Right Sector Activists Launch Protests in Kiev

Activists from the Ukrainian Right Sector nationalist movement have staged a protest in Kiev. Two vehicles and three tents with Right Sector logos are near the presidential office building. Most activists are sitting on the ground; some of them are sleeping in tents. No active protest actions have been reported.

Several dozens of people gathered near the presidential office after a conflict sparked in the western Ukrainian town of Mukachevo. They demand the resignation of the country’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and commanding police officers in the Zakarpattia Region over the standoff in the western Ukrainian town of Mukachevo.

Earlier, Right Sector representative Dmitry Savchenko said one of the Right Sector battalions was heading to Kiev to take part in protests.

"The 5th battalion is on its way to Kiev. It consists of flesh-and-blood people, citizens who have the same rights as we do. They are going to participate in protests. It doesn’t mean that they are carrying guns with them. Nevertheless, an ongoing protests is reasonable, and those fighters should take part in it," he said.

Currently, members and supporters of Right Sector are protesting in many cities across Ukraine.

On Saturday, Mukachevo became the center of a conflict after Right Sector fighters exchanged fire with local police forces. The incident left several people killed and 13 injured, including law enforcement officers. The attackers ran away and hid in the mountains.

The Right Sector said police opened fire at its members without warning. The Interior Ministry, in its turn, blamed Right Sector fighters for the shootout.

The Right Sector has played a major role in violent clashes with police, and played a key role in escalating last year's violence in Kiev which culminated in the February 2014 coup. In January 2015, the Russian Ministry of Justice added the Right Sector to its list of non-commercial organizations whose activity in Russia is prohibited.