Bandits hiding behind flags of the Self-Defense of the Maidan and Right Sector, most clearly manifested themselves on the roads of Kiev and the Kiev region. But this trend is beginning to spread to other areas.
Something similar to false Self-Defense was seen on the roads of Dnipropetrovsk. Recently, two masked bandits, with an ax and pneumatic gun, have made an ambush by Krivoy Rog. The stopped a car of a local 50-year-old businessman, hit the body with an ax and demanded money. To look more convincing, they pointed a gun at the man. They took 2000 hryvnias and disappeared.
“The other day, strangers walked into a bus. They threatened the passengers with weapons, forced them to remove jewelry and give money. As a goodbye, they shouted, “Right Sector! Glory to Ukraine!” and disappeared,” says Yevgeniy Borisov, a representative of Right Sector. “This is not the first incident in which criminals disguise as us. Once even the mother of a student called us and said, “They are extorting money from my son, they say it’s for you. Please deal with or I’ll call the police.” But to our questions who she was, where she lived and where her son studied, she snapped, “You yourselves know.”
I must say that many car owners have said that recently traffic cops have been “too polite”, refusing taking bribes and writing out the protocols. But the press service of the Lviv Right Sector tells a different story, “The traffic police have doubled the “rates” of bribes, citing the fact that they give the half to Right Sector.” Activists call that information a campaign to discredit the movement.
In Odessa, they don’t disguise as Right Sector members, but that doesn’t make the situation calmer.
Over the past two months, in Odessa and the region the crime rate has increased dramatically. This is what Andrey Pinigin, head of the Odessa Regional Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of the Interior, said to us:
“Criminals try to take advantage of the situation – they’re trying to quietly rob and steal.”
“Yesterday, right under the building of the Suvorov district department, we heard a cry – a robber ripped a gold chain from somebody while running. On officer, who went out to have a smoke, managed to catch up with the thief and detained him. It turned out that the robber was a resident of Kherson. He was hired by some Odessa civic actor to participate in the rally. After the rally, he decided to earn something. However, the thief didn’t know the city well, and he committed the crime right under the district department,” a police officer told to Reporter.
The Odessa police complain that their patrols are weakened by the lack of traditional reinforcement of Berkut.
“Every second passer-by is now armed with something – be it a knife, a stick or a traumatic gun. We try not to bother anyone, as we can run into mad or inadequate people. Now we are trying to intervene only in real crimes,” Yuriy V., a sergeant of the Odessa Regiment patrol, admitted.
By the way, the Odessa Berkut doesn’t patrol the city yet as it is waiting for changes.
“We’ve had a recertification recently. Everyone who wanted to stay in the new unit passed it. A few people decided to transfer and quit, but they were few. Last month, we received our salaries on time. Now we’re waiting for instructions and reformatting the units,” says Nikolay Pankiv, a commander of the Odessa Berkut.
It seems that the syndrome of non-interference spread to other security forces in Odessabeside the police. The traffic police say that the majority of officers do their best not to work at night and do not stop cars on empty routes.
“We’re scared, you can get a bullet in the head easily now,” said to Reporter a traffic policeman Andrey.
The Security Service of Ukraine said that the staff are simply “waiting and doing nothing.”
“They’ve taken our weapons and identity cards. We get the documents only when we come to work. The authorities don’t give us actual issues to solve – we’re waiting when they fire the commanders and send us new ones,” told us an employee of the Odessa UAS Vladimir.
It is interesting that along with the security forces in Odessa doing nothing, the activity of many national units is increasing, as well as groups of Self-Defense and other civic groups. Many of them “forget” to register with the police and carry out actions at their own risk. However, up to the Shyriaievedistrict in Odessa, there are no outposts and barricades of tires, unlike throughout the rest of Ukraine.
62. Right Sector Sealed Office of Newly Appointed Head of Regional Police in Rivne. Rivne, 07/03/2014 By thane initiative of activists, the office of the new head of the regional police was sealed in Rivne as his candidature wasn’t conformed to the local Maidan. In the afternoon of the 6th of March, several dozens of public activists came to Vyacheslav Chayka, head of Regional Office of the Ministry of the Interior, who was appointed on the 4th of March and suggested that he should step down from office. Their basic argument was that his candidature isn’t conformed to the citizens of the region and therefore this appointment, in their opinion, is unofficial. Activists expressed their wish to see the dismissal order of Chayka till tomorrow’s evening. Besides, they want the new person who is planned to be appointed to the highest police position of the region to deliver a speech at the Popular Assembly, which is to take part at 1 PM on Sunday at the central square in Rivne.
63. Symbolical Gallows Set Up in Cherkassy and Dnipropetrovsk. Cherkassy, 07/03/2014 A real gallow was set up in the center of Cherkassy, according to the reports of local citizens on social networks, with photos of the device for execution attached. It is remarkable that exactly in this place in 1942, during fascist occupation, the gallows for real executions were set up. Today it became known that the symbolical gallows for political undesirables and dissidents are also set up in Dnipropetrovsk. The effigies of Oleg Tsaryov and Vadim Kolesnichenko, deputees of the Party of Regions, hang upon the gallow.
Source: http://polemika.com.ua/news-140715.html
64. Masked Men Beat and Robbed Man in Bukovina. Chernivtsi region, 07/03/2014 10 masked men intruded into the man`s house, beat him and robbed him of valuables and weapons in Chernivitsi regional. It was reported to the ZIK news agency by the public relations sector of the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Chernivitsi region. On the 6th of March at 9 PM, the department received a message from a 40-year-old resident of the Storozhenitsky area saying that he had been beaten and robbed in his own house by masked men. The investigative group established that ten masked men burst into the house through an unlocked door, beat the man and his 45-year-old acquaintance. Then the criminals bound them and demanded that they say where money was. The men seized 2000 euro, 4000 dollars, about 50000 hryvnias and gold items. The law enforcers also established that 2 firearms the owner was allowed to carry were stolen from the house. The injured owner of the house is in the Storozhinetskaya central hospital now. His acquaintance received medical help and he is at home now. The incident has aroused criminal proceedings. Measures to establish who the intruders were and where they are now are being taken.
65. Police Station Attacked by Molotov Cocktail Throwers. Ternopil, 07/03/2014 On the 7th of March, a group of young men came to the Ternopil police office, situated on the Taras Shevchenko Bulvar, 10, around 1 AM. Some of the men wore masks; two of them held Molotov cocktails in their hands, acted aggressively and violated public order. According to the witnesses some of the men seemed drunk. Residents of the near houses called the police. The law enforcers acted quickly, in a couple of minutes an investigative group and a patrol arrived at the scene. The young men ran when they heard the sirens of the patrol cars.
