Five people were injured during the clearing of the Mariupol City Council building (Donetsk region) early on Thursday, reads a statement posted on the website of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.
“On April 24, patrol officers who were on
around-the-clock duty near the Mariupol City Council saw a group of
people with bats. It turned out that about 30 people entered the
premises and demanded that the invaders vacate the town administration
building. A clash erupted between the two groups of protesters. Law
enforcement officers promptly arrived at the scene. Police officers
intervened and contained the conflict. There are currently reports of
about five people being injured during the scuffle. These citizens
sought medical assistance,” reads the statement.
Criminal proceedings on this incident have been opened under Part 1,
Article 125 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (intentional slight bodily
injury). Police are working at the scene.
The Mariupol City Council was reportedly seized by representatives of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic on April 13.
Early on April 24, local media reported that interior troops had liberated the town council building.
At the same time, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook
page on Thursday that Ukrainian security forces had conducted a
successful operation to liberate the Mariupol City Council building in
Donetsk region from separatists who earlier seized it.
“The City Council has been liberated for normal work. The
role of civic activists was great. The Interior Ministry currently
organizes its normal functioning. Bomb disposal experts will examine the
building now. The City Council is being taken under protection…. In
this particular case, we have avoided casualties. This is good and
right. The process of normalizing the situation in the city will be
continued,” Avakov wrote.
