Newsweek: Coup attempt thwarted in Ukraine
Ukrainian authorities have thwarted a coup attempt aimed at seizing control of the capital, Kiev, Newsweek reported.
According to the Ukrainian Attorney General’s Office, several people involved in planning this coup attempt have been arrested.
Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office said on its official Telegram account on Monday that police had uncovered a group of activists who were planning to provoke riots in Kiev on June 30.
Four individuals were charged with distributing leaflets calling for the violent overthrow of the government and constitutional order, and two were arrested.
Investigations indicate that from May to June the group has been publishing online publications seeking to discredit the current Ukrainian leadership and calling for a seizure of power.
According to investigators, the coup organizer, who heads a local union known for his past record of incitement against the government, rented a two-thousand-seat hall in Kiev and was trying to recruit soldiers and private militias to carry out his plan.
Investigations reveal that those involved with the organizer were from the Dnipropetrovsk and Kiev regions, in the east and north of the country, respectively.
The head of an NGO from Prykarpattya approached him to join the group, but he refused because of the apparent illegality of the scheme.
Newsweek reported, citing the security service of Ukraine, that the group has been known for its anti-Ukrainian activities since 2015, and they hoped to take control of the Ukrainian parliament building in central Kiev.
The group communicated via different messaging platforms and met in small groups of three.
Searches of suspects’ homes led to the discovery of weapons, ammunition, mobile phones, and computers containing evidence of criminal activities.
The detainees were arrested in accordance with Chapters I, II and III of Article IX of the Penal Code of Ukraine, which covers calls and actions aimed at violent change, overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of power.
The authorities assured that the people invited to attend the event by the organizers weren’t fully aware of their true intentions.
The security service of Ukraine reported that the organizers hoped to destabilize the social and political situation inside Ukraine, which is in the interest of the Russian Federation.
Investigations are ongoing, and if found guilty, they could face up to 10 years in prison.
