Some protesters rallying outside NBU paid $10 each

11:00, 16.11.2016 1 min read

Some participants in a rally outside the building of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) told observers of the OSCE special monitoring mission (SMM) that they were paid for taking part in the protests, the OSCE SMM said in a report as of November 14.

"In Kyiv the SMM monitored a public gathering outside the National Bank of Ukraine organized by the political party, For Life. About 1,200 people (70 percent elderly women) listened as a speaker accused the bank of corruption," the report reads.

The monitors said protestors temporarily blocked the street in front of the bank. The SMM noted that about 20-30 young men in civilian clothing, positioned at the edge of the crowd, were stopping people and asking them where they were going when they attempted to leave the demonstration. The SMM was also stopped by the men who stated they were from the 'rapid reaction group' of the For Life political party. "Two demonstrators separately told the SMM that they would be paid the equivalent of about USD 10 for participating in the demonstration," the mission said.