Ukraine President Calls for Disarmament of Armed Groups
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Monday that he has ordered the disarmament of illegal armed groups around the country.
“No political force should have armed cells and no political force will have one,” Poroshenko said during a meeting of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
His orders come after the ultra far-right nationalist group, the Right Sector, clashed with policemen and soldiers over the weekend.
The Right Sector has now staged protests around the country and are sending armed battalions to Kyiv, in a bid to negotiate with Poroshenko’s government.
“We are not an illegal armed group. Illegal armed groups are bandits, and we are volunteer Ukrainian corps, which protect the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Therefore, this statement does not apply to us,” said Right Sector spokesman Artem Skoropadsky as a response to the announcement.
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The Right Sector and other far-right groups have been fighting alongside the Ukrainian army against rebel forces in East Ukraine. The government has provided weapons and training for the groups.
Tensions have continued since early June, when far-right groups launched protests calling for the impeachment of Petro Poroshenko.
The Right Sector hacked the government’s Twitter account on Monday and warned a new revolution will be inevitable.
Some are suggesting that, if the standoff continues, it could lead to the creation of a new armed faction opposing the Ukrainian military, which is already fighting rebels in the east.