Leader of the Right Sector organization MP Dmytro Yarosh has said that he hasn't urged the organization's fighters hiding in the forests outside Mukacheve to surrender because he does not believe in guarantees of their security, and if there is an order to liquidate them, the Right Sector reserves the right to protect their fighters.
“If I were sure that our [justice] system is working properly and
there would be an objective and comprehensive investigation, I would
definitely try to convince them [to surrender],” he said at a briefing
in Kyiv on Friday.
When asked, what the Right Sector will do if the security forces are
ordered to liquidate the six fighters hiding in Mukacheve, Yarosh said:
“I would not recommend it. The guys said they had the right to the last
battle… If there are such actions, we will have to protect our
fighters. “
In addition, Yarosh said that he had not discussed the situation with
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. “I had talks with the head of
the Security Service and head of the Anti-Terrorist Center,” he said.
The Right Sector leader expressed the hope that the security forces
would resolve the situation without having to kill the fighters hiding
in forests.
It was reported earlier that a shootout involving people close to
parliament deputy Mykhailo Lanio, local police officers and members of
Right Sector took place in Mukacheve in Zakarpattia region on July 11.
Four people were killed and up to 14 were wounded in the exchange of
fire.
According to the Interior Ministry information, more than ten Right
Sector fighters were hiding in a forest in the vicinity of Mukacheve and
four were detained.
Right Sector claimed that the shootout was provoked by criminals led by Lanio whose smuggling pipeline they had blocked.
At the same time, a number of media outlets posted information saying
that the root of the conflict was redistribution of spheres of
influence in ‘protection’ of contraband, namely, cigarettes. There is a
theory that the Right Sector decided to steal leadership from the Lanio
group. Another theory suggested that the Right Sector had similar
intentions but acted in the interest of parliament member Viktor Baloha.
