ODESA – Odesa region's prosecutors have sent an indictment to court against four suspects in a number of crimes that were aimed at overthrowing Ukraine's constitutional order.
The mentioned individuals are suspected of an attempt to forcefully topple the authorities, overthrow Ukraine’s constitutional order, seize state power, organize the seizure of administrative buildings, the creation of illegal armed groups, participation in them and of other crimes, the press service of the prosecutor’s office in Odesa region said on Monday.
A pre-trial investigation into the criminal case was conducted by the investigation department of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in Odesa region.
“It has been established that in January last year a citizen of the Russian Federation in conspiracy with a resident of Izmail (a commander of a tactical group from the so called ‘DPR’ [Donetsk People’s Republic] terrorist organization) together with two more individuals agreed to commit actions aimed at seizing state power both in Odesa region and other regions of Ukraine by working against the incumbent authorities and such political parties in Ukraine as Right Sector and All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda,” the press service said.
“The criminal gang planned to organize another ‘Russian Spring’ during May holidays by means of forming illegal armed groups to advance in the region and seize the power and transfer it to the prospective illegal formation ‘Odesa People’s Republic,'” the prosecutors said.
Their plans also included the armed seizure of administrative law-enforcement buildings, premises of ports and the political parties; destruction of bridges, killings of some Ukrainian members of parliament and public activists.
The so-called Odesa People’s Republic should have included areas spanning from the southern border of Odesa region to the village of Kobleve in Mykolaiv region.
The leader of the criminal gang and his three accomplices are now held on remand, a restrictive measure requested by the prosecutors.
