prevent the clashes, I presented myself and showed my ID”.

At the same time, according to the police, verbal sparring and jostling happened between participants of the “blockade protest” and law enforcement officers on Institutskaya Street and on the Maidan protesters provoked law enforcers and broke a metal frame.

“At about 7 pm protesters came to the presidential administration, where verbal exchanges brawl happened between them and law enforcement officers. Subsequently, part of the activists returned to European Square and several people started to provoke law enforcers and broke a metal frame near a set checkpoint”, – said in a statement of the police.

According to the National Police 5 people were detained.

Later People’s Deputy Ihor Mosiychuk reported on his Facebook page that Mykola Kokhanivsky, the Chief of the OUN Battalion, and others, who were detained during clashes between participants of “blockade protest” and police, were released from the Police Department of Desnianskyi District.

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