Ukrainian law enforcement officers in Lviv have detained two members of the Lviv region's Sambir district council from the nationalist organization, the Svoboda All-Ukrainian Union - the brothers Mykhailo and Volodymyr Kovaliovs, Freedom said on Sunday.
"Mykhailo was going back home with his wife after a wedding after five o’clock. He was approached by a car, from which several policemen emerged before seizing the Svoboda activist and forcing him into the car," the nationalist movement said.
About two hours later law enforcement officers detained his brother Volodymyr, Svoboda also said. "Because the so-called ‘law enforcers’ failed to bring charges or present any other evidence against the Svoboda activist to prove they acted legally, Volodymyr offered resistance when the policemen tried to drag him out into the courtyard. As a result the Svoboda MP was taken out into the street and forced into the car," Svoboda said.
Both brothers were taken to the Lviv city police department. There, they were told that they will be questioned as witnesses in the case over the May 9 events in Lviv.
Ukrainian law enforcement authorities were not available for comment on this report.
Meanwhile, "initially, there was some telephone communication with the Kovaliovs," Svoboda said. Svoboda activists from the regional council leant from the detained brothers that they are being questioned separately. Later, the communication was lost, just after Mykhailo shouted into the phone that law enforcers were beating him," the organization said.
Svoboda members of the regional council urgently headed to the Lviv city police department to find out the circumstances of what happened.
On Sunday, police also tried to detain another Svoboda member from the Lviv regional council, Mykhailo Blavatsky, as he was leaving the apartment of the All-Ukrainian Union leader, Oleh Tiahnybok, Svoboda also said.
The police tried to force him into a police vehicle without any subpoena and take him in an unknown direction. They explained their actions by a search order for the wanted Svoboda activist’s car. After a call to the city prosecutor the police released Blavatsky.
It was reported earlier that multiple clashes occurred during the May 9 celebration in Lviv. In particular, a group of young men broke through a police cordon outside the Hill of Glory and tried to prevent the unfolding of the Red Banner of Victory. In all, 14 people were hurt in the May 9 clashes. Nine were detained for petty hooliganism. Also a criminal case was launched over the shooting after a Svoboda activist was shot and injured in the leg.
"The actions by extremist forces [in Lviv on May 9] resulted in the humiliation of the veterans and citizens who were celebrating the Day of the Victory over fascism," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "The attack of Russian representatives and the affront to the national symbols are absolutely unacceptable," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Ambassador in Moscow Volodymyr Yelchenko.
The Ukrainian authorities promised to investigate the May 9 incident and to inform Russian officials about the results.
