Ukrainian police deny reports that an outbreak of ethnic conflict has broken out in recent days in the industrial town of Marhanets, Dnipropetrovsk region, but admit a conflict has been defused.
“There were no ethnic problems and will not be. We have localized the conflict,” said Anatoly Naumenko, head of the Interior Affairs Ministry in Dnipropetrovsk region..
Speaking about the reported incidents, Naumenko confirmed that a group of criminals murdered a policeman, then later damaged five cars (smashed lights and glass of three of them; overturned two others) owned by Ukrainian citizens of Armenian origin.
Naumenko said the criminals were detained, but were released later after a court refused to issue a warrant.
In an apparently related incident which triggered the car incidents, Naumenko said the court sanctioned the arrest of an ethnic Armenian resident in Marhanets on suspicion of murdering the policeman. That arrest occurred on July 28. The police offer was killed that very same day while off duty during a scuffle that broke out in a Marhanets café.
Naumenko said elite polite guards were patrolling the town to prevent any escalation.
