03.02.2016, Mariupol.
On January 28th, militants of “Right Sector” (and organization banned in Russia), with the support of Ukrainian police, clashed with soldiers of Ukrainian army not far from the city Mariupol, Donetsk People’s Republic Deputy Defense Minister Eduard Basurin reported during the briefing at Donetsk News Agency.
Specifically, he said: “According to the information of our intelligence, the clashes between Ukrainian army units and uncontrolled Ukrainian nationalist gangs continue. On January 28th, a group of militants of “Right Sector” together with the division of the National Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (MIA, Ukrainian: MVD) attacked a column of 36th Marines brigade of the Ukrainian army. During the combat, one armored personnel carrier and two trucks were disabled. There are dead and wounded on both sides. The heads of the National Police and Ukrainian army arrived to the scene of combat.“
Eduard Basurin also said that “the decision to lay an ambush was made personally by the Head of Mariupol Department of the MVD National Police Mykola Poboyny. At the present moment, the heads of Ukrainian army and MVD are doing everything to avoid the publicity of this fact by Ukrainian media. Wounded soldiers of Ukrainian army are sent to the hospital institutions of the central parts of the country.“
This is not the first report of shootouts between soldiers of the Ukrainian army and militants of illegal Ukrainian armed units that happen from time to time in different towns and villages. The cause of conflict is often a struggle for control over the routes of contraband cargo traffic. Often the attacks are deliberately provocatively affixed to Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republic Armed Forces, which supposedly make breakthrough attempts at the line separating the sides of the conflict.
