The SCM company owned by Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov, whose office in central Kyiv was pelted with rock on Saturday, sees the incident as a gross violation of the principles of the rule of law.

"We are seeing the attack on the SCM office as a gross violation not only of public order, but also of the European values, primarily, the rule of law and the respect for private property," the SCM media center said in a statement released on Sunday.

The company thanked law enforcement agencies and urged them "to take whatever action necessary to stop the riots in Kyiv."

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said that four criminal inquiries have been launched into the Saturday incidents in the center of the capital: three on hooliganism charges, and the fourth over the theft of cell phones and a purse.

It was reported that a wave of property attacks swept through downtown Kyiv on Saturday. In particular, the attackers hurled rock, threw green paint and damaged office furniture at one of Alfa-Bank branches. A similar attack was carried out against a Sberbank of Russia branch.