You're reading: Car of Kharkiv EuroMaidan organizer burnt, fifth incident there in month

Police in Kharkiv say they are investigating an arson fire that burned up a local EuroMaidan protester’s vehicle as “intentional destruction of or damage of property.” 

The
car of Kharkiv Oblast lawmaker Ivan Varchenko was burned around 10 p.m. on Dec.
28 near his residence, according to police. He is one of the chief organizers
of the pro-European protests in Kharkiv.

“Law
enforcement bodies are applying all necessary measures to identify the people
who are connected to this incident…Police personnel are determining who the
eyewitnesses are and special forensics are being used to find out what is
behind this incident,” said the Kharkiv Oblast press service.

The
alleged arson follows a Dec.
24 knife-stabbing of Dmytro Pylypets
, another Kharkiv EuroMaidan
co-organizer. Just after 9 p.m. two unknown male assailants assailed Pylypets,
stabbing him four times, while he was walking on Ivanova Street near the
apartment where he currently resides, reported online news site MediaPort, whose editor spoke with Pylypets some 30
minutes after the incident.

In
the same month, a minibus was burnt that was used to transport audio and other
equipment to Kharkiv’s anti-government demonstration. Two additional vehicles were
also scorched belonging to Kharkiv protesters, UNIAN reported. Police have opened
criminal investigations into the burning of the latter three cars as well.

Kyiv Post editor Mark Rachkevych can be reached at either [email protected] or [email protected].