Tonight at approximately midnight armed skirmishes took place on Kyiv’s central square, Maidan Nezalezhnosti, between two groups. Conflicting reports describe the incident as being between those camping on Maidan with men claiming to be part of Maidan Self-defense, or alternatively between local self-defense units and a group of armed, masked thugs.

According to police, one man was hospitalized with gunshot wounds but have yet to release an official report on the altercation’s circumstances or arrests.

The Central Council of Maidan Sotnia, a self defense group, described the shooting as “a provocation.”

“Attackers hid their faces with balaclavas. Companies raised by the alarm drove the attackers away, but a new assault by morning is not ruled out,” the group said.

According to the Twitter user @tombreadley, involved in provoking and carrying out the attacks were two groups of 40 masked thugs who arrived from the direction of Shevchenko Lane and Hrinchenko St.

“They were catching people of non-Slavic appearance. They did not take down the tents, but they did drag people from the tents closest to the Lyadski Gates. They were armed with brass knuckles, chains, bats. About 10 to 15 people from Maidan got injured…How such a [large] crowd slipped out from Malopidvalna St. to Volodymyrska St., by the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] so quietly, is a mystery. The attackers scattered in little groups, 10 people from Maidan rushed for their defense. They had a Kalashnikov! At first they shot into the air, then at the attackers. Two people seriously wounded are at the ambulance…”

As of 01:50 am, everything was quiet on Kyiv’s central square.

Sources: UNIAN, Ukrayinska Pravda

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Tags: Kyiv, Maidan, News