Kiev police are deploying additional forces around the parliament building after a group of demonstrators started throwing smoke and stun bombs at guards in an apparent reprisal over MPs’ failure to honor past nationalists.
Streaming video from the scene showed officers in riot gear standing in tight formations near the building, as occasional bangs from exploding stun grenades were heard in the distance.
The identity of the attackers was not immediately clear, reports Itar-Tass. But they launched their offensive shortly after Ukrainian MPs voted against considering a bill, which would treat Ukrainian nationalists, who fought against Soviet troops during World War II, as war veterans.
Tuesday is the anniversary of the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army), an armed Ukrainian nationalist organization that at one point during the war sided with the Nazis to fight against Russian troops. The organization was accused of war crimes, including the killings of Jews and Poles in Ukraine, and was hunted down after Moscow fought off the Nazi invasion and took control of Ukraine again.
Modern Ukrainian nationalists from the Svoboda party are celebrating the anniversary with rallies across the country.
The bill, which the MPs decided not to consider on Tuesday, would give surviving members of the UPA benefits similar to those given to war veterans.
source: rt
Tags: Kiev Parliament Building, Politics, Tense stand off
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