The events in Lviv on May 9 were a provocation aimed at splitting the city, Director of the Foreign Policy Institute of the Ukrainian Diplomatic Academy Hryhoriy Perepylytsia has said.
"The events in Lviv were an obvious provocation, and I believe that the aim of this provocation is to separate Lviv and create an anti-Russian policy in Ukraine out of this conflict," he told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
According to the expert, some Russian elements want to worsen relations between Ukraine and Russia.
"However, we did not consider this incident as one that has an anti-Russian aspect," he added.
Perepylytsia noted that following the incidents and the public opinion that exists in Lviv, the city court made a ruling banning the raising of the relevant banners.
"But as the ruling was violated, then correspondingly this caused such a reaction. I consider this as a local conflict, as a certain provocation," the expert said.
