KIEV, December 20 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine's Security Service is investigating alleged coup attempts by members of radical groups during the ongoing mass pro-EU riots in Kiev, a top Ukrainian prosecutor said Friday.
“At protest actions on Independence Square (Maidan) there were repeated calls to seize state power,” Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka told lawmakers. “Investigators of Ukraine's Security Service have filed two cases into the illegal action by a group of individuals aimed at seizing state power in Ukraine.”
The suspects are members of radical groups working under cover of various public organizations, including those linked to sport activities, Pshonka said, without giving further details.
Asked about the investigation into a brutal police crackdown on protesters on November 30, which has been widely criticized by the opposition, Pshonka said: “Legal assessment will be given to each step and decision taken on that night.”
He said the investigation into the violence used in that crackdown, in which dozens were injured, including police, was likely to be a long one.
Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday adopted a law freeing all protesters detained while attending demonstrations in favor of integration with the European Union.
Kiev stunned Europe last month by announcing it was indefinitely postponing the signing of association and trade deals with the EU, opting instead to strengthen ties with the Moscow-led Customs Union.
Ukraine’s rejection of the EU deal has prompted mass protests and thrown Ukraine into a political crisis, with hundreds of thousands attending rallies demanding the dissolution of the government and early elections.
