You're reading: Lutsenko says Ukrainian authorities not to demolish protesters’ tents in Kyiv

Ukrainian authorities will not seek to demolish tents that protesters have pitched on Hrushevskoho Street and near the Verkhovna Rada building in central Kyiv, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said.

“There will be no demolition of the tents. However, to avoid provocations and to ensure the security of the demonstrators themselves, the entrance to the rally zone will be through door frame metal detectors,” Lutsenko said on his Facebook page on Oct. 18.

Special services obtained information about and established instances of “storage and procurement of weapons by members of illegal groups among the demonstrators,” Lutsenko said. “This is precisely what explains the Interior Ministry’s increased security measures. Their duty is to ensure the security of rally participants, Kyiv, and the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, about 200 demonstrators are currently near the Verkhovna Rada building, demanding “major political reform.”

An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported from the scene that the situation there was calm on Wednesday morning. A field kitchen has been deployed near the tents pitched on Hrushevskoho Street. Groups of demonstrators are also warming themselves near portable heaters deployed there.

There are no politicians among the protesters at the moment.

About 5,000 people gathered for an open-ended rally on Hrushevskoho Street and near the Verkhovna Rada building in Kyiv on Oct. 17. The protesters have demanded the abolition of parliamentary immunity, the establishment of a special anti-corruption court, and amendments to election laws.