You're reading: Lviv nationalists clash with police

Ukrainian nationalists in Lviv, western Ukraine, clashed with police on May 9 during a ceremony commemorating the victory of the Soviet Union, which they saw as oppressive and anti-Ukrainian, over Nazi Germany during World War II.

The incident occured as about 100 people, among them World War II veterans, gathered for a ceremony at the Hill of Glory memorial in Lviv jointly with members of the Russian Unity and Motherland parties, who have arrived in Lviv bringing along a 30-meter-high Banner of Victory.

Coordinator of the event, Serhiy Yukhin, told Interfax-Ukraine that the banner is made of two 15-meter parts and bears the signatures of WWII veterans from all parts of Ukraine.

The two parts were sown together in Lviv and handed over to local war veterans. Five WWII veterans were given vouchers to health resorts.

When the Banner of Victory was being handed over, ten nationalists broke the police barricade and ran to the scene of the ceremony. Police interfered, trying to keep them in their place.

Some activists of the Svoboda (Liberty) nationalistic organization offered fierce resistance to police, shaking the fence, put up around the Hill of Glory memorial. Scuffles erupted with police.

The speaker of the regional legislature, Oleh Pankevych, and leader of the Svoboda faction in the regional legislature Iryna Sekh were seen in the crowd.