11:26 24.04.2014

Five people injured during clearing of Mariupol Town Council – Interior Ministry

2 min read

Five people were injured during the clearing of the Mariupol Town Council building (Donetsk region) early on Thursday, reads a statement posted on the Web site of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.

"At about 0300 on April 24, patrol officers who were on around-the-clock duty near the Mariupol Town Council saw a group of people with bats. It turned out that about 30 people entered the premises and demanded that the invaders vacate the town administration building. A clash erupted between the two groups of protesters. Law enforcement officers promptly arrived at the scene. Police officers intervened and contained the conflict. There are currently reports of about five people being injured during the scuffle. These citizens sought medical assistance," treads the statement.

Criminal proceedings on this incident have been opened under Part 1, Article 125 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (intentional slight bodily injury). Police are working at the scene.

The Mariupol Town Council was reportedly seized by representatives of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic on April 13.

Early on April 24, local media reported that interior troops had liberated the town council building.

At the same time, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page on Thursday that Ukrainian security forces had conducted a successful operation to liberate the Mariupol Town Council building in Donetsk region from separatists who earlier seized it.

"Mariupol. The Town Council has been liberated for normal work. The role of civic activists was great. The Interior Ministry currently organizes its normal functioning. Bomb disposal experts will examine the building now. The City Council is being taken under protection.... In this particular case, we have avoided casualties. This is good and right. The process of normalizing the situation in the city will be continued," Avakov wrote.

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