The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) is verifying the legality of the actions of officers of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Rivne region during a clash with amber diggers on the evening of February 10.

"According to preliminary information, on February 10, 2022, at about 17.00, a skirmish broke out between law enforcement officers and civilians near the village of Yelne, Sarnynsky district, Rivne region. The SBU officers suspected them of illegal mining of amber and wanted to verify this information. The diggers started to resist the SBU officers, started a fight with the use of knives, axes and chainsaws, and the SBU officers, in turn, began to shoot from firearms," ​​the SBI said in the statement.

As a result of the incident, five civilians were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. It is noted that four of them were injured in the legs, one of the victims had a wound in the forearm.

"So far, their lives are not in danger," the bureau said.

Preliminary qualification of the offense: abuse of power or official powers by a law enforcement officer with the use of weapons (Part 2 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).