Ukraine detains group suspected of planning riots in Kyiv

Police in Ukraine has detained a group of people suspected of planning mass riots in the capital Kyiv and in other cities potentially aimed at bringing political instability, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reports.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky stated on Monday, January 31, that the group have been detained on Sunday, January 30. «There were plans to gather up to 5,000 [participants in the riots], including up to 1,500 thugs who were to arrange fights with law enforcement officers», Monastyrsky said adding that the detainees were planning a rally with provocations, violence and bloodshed, including with fake blood.
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«Other riots had also been planned, the minister said. This had to be only the first planned rally [in Kyiv] out of a number of them, and it was clearly recorded on video and audio. […] Rallies were to be held in a number of cities in central Ukraine, including the Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava and Cherkasy regions. That is, these are the regions located one and a half hours drive from Kyiv and [near] our northern border with the Russian Federation», noted the Ukrainian Interior Minister, as quoted by Ukrinform.