On September 8, regional leaders of Right Sector and Automaidan were arrested in Odessa. A day later Right Sector threatens with another wave of mobilization against the government. Governor Saakashvili says it would be better to unite against oligarchs instead.

Sergey Sternenko (Right Sector) was arrested for kidnapping a MP. According to speakers of the organization he stays in remand for at least two months. Also Eugene Rezvushkin (Automaidan) stays in custody for two months. He may be sentenced to up to seven years in prison. (censor.net.ua, hromadskeradio.org)

A day after the arrests took place, Dmytro Yarosh leader of Right Sector asked government authorities to ‘stop repression against patriots’. He warned the government that it could face an uprising because of the arrests. He also called on “all citizens of Ukraine, fighters and activists of the national liberation movement ‘Right Sector’ to prepare for active civil disobedience, whose main aim will be to remove the regime of internal occupation and the attainment of national independence of the Ukrainian people.” (Yarosh on Facebook)

Right Sector’s speaker, Varvara Chernoivanenko called the arrests politically motivated and accused the president, Odessa’s governor and head of police. On September 13, a ‘peaceful march for freedom’ is supposed to take place. (odessamedia.net)

Yurii Butusov, chief editor of censor.net criticized the arrests. “Authorities create problems for themselves out of thin air.” He explains that the detainees are not necessarily saints but patriots. “Head of the Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili should voice public position on this issue. It requires ultimate transparency and the highest level of attention.” (censor.net.ua, Butusov on Facebook)

Odessa’s governor, Mikheil Saakashwili commented that he didn’t give direct orders for the arrests and that he wasn’t informed about it. He stressed the need that ‘volunteers and patriotic groups’ unite in a front against external and internal enemies. Once more he accused corruption and oligarchy for ‘robbing the country’, naming Igor Kolomoyskiy explicitly. “If we’ll be united and not give reason to discredit our case, a counter-revolutionary coup will not happen.” (odessa-life.od.ua)

Automadian prepares a petition for the resignation of Arsen Avakov, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. (zaxid.net)

There is more to come.

(wf)