Governor of Luhansk region accuses Aidar of terrorizing the region

He said members of the group stole two ambulances from a local hospital for their “own personal rides” this week, Moskal said in an online statement on April 1. The offense adds to a long list of misdeeds that Moskal said have begun to alienate the local population and undermine the public’s trust in local authorities. The Aidar Battalion has not responded to the Kyiv Post requests for comment, but the Defense Ministry started a probe in response to these accusations.

“Aidar fighters conduct themselves not like representatives of the armed forces who are subordinate to the Defense Ministry, but like hell-raisers, outlaws and robbers armed with automatic weapons. They have essentially opened a second front in peaceful territory, where a war is under way,” Moskal wrote.

Human rights activists and local officials have repeatedly warned that the lawlessness of the battalion threatens to destabilize the region, and Moskal said that is precisely what is happening after the group seized control of the region’s main bread factory, UkrVeresk.