Events in Mukachevo on July 11-12 attracted attention of Ukrainian and foreign media. It is clear now that consequences of events in this small city in Zakarpatie will influence political processes in Ukraine.

Short description

A large scale skirmish happened in Mukachevo on July 11-12 between fighters of reserve battalion of the “Right Sector” and surroundings of national deputy of Ukraine Mihail Lanio, and later – representatives of law-enforcement bodies.

As a result a special operation was started with involvement of the SCU and National Guard.

The conflict started when about 20 armed representatives of the “Right Sector” came to the sports base “Antares” near Mukachevo, which belongs to a family of national deputy of Ukraine Mihail Lanio.

According to information of national deputy Mustafa Nayem the deputy and representatives of the “Right Sector” had a meeting there.

Lanio reported later that they planned to discuss accommodation of IDPs in sanatorium.

Anyway, discussion ended with a skirmish on the territory of sports complex. One security guard was seriously injured.

Later Mihail Lanio reported that he didn’t know that man, what means that he wasn’t officially employed.

Mustafa Nayem described development of the story later on his Facebook page:

“Somebody called to 102 at 13.20 and reported that people in camouflage blocked Lermontova street. The Head of the City Police Department Vitaliy Shymanyak came to the spot. During negotiations he was presented with an ultimatum to surrender arms. When he refused to do this shooting began – representatives of the “Right Sector” shot into the air, a land pot exploded. Off road cars rammed police UAZ car and pursuit began”.

Then law enforcement officers blocked the road Kiev-Chop. But it didn’t stop fighters – three police cars were destroyed with a machine gun and RPG, and a column of off-road cars of the “Right Sector” went towards Krasnaya Gora.

The “Right Sector” didn’t explain reasons of the visit to sports complex “Antares”. They’ve just accused national deputy Lanio in relations with Viktor Medvedchuk and stated their losses.

“Hundreds of bandits crazy because of impunity are in Mukachevo in Zakarpatie … they tried to kill fighters of the Right Sector … After ferocious confrontations two fighters of the Right Sector were killed, four – injured (two of them have serious wounds). Subdivision took dead and injured, broke out from encirclement of bandits and escaped to mountains”, — representatives of the organization wrote on their site.

In the end law enforcement officers blocked volunteers, who continued to shoot.

Possible reasons

According to information of Mustafa Nayem during a meeting the deputy and fighters discussed distribution of spheres of influence on a contraband market of tobacco goods.

Zakarpatie public activist Aleksandr Goks also supports this version (liga.net).

“Two weeks have passed since the “Right Sector” placed its people on the boarder and stopped goods turnover. That is why a meeting was organized in “Antares” sports complex, where armed guys and police were waiting for them. That’s how shooting began…”, — he stated on air of the “Golos Karpat” radio.

MIA reported about a special operation on apprehension, blocking and disarmament of a “gang, which attacked a civil object” on July 12.

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Shokin considered this event as a terrorists act. According to his order an investigative department of Zakarpatiye Prosecutor’s Office started a criminal proceeding.

The main version

One of the most popular versions of the conflict in Mukachevo now – is a clash of business-interests of national deputies and residents of Zakarpatie Mihail Lanio and Voktor Baloga, who may finance the “Right Sector”.

Mihail Lanio announced that he was a victim in the situation and claimed that custom officers, border guards and the Head of the RSA were involved into the contraband in the region.

Also Lanio tied actions of the RS with Viktor Baloga, who is financing the “Right Sector” according to his opinion.

“Ukrainian Pravda” reports that Baloga and Lanio have been business partners for many years but started a conflict in 2012, when they have a fight because of a control over flows of the contraband from Europe.

After Revolution of Dignity political weight of Baloga in the region increased significantly and he got support from local sub-division of the “Right Sector”. This fact intensified a fight over contraband flows.

Reaction of Russian media

Russian propaganda as always effectively used events in Mukachevo in its interests. Because armed conflict was between law enforcement officers of Mukachevo and the main newsmaker of Russian media – is the “Right Sector”.

That is why Russian journalists cover events in detail, underlying that a city hundreds kilometers away the front line became another “hot spot” in Ukraine.

Russian opposition journalist, co-author of the report “Putin. War”, a worker of the Russian TVchannel “Dozhd” Oleg Kashin remembered forgotten version about a connection of the “Right Sector” with Kremlin, which is interested in destabilization of situation in Ukraine.

Possible consequences

Conflict between representatives of the RS and law enforcement officers divided Ukrainian society once again, significant part of which supported the RS.

Everybody knows that support of current Ukrainian authorities is not limitless and it is not a secret why. People expected much more from new leadership, but Ukrainian officials don’t want to “live in a new way”; population of Ukraine doesn’t see criminal or any other prosecution against accomplices of separatists; there is no real fight against corruption, etc.

On such background a romantic image of a volunteer – severe patriot with automatic gun, who risks his life every day for his Motherland – looks pretty attractive.

On Sunday, July 12, people started mass termless pickets of administrative bodies all around Ukraine in response to appeal of Dmitriy Yarosh – the Head of the “Right Sector”. Protesters demanded to arrest law enforcement officers, involved into a skirmish and to dismiss authorities of the Zakarpatie police department.

The Head of the “Right Sector” underlined that fighters of the RS defended themselves, what was extremely necessary.

We would remind that last summer the Head of the “Right Sector” Dmitriy Yarosh issued a decree and prohibited volunteers of the RS to take arms out the ATO zone, including ammunition and explosives.

What should we do about the fact that 1200 km away the ATO zone fighters of the RS used against representatives of law enforcement bodies small arms and heavy infantry armaments on July 11?

Today civil society has a number of questions to the MIA and General Prosecutor’s Office.

— Who among officials, businessmen, bandits and representatives of law enforcement bodies in Zakarpatie was really involved into organization of contraband transit of commodities across Ukrainian border

— Does the “Right Sector” have its interests in this field?

— Does Viktor Baloga have relations with the “Right Sector”? Did he use it in Zakarpatie for his own interests?

Tragedy in Mukachevo showed that our state, and law enforcement bodies in particular, cannot effectively response to “challenges of present times”. Ukrainian government has let the genie out of the bottle and cannot effectively control it now.

By this example in Mukachevo we proved that volunteer movement in Ukraine is still potentially dangerous for the state.

From the other side military-political organization the “Right Sector” is more popular than the President or the Government and it “utilization” can cause social explosions irreversible aftermaths for Ukraine.

Considering all abovementioned we see actuality of the issue whether some heads of the MIA, General Prosecutor’s Office or other law enforcement bodies comply with their posts.

Aleksey Chernov for the Informator.lg.ua